A former Central Peninsula Hospital Chief Executive Officer and South Peninsula Hospital Chief Financial Officer has been named the new CEO for South Peninsula Hospital. In a press release on Wednesday, the SPH board of directors announced it has selected Ryan Smith to be the new CEO.
Smith now works as CEO of Memorial Hospital of Converse County in Douglas, Wyoming. He started his career in health care administration as CFO in Homer from 1996-98. He was CEO of Central Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna for five years from 2006-11, leaving to be CEO at Memorial Hospital.
Smith ran CPH at the time of a fatal shooting in November 2008 when a former employee entered the hospital with a rifle and handgun and shot two employees, killing one. Alaska State Troopers killed the shooter during a standoff in the parking lot.
“Mr. Smith is a talented CEO,” said SPH Board President David Groesbeck in the press release. “His references speak to extraordinary talents, his record speaks for itself, and his familiarity with Alaska and the Kenai Peninsula will prove invaluable. We are fortunate that his desire to return to Homer aligns perfectly with our organization’s needs and goals. He is a proven leader with the right experience, vision and commitment to lead us forward.”
According to the press release, while at CPH he led a $50 million dollar expansion, nearly tripled gross patient revenues, resulting in positive operating and net income, and negotiated a 10-year hospital lease and operating agreement with the Kenai Peninsula Borough. He was the Chair of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association, awarded “Grassroots Champion” by the American Hospital Association in 2009, and named Soldotna Chamber of Commerce “Person of the Year” in 2010.
At Memorial Hospital he created a clinically integrated provider network, oversaw the addition of a 25,000-square-foot freestanding medical office building, and improved patient satisfaction and employee engagement, according to the press release.
Between working in Homer and Soldotna, Smith was CFO for Life Point Hospitals Inc., and served as CFO at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center from 2004-2005. He also spent 10 years with Hospital Corporation of America, working his way up through several positions, ending his time there in the finance department.
Smith earned both a bachelor of science in accounting and masters in business administration from The University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He will arrive in Homer in August to begin the position full time, but will be involved in upper level administration before then. Noel Rea, named interim CEO in April, will remain on until Smith’s arrival.
