WellStar Announces New Leadership Roles

MARIETTA, Ga., Jan. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WellStar Health System announced three new senior leadership roles.  The new positions will further align WellStar's operations with its vision to deliver world-class healthcare. 

WellStar is known nationally for innovative care models and continues to expand upon its reputation by bringing nationally renowned healthcare leadership into the System.  Kem Mullins, currently serving as interim chief operating officer, has been named executive vice president, ambulatory division & business development.  Carrie Owen Plietz joins WellStar as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the hospital division.  John Brennan, M.D., MPH joins WellStar as executive vice president and chief clinical integration officer.  All three positions will report to WellStar President & CEO Candice Saunders.

"As a community-based not-for-profit health system, we are proud of the care we provide our patients every day," said Candice Saunders, president & CEO of WellStar Health System.  "Our strategy is focused on increasing quality, improving access and lowering the cost of healthcare.  By bringing recognized leaders in healthcare together, we are creating an innovative health system that will be able to address the challenges of the current healthcare landscape.  The ultimate goal is better care for our patients."

Kem Mullins, Executive Vice President, Ambulatory Division & Business development
Mullins has served as interim chief operating officer for the past seven months. He will now become executive vice president, ambulatory division and business development.  In his capacity, Mullins will lead WellStar's outpatient growth strategy – a critical component of the future of healthcare. He will focus on ensuring WellStar is there to meet the needs of our communities with access to quality care, aligned with hospital operations.

Mullins joined WellStar in 2012 as senior vice president and president of WellStar Cobb and Windy Hill hospitals. Mullins has extensive experience operating hospitals across the country, serving in senior leadership roles at Saint Francis Hospital-Bartlett in Memphis, Tenn.; Atlanta Medical Center; NEA Medical Center in Jonesboro, Ark.; University Medical Center in Lebanon, Tenn.; and Williamson Memorial Hospital in Williamson, W.Va. He has an MBA in finance from Morehead State University and a B.A. from Marshall University.

Carrie Owen Plietz, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Hospital Division
Owen Plietz joins WellStar as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the hospital division. In this role, she will oversee all of WellStar's hospital operations.  Owen Plietz joins WellStar from Sutter Health in Sacramento, Calif., where she served as CEO of Sutter Medical Center. She has held numerous leadership positions at Sutter Health, Bon Secours Health System and Healthcare Corporation of America (HCA).  Owen Plietz has been named a Rising Star by Becker's Hospital Review. She holds an MHA and Fellowship in Health Law from Virginia Commonwealth University.

John A. Brennan, M.D., MPH, Executive Vice President & Chief Clinical Integration Officer
Dr. Brennan joins WellStar as executive vice president and chief clinical integration officer. He will oversee clinical integration for WellStar, which includes: safety and quality, service lines, population health, Mayo Clinic Care Network, Center for Health Transformation (CHT) and other related functions.

Dr. Brennan joins WellStar from Barnabas Health in New Jersey, where he served as executive vice president and president & CEO of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children's Hospital of New Jersey. He has held numerous roles at Barnabas Health.  In addition, Dr. Brennan has 20 years of experience practicing emergency medicine in the military, community health systems and two academic medical centers. He received an MPH from Columbia University, M.D. from Georgetown University School of Medicine and a B.S. in biology from LeMoyne College.  He completed his residency at the University of Southern California LAC and is a board certified emergency medicine physician.

WellStar is currently finalizing the purchase of Tenet Healthcare's five metro Atlanta hospitals.  In addition, West Georgia Health in LaGrange, Ga. is set to join WellStar.  As a result of these changes, WellStar will employ approximately 20,000 team members across 11 hospital campuses, more than 200 medical office locations and numerous outpatient facilities. Both are dependent on regulatory review and are expected to be finalized early this year. 

About WellStar Health System
WellStar Health System is the largest not-for-profit health system in Georgia and serves a population of more than 1.4 million residents in five counties. The vision of WellStar is to deliver world-class healthcare. A national leader in the transformation of healthcare delivery, WellStar launched the Center for Health Transformation and has partnered with the Georgia Tech Research Institute leading to far-reaching effects on healthcare both locally and nationally. WellStar is regularly listed as a top employer nationally—most recently on the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list. WellStar includes WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center (anchored by WellStar Kennestone Hospital) and WellStar Cobb, Douglas, Paulding and Windy Hill hospitals; WellStar Medical Group; Urgent Care Centers; Health Parks; Pediatric Center; Health Place; Homecare; Hospice; Atherton Place; Paulding Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; and the WellStar Foundation. For more information, call 770-956-STAR or visit wellstar.org.

SOURCE WellStar Health System

Related Links

http://www.wellstar.org