Major health systems undergoing COO transitions in 2025

Several major U.S. health systems have appointed COOs this year — some to newly created positions — amid a resurgence of the COO role.

While some systems have tapped internal veterans as successors, others have chosen new COOs from outside their organizations. 

Here are 11 COO changes to know:

1. Oscar Marroquin, MD, was appointed chief administrative and operating officer for Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare, effective Oct. 1. Dr. Marroquin joins Emory in this newly created role from Pittsburgh-based UPMC, where he currently serves as executive vice president.

2. Kevin Manemann was appointed COO of Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health, effective Sept. 15. Mr. Manemann will join Sutter from Duarte, Calif.-based City of Hope, where he most recently served as executive vice president and integration officer.

3. Scott Lichtenberger, MD, was appointed COO of Springfield, Mass.-based Baystate Health. Dr. Lichtenberger stepped into the role July 14 after serving as a principal in strategy consulting firm EY-Parthenon’s healthcare practice.

4. Lou Baverso was appointed COO and president of hospitals at Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Health Network, effective Sept. 8. Mr. Baverso joins AHN from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, where he served as the system’s COO since September 2023.

5. Don Kline, COO of Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health, plans to retire at the end of 2025 after 30 years in healthcare, 17 of them at BSMH. Wael Haidar, MD, was appointed president of clinical operations prior to Mr. Kline’s retirement to oversee all BSMH domestic market clinical and operational functions, according to a June 26 news release shared with Becker’s.

6. Lisa Foo was appointed Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare’s first COO. Ms. Foo assumed her new role at the end of May, according to a June 5 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. She most recently served as Tenet’s executive vice president of commercial operations.

7. Mark Stauder plans to retire as system COO of Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health. Mr. Stauder transitioned to an advisory role in July and will fully retire later in 2025. Mark Sparta, a 30-year Hackensack Meridian veteran, was selected as Mr. Stauder’s successor.

8. Patrick Tuer was appointed COO of Birmingham, Ala.-based Encompass Health. Mr. Tuer assumed the newly created role in April. Previously, he served as group president at Encompass.

9. Chad Tuttle was appointed COO of Corewell Health, a 21-hospital health system based in Grand Rapids and Southfield, Mich. Mr. Tuttle, who formerly served as senior vice president of clinical shared services, had been serving in the COO role on an interim basis since December.

10. Dave Caspers was appointed COO of Nashville, Tenn.-based Ardent Health. Mr. Caspers most recently served as vice president of omnichannel operations at Walmart Health.

11. Eric Stevens was appointed COO of Roseville, Calif.-based Adventist Health. Mr. Stevens, who stepped into the role March 5, will continue to serve as president of Adventist Health’s Northern California network.

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