Pictured: Chairperson, Dr. Narayana Murali (left) and Vice Chairperson, Dr. Daniel Erickson (right)
March 20, 2014
The Marshfield Clinic Health System Board of Directors on Thursday night approved election results for key leadership positions as Marshfield Clinic moves into a new governance structure.
Marshfield Clinic physicians earlier this week voted for several offices, including executive director. Under the new structure, the System Board of Directors, which now oversees the Clinic as well as all other Marshfield Clinic entities, is responsible for affirming Clinic-level elections.
Dr. Brian Ewert was the physicians’ choice for the Clinic’s first physician executive director. Ewert, Clinic president for the past two years, steps into this new position as part of the creation of Marshfield Clinic Health System, Inc. (MCHS). The Clinic physician executive director, in coordination with the MCHS chief executive officer (CEO), will perform executive duties of the Clinic.
“This change allows us to continue pursuing goals the Clinic’s founders laid out for us almost 100 years ago,” Ewert said. “These actions tie into the Clinic’s origin and its mission and vision. This new structure positions us to work even more closely with the communities we serve.”
The system CEO and physician executive director are hired, permanent positions. They remain in that role until they decide to retire, resign or the System Board relieves them of duties. The search for a CEO is underway.
Others elected this week were:
- Chairperson – Dr. Narayana Murali
- Vice Chairperson – Dr. Daniel Erickson
- Secretary – Dr. Nandita R. Bhattacharjee
- Treasurer – Dr. Peter Meyer
- Division 1 Director – Dr. Thomas Leifheit
- Division 2 Director – Dr. Ruwan Dissanayake
- Division 3 Director – Dr. Alpa Shah
- East Division Director – Dr. Ivan Schaller
- West Division Director – Dr. Caesar Gonzaga
- Northwest Division Director – Dr. Bradley Bekkum
- North Division Director – Dr. Matthew Thomas
Chairperson and vice chairperson positions replace president and vice president roles. Board terms are staggered - chair and secretary for two years, vice chair and treasurer for one year.
The physicians voted in 2011 to approve a governance structure creating MCHS, a new entity governing all Clinic operations; and a systemwide Board of Directors, with 13 independent directors and 11 Clinic directors. MCHS will oversee Marshfield Clinic and other subsidiaries under the new governance structure, including Security Health Plan of Wisconsin, Inc., Flambeau Hospital in Park Falls and Lakeview Medical Center in Rice Lake.
“Clinic physicians recognized having expertise from individuals outside of medicine to advise and help lead the organization would benefit our patients, the communities we serve and further support the overall mission of the Clinic,” Ewert said.
A federal tax court judge’s ruling last month that granted tax-exempt status for MCHS and the Clinic’s Plan of Conversion filed with the State of Wisconsin for MCHS paved the way for these final steps of its governance change.
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The Marshfield Clinic system provides patient care, research and education in more than 50 locations in northern, central and western Wisconsin, making it one of the largest comprehensive medical systems in the United States.
