Fletcher Allen Interim President and CEO Dr. John Brumsted. VTD/Josh Larkin
Dr. John R. Brumsted, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology at Fletcher Allen Health Care, on Monday was named president and chief executive officer of the Burlington-based health care system. Brumsted, 59, has been serving as interim CEO since the departure of Dr. Melinda Estes, the previous CEO, in August.
A 30-year veteran of Fletcher Allen, Brumsted has served in a number of leadership roles, including chief medical officer and chief quality officer, as well as medical director of The Vermont Health Plan and Vermont Managed Care and senior associate dean for clinical affairs at the University of Vermont’s College of Medicine.
The appointment was announced by Roger Stone, chairman of the Fletcher Allen board of trustees as well as chair of Fletcher Allen Partners, the entity set up to direct the partnership between Fletcher Allen and Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin.
Stone said Brumsted was chosen after a rigorous search to find the best candidate.
“While the pool of candidates we attracted was excellent, Dr. Brumsted’s knowledge of the issues, his dedication to the organization, his passion for its mission, and the high level of trust he has built with people internal and external to the organization were significant factors in his selection.” Stone said.
The Brumsted appointment is significant both because of the large role that Fletcher Allen plays in the state’s overall delivery system, as well as the fact that it takes place just as the administration of Gov. Peter Shumlin is trying to set in place a single-payer system, a challenging effort at health care reform. Fletcher Allen delivers roughly half of all the care received by Vermonters.
Brumsted is well known to most of the major players in the state, including other hospital executives and the Shumlin health care managers.
Gretchen Morse, a member of the Fletcher Allen board who has extensive state government and political experience, said that Brumsted’s wide acquaintance with all the stakeholders the health care community would be critical at a time when the system is facing so many challenges.
“As a physician,” she said, “his passion for high quality patient care is well-known and he has devoted a large part of his career to advancing improvements in how care is delivered throughout the broader health care system. … It’s exciting to have him lead Fletcher Allen.”
Brumsted said he welcomed the challenge posed by reform efforts at both the federal and state levels. “While much remains to be clarified,” he said, “it is certain that the providers of health care services will need to find new and innovative ways to collaborate and integrate to better serve the needs of our patients, their families and our broader communities.”
As CEO, Brumsted will receive an annual salary of $775,000, which a Fletcher Allen spokesman said was at the median of comparable academic medical centers. His appointment took effect immediately.
