UMC CEO Brian Brannman speaks about implementing his hospital's new computer system and other issues Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013.
University Medical Center CEO Brian Brannman is leaving his post at the financially challenged public hospital to take over as an executive at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, representatives at both organizations confirmed Tuesday.
Brannman will initially serve as vice president of operations for St. Rose Dominican Hospitals and as president and CEO of the Siena Campus in Henderson. He is expected to succeed Rod Davis as the executive overseeing all three of St. Rose Dominican Hospitals’ Southern Nevada campuses when Davis retires later this year.
No formal date has been set for Brannman’s departure, although he is expected to begin working at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals by the end of the month.
Brannman was hired at UMC in 2008 to serve as chief operating officer and was chosen to take over as CEO in 2011; he earned an annual salary of $243,422. Prior to joining UMC, he spent much of his career working in health care for the Navy.
Brannman’s departure comes at a crucial time for UMC, which is adjusting to new requirements and changes to its patient population as a result of the Affordable Care Act. The hospital continues to lose tens of millions of dollars annually, in part because of the large cost of providing indigent care.
County commissioners who oversee the hospital recently created an independent governing board in an attempt to provide the hospital with more hands-on attention from legal, financial and medical experts. Brannman played a key role in forming that board and was expected to help educate its new members about the intricacies of UMC.
Commissioners will discuss and possibly appoint an interim CEO for UMC at their Jan. 21 meeting.
UMC Board Chairman and Commissioner Lawrence Weekly said once an interim is in place, officials will begin a search for a permanent CEO.
Weekly said the newly formed governing board will play a key role in conducting the search, but the ultimate decision of whom to hire will remain with the county commission.
“Brian’s done a great job. I hate to see him go,” Weekly said. “We’ll be OK. This will be a good chance for the new board to get engaged and get involved in the selection of a new CEO. I think it’s going to work out good.”