Keith Hovan

Keith Hovan is a highly experienced senior healthcare executive with multidecade clinical and administrative leadership experience across community, teaching, and academic medical center settings. He has demonstrated expertise in system-level operations, strategic planning, business development, physician relations, and medical practice development. 

Proven successes include operational turnarounds, performance improvement, care quality and patient safety enhancements, cost reduction, improved governance, deepened community relations, and medical staff engagement and realignment. He is adept at convening and mobilizing community and local, state, and federal government alliances for overall betterment of population health status. He is highly analytical and can interpret large amounts of data to optimize strategic direction. Keith is a subject matter expert on healthcare program management, organizational strategy, government relations, and building high-performance teams. 

• Transformed the financial performance, organizational structure, patient quality and safety, and overall governance of a $1.3B health system.
• Doubled three-hospital health system top-line revenue to $1.3B over 14 years while maintaining stable balance sheet growth and financial ratings and industry-leading quality and safety performance. 
• Promoted and delivered professionally managed, physician-led quality and safety plans that included leading the growth and development of the provider group from 36 to over 750 employed providers.

FAILSAFE Health is a technology firm providing partner Healthcare Payer Sources, Self-Insured Corporations, Healthcare Systems and Providers a methods & systems approach to obtain optimal health and financial outcomes. A digital end-to-end care management solution, essential to achieving success in Value-Based Healthcare. The Failsafe Platform directly addresses the CMS mandates of Cost Containment, Affordability, and Health Equity within a failsafe, multi-faceted Consumer-Centric, Structured Operational System (SOS) that is focused on accountable, unbiased and non-prejudicial access to Primary Care Services.

Solera Strategic Solutions offers strategic advisory services with uniquely talented team members who are determined based on the goals of the specific engagement. Solera is focused primarily on healthcare related businesses that are seeking highly talented c-suite level experience to engage in the development of strategy. Keith Hovan is experienced in governance issues, operational performance improvement, population health, government relations, physician relations and practice development. Mr. Hovan acts as an advisor to healthcare startups seeking to determine the best pathway to position and commercialize newly developed IP.

Not-for-profit health system providing services in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island with expected 2022 revenue of $1.3B and employing over 7.7K employees. The system includes 3-hospital Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital, and Tobey Hospital — providing advanced clinical services, including open heart surgery, angioplasty and cardiac rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery, orthopedic surgery, advanced imaging services, and is the sole provider of maternity services in the region. Southcoast owns and operates over 50 ambulatory locations throughout the service area with over 750 employed providers. System also includes 144-bed inpatient behavioral health facility, a joint venture with Acadia Healthcare.

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, SOUTHCOAST HEALTH (January 2010 – January 2022)

Health System CEO in consolidated role that combined position with previous duties as President and CEO of Hospital Group. Assumed additional responsibilities for system-owned captive insurance company, physician groups, government relations, VNA/Hospice, brand and strategy, and overall staffing functions for system while continuing to oversee operations and quality of hospital group.

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, SOUTHCOAST HOSPITALS GROUP (June 2008 – January 2010)

Executive leader reporting to system CEO and responsible for clinical operations, financial performance, and quality of three hospital group. Worked closely with physicians and nursing to optimize and standardize clinical operations across the enterprise and ensure accreditation status with all relevant regulatory agencies.

CONTRIBUTIONS SNAPSHOT: Successful turnaround of clinical organization, including improving conditional TJC accreditation to full 3-year accreditation upon arrival, rebuilding positive relationships with Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health and Board of Medicine, and receiving national recognition of quality and safety by Healthgrades, Newsweek, and U.S. News and World Report.

Non-profit Western Connecticut system anchored by 371-bed Danbury Hospital and 85-bed New Milford Hospital, generating annual operating revenue of $710M with 2.4K FTEs and an operating expense budget of $400M. System included Western Connecticut Medical Group, Western Connecticut Home Care, Corporate Health Care, and Danbury Emergency Medical Services.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER (May 2004 – June 2008)

Promoted into consolidated role combining SVP duties with EVP/COO role. Provided strategic and operational oversight to health system’s affiliated physician group consisting of over 160 physicians along with VNA/Home Health agency. Managed the hospital’s capital budget process including development of 5-year capital plan. Directly supervised physician group’s CAO/CFO. 

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS (December 2001 – May 2004)

Executive leader charged with developing and implementing system's operating plan to ensure outstanding quality, service, and operating performance. Responsible for leading the development and implementation of health system’s center of excellence strategy to become a university-affiliated regional medical center.

CONTRIBUTIONS SNAPSHOT: Established much-needed cardiovascular program in Danbury area, improved access to quality care, and saved lives by successfully lobbying state and regulatory agencies to gain approval and overcome opposition to the program by 3 major providers in the state. 

Integrated system of care and borough's largest provider consisting of 2 hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, and VNA/home health agency serving 1.3M residents of Bronx, NY

VICE PRESIDENT CLINICAL SERVICES, MONTEFIORE

Member of senior management team responsible for 2 acute care hospitals with direct accountability for operations of 13 clinical/academic departments in addition to hospital operations. Responsible for establishing relationships with industry partners to support research in established centers of excellence and provide an outlet for innovations developed by the organization’s physician scientists.

ASSOCIATE HOSPITAL DIRECTOR, EINSTEIN AND MOSES DIVISION

ASSOCIATE HOSPITAL DIRECTOR, EINSTEIN DIVISION

ADMINISTRATOR FOR SURGICAL AND EMERGENCY SERVICES, JACK D. WEILER HOSPITAL 

Bridgeport Hospital, Bridgeport, CT

DIRECTOR OF NURSING, Peri-operative, Surgical, Emergency Services, and Outpatient Services

NURSE MANAGER, Emergency Services 

STAFF NURSE, Emergency Services and Surgical/Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care Unit

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT TECHNICIAN

MSN - Nursing Service Administration, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, 1993
Graduated first in class with award for academic excellence

BSN, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, 1984
Alpha Sigma Lambda, National Honor Society

Diploma Nurse, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, 1982
Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society

Massachusetts Digital Health Council Taskforce 2017–2018

• Special Appointee by Governor Charles Baker
  

Bristol Community College 

• Board Member (completed 5-year term) 2016–2021
  

Co-Chair, Governor Charles Baker Post Election Healthcare Transition Team 2015

Blue-Point IT Data Analytics Start-up Company (Owned by Southcoast)  

• Chairman 2014–2019
  

American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board 1  

• Member (re-nominated for 2nd term)  2012–2015, 2019–2020
  

Massachusetts Taxpayers Association, 

• Board Member 2012–2021
  

Massachusetts Hospital Association 2010–2022

• Past Chairman, Executive Committee Member, 2017–2019
• Chairman, 2016–2017
• Chair, Standing Committee on Public Affairs, 2013–2014
  

National Association of Urban Hospitals Executive Committee 2010–2022

• Member 
• President/Chairman, 2012–2021

Massachusetts Council of Community Hospitals, 2010–2017

• Board Member – Executive Committee member 
• Chair, 2014–2016
• Vice Chair, 2012–2014

Yankee Alliance LLC / Yankee Supply Chain Solutions LLC, Board Member GPO 2009–2022

• Chairman of the Board, 2012–2021 

2020 Roger Valcourt Memorial Outstanding Citizen of the Year
Presented by the Southcoast Chamber of Commerce 

Chancellors Award 2018
Commencement Speaker, Class of 2018
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth 

2013 Alumni Leadership Award
Sacred Heart University, College of Health Professions 

130 Not-for-profit CEO’s to Know
Becker’s Healthcare, August 2013 

2013 Lifetime Achievement Award
New England Arthritis Foundation