After nearly two years with no permanent leader, Tucson Medical Center has a new president and chief executive officer.
Judy Rich, who has been the interim leader in charge of TMC HealthCare since July 2007 as its executive vice president and hospital administrator, is now permanently leading the non-profit.
Louise Francesconi, chair of the TMC HealthCare Board of Trustees, made the announcement Monday.
Rich succeeds Frank Alvarez, who left the CEO job in 2007 during a leadership shakeup at TMC HealthCare, which includes Tucson's largest hospital, the 650-bed Tucson Medical Center.
TMC HealthCare had nearly 3,200 full-time-equivalent employees and a payroll of more than $156 million at the end of 2008, making it Southern Arizona's 15th-largest employer, according to the Star 200 survey.
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"This move by the board translates to more stability for the staff. Although Judy has always been their leader, it's more formal and feels more stable," said Linda Wojtowicz, vice president of clinical operations and chief nurse officer at TMC.
Wojtowicz described Rich's leadership style as participa-tory, in which she involves a lot of people around her in decision-making.
Rich holds bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing and previously served as a senior consultant for The Bard Group in Massachusetts, and then as senior vice president and chief operations officer for TMC between 2003 and 2006.
She has worked in various roles in the health-care field since 1974, including as a hospital nurse and a public-health nurse.
"We've had a great 22 months since I came into this administrator role, and there have been great improvements in our financial performance and in patient, staff and physician satisfaction," Rich said during an interview.
One significant change the hospital will make is going to an electronic medical records format in June 2010. "We are knee-deep in that right now. It is a very significant project for a hospital of our size," Rich said.
While the economic downturn has resulted in a lower patient volume at TMC, Rich said there are no plans for layoffs.
"TMC is a very different hospital than it was a few years ago in terms of being efficient and good stewards of our resources," she said. "Hospitals are community resources — they are essential. We don't have a discretionary service here."