Gilene named president of Jewish Hospital

Who: Joseph Gilene, 55

New role: President of Jewish Hospital, Louisville, Ky., flagship facility for KentuckyOne Health, which recently announced 500 layoffs systemwide. He’ll also lead the downtown Louisville Medical Campus, which includes the Frazier Rehab Institute, the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, the Rudd Heart & Lung Center and the University of Louisville Hospital. Currently president of St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington, Ky., Gilene begins his new duties April 1.

Previous roles: Was regional VP for Quorum Health Resources, Brentwood, Tenn.; chief administrative officer at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, N.J.; and VP of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Biggest challenge: “We are responding to an industry that is changing very quickly—changes to reimbursement, changes in access to care and moving from more inpatient care to outpatient care. We’re no different from other industries; we’re trying to make our organization more efficient and effective.”

On healthcare reform: “We’re very lucky to be in Kentucky, where they have made the decision to expand Medicaid and be active in the healthcare exchanges. Patients will have access to a medical home. We hope that will bring patients who might not have had access (to services) into the hospital. We understand that preventive medicine is effective in improving quality of life.”