San Antonio, Texas - July 19, 2018 – The Board of Governors of the Methodist Healthcare System has selected Allen Harrison as the health system’s next President and Chief Executive Officer. Harrison brings achievements in operational efficiency, financial growth and quality outcomes as well as a deep understanding of the unique partnership between HCA and Methodist Healthcare Ministries, as he currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital.
"Allen’s career offered him a certain combination of experiences that helped him develop a special skill set that uniquely positioned him for this position. His background in business development, physician relations, biomedical engineering and his clinical work situated him well as CEO for our flagship campus and now positions for this next pinnacle role as leader of the entire Methodist Healthcare System," said Dan Johnson, Chair of the Methodist Healthcare search committee and Chair of the Methodist Healthcare Board of Governors. "This position is highly desirable as Methodist has earned and maintained an excellent reputation and is known for its quality of care throughout South Texas. Close to one hundred applications were received, consisting of an outstanding pool of internal candidates as well as qualified individuals from around the country," added Johnson. "In the end, Allen was our unanimous decision as he clearly demonstrated his business acumen, his strong belief in faith and humanity and his ability to identify exceptional talent and be an unwavering servant leader," added Johnson. "The search committee also placed great importance in choosing a leader who clearly understands the power and potential of our System ownership structure which is very unique as a 50-50 co-ownership between investor-owned HCA and locally owned not-for-profit Methodist Healthcare Ministries."
Harrison started his career as a Clinical Engineer and was responsible for overseeing a service line delivering custom medical equipment to persons with disabilities. He has worked in healthcare since 2002, starting as the Vice President of Business Development at the Medical Center of Aurora. Prior to joining Methodist Hospital, he served as the CEO of St. David’s North Austin Medical Center from 2011 - 2017. He has served as CEO of Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital since 2017 where, in a short time, he has made great strides in quality, growth and physician relations. He has also made positive changes internally by evolving the hospital culture to one of ownership, empowerment and accountability.
"Being chosen to lead Methodist Healthcare System represents by far the greatest opportunity of my professional life," stated Allen Harrison. "I am extremely humbled to lead this unique partnership between HCA and Methodist Healthcare Ministries as I am convinced this is the optimal structure for maximizing benefits to patients and to the community. You achieve the best of all outcomes – leverage and scale on the hospital side to implement best practices in an efficient cost structure, and local investment in the community of a magnitude that far outstrips any non-profit system," added Harrison. "I look forward to leading Methodist’s continued journey to excellence in quality and patient experience, service line growth, and geographic expansion," added Harrison.
Harrison’s predecessor is Jaime Wesolowski, who announced his retirement early this year after serving twelve years as Methodist Healthcare CEO. Recently, Wesolowski made a life decision to accept the position as President and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries, an equal owner of Methodist Healthcare System.
"Methodist Healthcare is blessed to have Allen Harrison as its new President and CEO. I have followed Allen’s career over the years and have been impressed with his authentic leadership style, his faith and his overall knowledge of the health care industry," stated Jaime Wesolowski. "I look forward to working with him while sitting in my role at Methodist Healthcare Ministries as I believe we can together help transform the delivery of health care for all in South Texas," added Wesolowski.
Harrison holds a Bachelor’s of Biomedical Engineering degree from Oral Roberts University, a Master’s of Biomedical Engineering degree from the University of Virginia, and an MBA from the University of Colorado at Denver. Allen and his wife Stephanie have been married for 30 years and have four children.
The announcement comes after a nationwide search conducted by Witt/Kieffer, a leading healthcare executive search firm. This search was led by the team of Senior Partner Nelson Mann and Margaret Bass.
A search for a new CEO for the Methodist Hospital campus will begin immediately and Harrison’s start date in his new role will align with a proper transition of him and Jaime Wesolowski.
About Methodist Healthcare System of San Antonio
Methodist Healthcare System – San Antonio is the largest provider of health care in South and Central Texas with 28 facilities including nine acute care hospitals serving over 94,000 inpatients and 500,000 outpatients annually. The System team is comprised of 11,000 employees, making Methodist Healthcare System the second largest private employer in San Antonio. The Texas Quality Foundation selected Methodist Healthcare System to receive the 2014 Texas Award for Performance Excellence, making Methodist the first and only health care system in South Texas to receive this award, which requires an organization to demonstrate its commitment to the highest quality standards. With more than 2,700 credentialed physicians, Methodist Healthcare System provides the largest array of medical services in the region including neurosurgery, cardiovascular services, transplants, oncology and women’s services. The health system is equally co-owned by both HCA and the Methodist Healthcare Ministries. HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services, comprising 178 hospitals and approximately 1,800 sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers and physician clinics in 20 states and the United Kingdom. Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. is a private, faith-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating access to health care for the uninsured through direct services, community partnerships and strategic grant making in 74 counties across South Texas. Visit http://www.SAHealth.com to learn more.