Advocate Health has announced its executive team less than a week after it completed its merger with Atrium Health. The new system is now the nation’s fifth-largest nonprofit system, serving about 6 million patients annually across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Illinois and Wisconsin. The merger, which went unchallenged by the Federal Trade Commission, will generate more than $27 billion in revenue for Advocate across its 67 hospitals and more than 1,000 sites of care.
“This is a stellar leadership team — each with diverse experience and a proven track record to boldly lead our new organization into the future,” Advocate CEO Eugene Woods said in a statement.
Name: Bobbie Byrne
New title: Chief information officer, executive vice president
Byrne, a physician certified in pediatrics and clinical informatics, has been appointed CIO of Advocate Health. Before joining Advocate Aurora as CIO in 2017, Byrne served as both chief medical and information officer at Illinois-based Edward Elmhurst Health. She serves on the boards of healthcare texting application Spok and health technology company Truveta.
Name: Anthony C. DeFurio
New title: Chief financial officer, executive vice president
Prior to joining Atrium Health as an executive in 2017, DeFurio held senior finance roles with University of Iowa Hospitals, University of Colorado Health, HCA Healthcare, Centura Health and Cedars Medical Center. DeFurio has served on the boards of payer and provider organizations and is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. He brings with him almost 35 years of experience in finance and managed health resources.
Name: Mary Beth Kingston
New title: Chief nursing officer, executive vice president
Kingston joined Advocate Aurora Health in 2012 after serving in nursing and occupational roles at Crozer-Keystone Health System, Einstein Healthcare Network and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She was appointed to chief nursing officer in 2018, and is a past president of the American Association of Nursing Leadership. Kingston chairs the Hospitals Against Violence activist group and is a trustee of the AHA.
Name: Don Calcagno
New title: Chief population health officer, senior vice president
Calcagno has been a part of Advocate Aurora Health since 1992, when he began his career at Lutheran General Hospital, barring a brief career stint at AT&T. Calcagno leads the Leadership Institute's Value-Based Care and Population Health forum, and is a senior operating fellow at the Health Management Academy.
