Hartford HealthCare CEO Elliot Joseph, credited for building hospital network, to retire Sept. 1

Jun. 27--Elliot Joseph, Hartford HealthCare's chief executive officer who is credited with establishing a network of hospitals and care centers in central and eastern Connecticut from a single hospital in Hartford, will retire Sept. 1, the health care system announced Thursday.

He has been CEO of Hartford HealthCare since 2013 and will be succeeded by Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey A. Flaks.

Joseph, 65, was hired as president and CEO of Hartford Hospital in 2008 by board members who cited his experience transforming a group of seven hospitals and 125 outpatient centers in Michigan into a coordinated system of care.

Hartford HealthCare employs 21,000 workers and reports operating revenue of more than $3.1 billion. Its network includes Hartford Hospital, the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain and Southington, Midstate Medical Center in Meriden, Backus Hospital in Norwich, Windham Hospital in Willimantic and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington.

"Under Elliot's leadership and during a time of immense change in health care, Hartford HealthCare has evolved into a truly integrated system of care, providing more needed health services to more people, in more convenient locations," said David P. Hess, chairman of the board of Hartford HealthCare.

Joseph has led Hartford HealthCare's evolution from one hospital into a significant health care system that serves nearly 15,000 people in Connecticut daily, he said.

The board has been planning and preparing for several years for a change in leadership, Hess said.

Flaks, 48, joined MidState Medical Center as chief operating officer in 2004 and became chief operating officer at Hartford Hospital in 2007 before being elevated to president and CEO in 2011. He was promoted to chief operating officer of the health care system in 2013.

"The opportunity to lead this great organization is an extraordinary honor, and I consider it a true privilege," Flaks said. "At Hartford HealthCare, we've done great work to transform ourselves so that we can lead the next era of American healthcare. As an organization, we haven't shied away from change, but instead we have chosen to lead it, bringing to life our vision of being most trusted for personalized, coordinated care."

The acquisition of the Hospital of Central Connecticut dates to 2011, followed by Backus Hospital in 2013, the Southington Surgery Center in 2014, the Bone and Joint Institute in 2016, surgery centers in Hartford and Waterford in 2017 and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital last year.

Hartford HealthCare last year formed a joint health insurance company, a first in Connecticut. The partnership with Tufts Health Plan of Massachusetts, known as CarePartners of Connecticut Inc., focuses on providing senior citizens who qualify for Medicare the alternative of purchasing a Medicare Advantage plan.

Hartford HealthCare serves 126 towns and cities with teaching hospitals, acute-care hospital and trauma center, a behavioral health network, a multispecialty physician group, clinical care organization, regional home care system, senior care services and physical therapy and rehabilitation network.

The growth of the regional health system was not without problems. Hartford HealthCare and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield failed to agree on a new contract for seven weeks in the fall of 2017, leaving tens of thousands of patients in the health system's expanded territory out of network and subject to sharply increased costs and reduced access to treatment.

The dispute drew criticism from elected officials who were hearing complaints from irate constituents.

Flaks apologized for the "inconvenience and disruption that being out of network has caused" patients and communities.

Stephen Singer can be reached at [email protected].

___

(c)2019 The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.)

Visit The Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conn.) at www.courant.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.