Hennepin Healthcare announced a new chief executive Wednesday in Jennifer DeCubellis, a veteran county administrator who will take charge of an urban health system with strengths in trauma care and surgery, but also looming financial pressures and the stain of an emergency medicine research ethics scandal.
DeCubellis replaces interim CEO Dr. John Cumming, who succeeded Dr. Jon Pryor when he resigned last February. While the health system conducted a national search, it landed on a respected local leader in DeCubellis, who has been deputy county administrator since 2015 and previously served as an assistant commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Human Services and an innovation adviser to the federal Medicare program.
Leaders of the search committee called DeCubellis a great listener who asks the right questions and offers bold ideas. She helped create Hennepin Health, a separate organization that coordinates medical, mental health and social service needs for people in the county with Medicaid benefits. She also led efforts to increase equity and cultural sensitivity in county child support and child protection programs.
"She has passion for the Hennepin Healthcare mission and a proven record of collaborating to create health care delivery models that improve patient outcomes, reduce disparities, and improve the health of the community," said Diana Vance-Bryan, chairwoman of the health care system's board and leader of the CEO search committee.
Known largely for its flagship HCMC hospital and trauma center in downtown Minneapolis, Hennepin Healthcare has been expanding clinical services and locations to offset recent declines in hospital admissions and the costs of serving a majority of patients who are uninsured or covered by low-paying Medicare and Medicaid government programs.
HCMC gained $10 million in 2018 on $915 million in hospital revenue, after losing nearly $18 million in 2017 and $47 million in 2016, according to Minnesota Department of Health data.
A key growth strategy has been the recent opening of an outpatient center across from the hospital, in part to entice downtown workers and the privately insured.
In an interview Wednesday night, DeCubellis said Hennepin Healthcare needs to use its strengths, including the passion and commitment of its providers, and assets such as the outpatient center to improve the health of patients so they don't suffer as many costly medical problems. She also said Hennepin Healthcare must "lean into" its responsibilities to provide equitable care, and to provide mental health and chemical dependency services even though they are poorly reimbursed.
