Catholic Health Initiatives has named Benjamin A. Koppelman to serve as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at St. Joseph's Area Health Services, Larry Schulz, CHI senior vice president of operations, announced Monday.
Koppelman succeeds Peter Jacobson, who is leaving St. Joseph's to serve as CEO of Lake Region Healthcare in Fergus Falls.
Currently, Koppelman is the administrator for Albany Area Hospital & Medical Center where he is responsible for the hospital's operational and financial management and three primary care physician clinics with 130 employees and gross revenues of more than $12 million.
During his more than 11 years at Albany, Koppelman is credited with stabilizing the facility and "dramatically improving both its financial performance and care quality, according to Schulz.
Under his leadership the organization added new services, including CT, Ultrasound, MRI and Nuclear Medicine, as well as a Medicare-certified diabetic education program that was recognized by the American Diabetes Association.
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Koppelman also led the recruitment of six family medicine physicians; strengthened relationships with members of the medical staff; headed up completion of a $1.2 million clinic, laboratory and rehab services expansion project, and implemented a $250,000 renovation and expansion of the obstetrics wing.
A graduate of Concordia College, Moorhead with a Bachelor of Arts degree in hospital administration, Koppelman also holds a master's in health care administration from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives; the Minnesota Hospital Association's Small Rural Hospital Committee and its Patient Safety Subcommittee; the Rural Hospital Flexibility Committee of the Minnesota Office of Rural Health & Primary Care and the Healthy Minnesota Work Group: Health Care Delivery Market Reform.
He also serves on the boards of directors for the Central Minnesota Health Information Network and the Rural Health Alliance, and he is active in a number of civic organizations.
"This is a great opportunity for me," said Koppelman. "I am very excited and humbled to have been chosen for this position. In visiting the organization and the community, it felt like a great fit for me and my family. The Park Rapids area is very beautiful and the people that we met were so welcoming."
Koppelman and his wife, Lisa, have two children. He will begin his leadership duties in early January.
Sponsored by CHI, St. Joseph's Area Health Services is a Joint Commission accredited, 50-bed community hospital providing full service inpatient, outpatient, emergency services, home care and hospice to residents of Hubbard County and portions of Becker, Cass and Wadena counties.
With an annual budget of more than $33 million, St. Joseph's employs approximately 400 people.
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"I look forward to working with the staff and being part of the Park Rapids community," Koppelman added. "The organization has had great leadership and you can sense the commitment and dedication the staff have to their work and to the patients they serve. There are some very exiting times ahead for the organization and I look forward to being a part of that future."
CHI is a national not-for-profit health care organization comprised of 71 hospitals and 42 long-term care, assisted living and independent living facilities located in 19 states. In addition to St. Joseph's, CHI's Minnesota facilities include: LakeWood Health Center, Baudette; St. Francis Medical Center, Breckenridge, and Unity Family Healthcare, Little Falls, which includes Albany Area Hospital and Medical Center.
CHI represents more than 66,000 employees and consolidated annual operating revenues of $7.1 billion.
