Newswise — ST. LOUIS -- SLUCare, the physicians of Saint Louis University, a 500+ physician group practice, has named Gary Van House as its new chief executive officer.
Van House has worked in the health care industry for more than three decades, specializing in physician practice management. He has served a wide range of health care organizations including large multi-specialty physician groups, community hospitals, multi-facility hospital systems, a health plan with more than a million members and national health care systems. He is experienced in finance, governance, strategic planning and operations.
Van House was selected after a national search, led by Robert Wilmott, M.D., chair of the Saint Louis University Medical Group executive committee.
Leading the SLUCare practice at a time when health care is intensifying its focus on quality, access and cost-containment presents an opportunity to make a substantial difference in the future of medicine, Van House said.
“SLUCare is a highly specialized group of physicians often called upon to solve complex medical problems for patients and provide valued support to referring physicians. They are leading medical experts in the community. Our physician practice has an outstanding reputation not only for clinical quality but also for our contributions to medical education. Through our affiliation with Saint Louis University School of Medicine, we provide care to current patients and their communities as well as prepare future physicians for the ‘new world’ of health care,” Van House said.
“Our vision for SLUCare is to continue our current mission while expanding our reach and becoming a more important clinical, educational, research and health care resource for communities and health care systems in Missouri and Illinois,” he said.
The search committee was particularly impressed by Van House’s vision, extensive experience and strategic planning abilities. Van House has consulted with integrated and academic medical systems throughout the United States and is interested in having a positive impact on teaching and research as well as on patient care, Wilmott said.
“We found Gary to have a vision for what SLUCare could become. We felt he had the experience, knowledge and personality to negotiate successfully for us and make that shared vision become a reality,” Wilmott said. “He is a warm, collaborative individual who has the leadership attributes that we are looking for in someone who represents our practice.”
Most recently, Van House had been a managing director at Huron Consulting Group in Chicago, guiding hospital systems and their medical groups in performance improvement initiatives. He previously led the St. Louis office’s physician management division as a principal with Clarkes/Bardes Consulting and had served as vice president of operations for Ascension Health’s subsidiary, Partners First.
Van House also was chief executive director for Columbia Park Medical Group and chief operating officer of Park Nicollet Medical Center, both multi-specialty group practices in Minneapolis.
Van House received his bachelor’s degree from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and has done post-baccalaureate work at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., and the W. Edwards Deming Institute. Nationally accredited and and with more than 500 physicians, SLUCare is the medical practice group of Saint Louis University School of Medicine. The school educates physicians and biomedical scientists, conducts medical research, and provides health care on a local, national and international level.