The year-long search for a new leader at Central Massachusetts’ largest hospital may soon be coming to an end.
In July 2023, Dr. Michael Gustafson resigned as president of UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester after serving in the position for five years. He is now CEO of The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare in Boston.
Since Gustafson’s departure, Justin Precourt has served as interim president of UMass Memorial. Precourt is the chief nursing officer for senior vice president for patient care services at the medical center’s parent organization, UMass Memorial Health in Worcester.
UMass Memorial Health plans on filling Gustafson’s position with a new hire into the newly created role of chief operating officer for the parent organization. That COO will assume the role of president of UMass Memorial Medical Center, along with becoming president of the system’s Community Hospitals, Inc., which consists of Harrington Hospital in Southbridge, HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital in Leominster, and Marlborough Hospital.
Dr. Eric Dickson, president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health, told WBJ he is in the final stages of interviewing for that COO position and expects to make the hire in the coming months.
Filling executive positions is a costly endeavor for hospitals, as top healthcare management talent can command high salaries, even at a time when industry finances have been strained by the fallout from the COVID pandemic, among other factors. Gustafson’s salary for the fiscal year ending in September 2021 was $823,260, with total compensation of $1.43 million, according to the nonprofit data provider Guidestar.
Once the hire is made, UMass Memorial’s new COO will also lead the search and hiring of a new president of HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital and Marlborough Hospital following the exit of Steve Roach in June. Dr. Charles Cavagnaro has acted as interim president since his departure.
UMass Memorial Medical Center is the largest hospital in Central Massachusetts, with 749 beds and 8,411 employees across three campuses in Worcester. In 2023, the medical center generated $2.14 billion in revenue.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
