Prisma Health names new president and CEO

Listen to this article

The Prisma Health board of directors today announced the selection of Mark S. O’Halla as the health company’s new president and CEO.

O’Halla, along with the members of the executive leadership team, will be responsible for advancing the health company’s goal to create a better state of health in South Carolina by improving clinical quality, the patient experience, access to care, and addressing rising health care costs, Prisma Health said in a news release.

O’Halla will join Prisma Health in mid-August and be headquartered in Greenville, the release said.

O’Halla has been serving as executive vice president/COO of Michigan-based McLaren Health Care since 2014, according to the release. He has more than 30 years of experience in health care senior executive roles, including 13 years with the McLaren organization.

“We are honored to select Mark as our next leader,” James E. “Rick” Wheeler, chairman of the Prisma Health board of directors and vice president of M-D Metal Source, said in the release. “We believe his experience leading a multiregional health care system will be a critical element in ensuring Prisma Health continues its journey to transform health care for our communities.”

As the executive vice president/COO at McLaren Health Care, a 14-hospital system with two health insurance plans covering 583,000 people, O’Halla spearheaded initiatives to achieve top performance in areas of financial, operating and clinical quality, created a standardized patient-centered focus across the system that improved patient satisfaction, directed the alignment and growth of its Medical Group, and led efforts to integrate various clinical and administrative elements of the health system, according to the release.

“Joining Prisma Health and its 32,000 team members is an exciting opportunity to help redefine and continue improving health care for patients in South Carolina,” O’Halla said in the release. “I am proud to be part of this vibrant new health company, focused on providing exemplary quality, smart growth and sustained financial strength. I am also excited to work with physicians and university partners to advance its academic mission.”

O’Halla earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from the University of Toledo in Ohio and an MBA from William E. Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester, the release said. He is active in several health care organizations including American College of Healthcare Executives and served on several community boards.

In January, Prisma Health launched the national search for its new CEO to lead the organization formed by the partnership of South Carolina’s largest health care systems, Greenville Health System, now Prisma Health-Upstate and Palmetto Health, now Prisma Health-Midlands.

The current co-CEOs, Michael C. Riordan, former CEO of Greenville Health System and Charles D. Beaman Jr., former CEO of Palmetto Health, have been working together over the last two years.

Riordan has been responsible for driving several strategic projects to position the organization for long-term success, including facilitating the CEO search. On Friday, he will conclude his final project and fulfill his commitment to the organization, at which time he will retire from Prisma Health, according to the release. Beaman has been focused on Prisma Health operations and will fulfill his commitment to the organization and step down from Prisma Health upon O’Halla’s arrival, the release said.