BayCare Health System Appoints New Physician Leader

Bruce Flareau, MD, BayCare’s executive vice president/chief medical officer, announced that Kellis would be filling the new position and noted that he has more than 25 years of physician executive experience.

"We are delighted to have him joining our extraordinary team and look forward to his leadership as we continue to advance our work around clinical excellence," Flareau said.

Before coming to BayCare, Kellis was chief medical officer for the San Antonio, Texas, market for Tenet Health. While there, he provided leadership for the creation of a system-wide medical staff structure and the implementation of a new electronic medical record, and helped achieve major reductions in certain hospital infections and readmissions.

Prior to joining Tenet, Kellis was chief medical officer for Vibra Healthcare, which operates long-term, acute-care hospitals; was chief medical officer for Pinnacle Health in Pennsylvania; and held leadership positions at hospitals in Indiana and Pennsylvania.

An Arizona native, Kellis received his medical degree from Washington University in 1983, his master of business administration from the University of Pittsburgh in 1996, and a doctorate in public affairs with a specialty in physician leadership from Pennsylvania State University in 2013. He was a primary care practitioner during the 1980s and 1990s before moving into physician leadership positions, but he maintains board certification in internal medicine.

Kellis is excited about working for BayCare.

"BayCare is a highly respected and forward-thinking, forward-moving organization set on becoming great," he said. "It is a privilege to be here."

BayCare is a leading not-for-profit health care system that connects individuals and families to a wide range of services at 14 hospitals and hundreds of other convenient locations throughout the Tampa Bay and central Florida regions. Inpatient and outpatient services include acute care, primary care, imaging, laboratory, behavioral health, home care and wellness. Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. For more information, visit www.baycare.org.

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