New BayCare CEO Announces Leadership Team

Stephanie Conners, CEO and president of BayCare Health System, on Wednesday announced a restructuring of BayCare's executive leadership team aimed at positioning West Central Florida's leading not-for-profit health care system to continue to grow and respond to the region's health care needs. As part of the changes, Conners drew exclusively on the internal talent across the health care system, which will open its 16th hospital in March. 

"The talent I have found at BayCare is simply extraordinary," said Conners, who became BayCare's fourth CEO in late November. "As BayCare begins its second quarter-century, we are working to ensure that it remains the provider of choice for our region due to our high-quality and compassionate care and our commitment to our communities."

Reporting to Conners as her CEO Cabinet are, in alphabetical order:

• Chief Team Resources Officer: Kyle Barr
• Chief of Staff and Chief Communications Officer: Keri Eisenbeis
• Co-Chief Operating Officers: Lou Galdieri and Kimberly Guy
• Chief Nurse Executive: Lisa Johnson
• Chief Ambulatory Services Officer: C. Todd Jones
• Chief Financial Officer: Janice Polo
• Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer: Ed Rafalski
• Chief Administrative Officer: Tim Thompson
• Chief Legal Officer: Jennifer Touse
• Chief Physician Executive: Dr. Sowmya Viswanathan

"Together, this team is going to design and deliver BayCare's next chapter of excellence. With this expertise at the table, we are poised to respond to the needs of our patients, our team members, our physicians, and our community to remain at the forefront of high-quality and compassionate care," Conners said.

BayCare, which primarily services Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Pasco counties, will open its 16th hospital in Wesley Chapel next month and has announced plans to possibly build a hospital in north Manatee County.

BayCare also has one of the region's largest physician groups, BayCare Medical Group; it is the largest provider of pediatric and behavioral health services for the region; and it offers extensive lower-cost options for patients through its outpatient services, such as imaging, laboratories and BayCare Urgent Care. BayCare HomeCare provides in-home care to patients across 13 West Central Florida counties. And BayCarePlus, a Medicare Advantage plan, has a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

In 2022, for the fourth straight year, BayCare ranked among the top 20% of large health systems in the U.S., according to FORTUNE/Merative™, which also ranked BayCare's St. Joseph's Hospitals among the nation's Top 100 Hospitals®. Only 11 other health care systems in the country have maintained that ranking for four straight years.

Reflecting its commitment to its team members, in 2022, BayCare was also named, for the 6th time, to the Best Workplaces in Health Care™ by Great Place to Work® and Fortune magazine.
BayCare is celebrating its 25th anniversary since its founding on July 1, 1997, by a group of local hospitals committed to ensuring that not-for-profit health care continued to serve the region's health care needs. That commitment remains strong, with BayCare returning roughly 10% ($497 million in 2021) of its annual revenue back to the community in the form of direct charity care, patient financial assistance and community programming.