QuickTake:

Nearly a year after its parent company removed its top leader, the Springfield hospital named Mark Robinson as McKenzie-Willamette’s chief executive officer, effective July 20. 

McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center named a new chief executive officer who most recently has served as CEO of a Montana hospital, according to a Tuesday, June 16, news release from Quorum Health, the company that owns the Springfield hospital. 

Mark Robinson steps into the role nearly a year after Quorum Health fired former chief executive officer David Butler.

Gregory Brentano was appointed interim CEO. Robinson starts his new job July 20. He and his family will move to the Springfield area ahead of his start date, the news release states.

According to the release, Robinson has nearly 30 years of experience in hospital operations and executive leadership. His stint as CEO of Great Falls Clinic and Hospital in Great Falls, Montana, began in October 2024. Before that, Robinson was market leader and president of Tacoma and Allenmore hospitals for MultiCare in Washington. He has also held leadership positions within HCA Healthcare.

Robinson received a master of business administration and master of health administration from Georgia State University and a bachelor of science in management from the University of North Carolina Asheville, where he was a Division I soccer player.

“I am honored to step into this role, and I look forward to getting to know everyone at the hospital, clinics, and in the community,” Robinson said in the news release. “Listening and learning from our teams will be one of my first priorities, and I’m committed to working alongside our staff as we continue building on McKenzie-Willamette’s strong foundation.”

Nonprofit transition

McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center may soon be owned by a nonprofit health care organization.

The ownership change is part of a proposed merger between Quorum Health, based in Tennessee, and newly formed nonprofit Healthside Partners. Quorum CEO Chris Harrison has said the proposed nonprofit ownership structure is intended to help Quorum hospitals absorb the impact of future Medicaid reductions under the tax-and-spending bill passed last year by Congress.

The transition is pending review. 

Oregon Health Authority’s Health Care Market Oversight program received notice of Quorum Health’s proposed ownership change May 29, spokesperson Franny White said. The agency is still reviewing the notice for completeness, White said on Tuesday. After the health authority determines the notice is complete, the agency will begin reviewing the proposed transaction and post information about its review.

The Health Care Market Oversight program reviews proposed healthcare business deals “to make sure they support Oregon’s goals of health equity, lower costs, increased access, and better care,” according to the agency’s website.

— Lucas Hellberg and Ashli Blow contributed to this report.