DR. SCOTT F. RUSK NAMED CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF ST. JOSEPH HOSPITAL IN ORANGE

ORANGE, Calif.,2017-Mar-28 — /EPR Network/ — Scott F. Rusk, MD, has been appointed Chief Medical Officer of St. Joseph Hospital, Orange.

As a 20-year hospital-based physician leader, Dr. Rusk’s extensive experience includes medical staff operations, risk management, compliance, provider coding, utilization review, and partnering to build transitions of care in the community.

“It is an honor to welcome Dr. Rusk to St. Joseph Hospital,” says hospital Chief Executive Jeremy Zoch, PhD. “As a values-driven leader, Dr. Rusk has effectively facilitated change to improve clinical quality and outcomes resulting in a better patient experience. His dedication and extensive experience will be a great asset in supporting St. Joseph Hospital’s efforts to provide the highest quality care to our patients.”

For the past six and a half years Dr. Rusk served as Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at Mercy Health System of Maine in Portland, ME. During his tenure at the 143-bed hospital, Mercy grew its the Spine and Orthopedic Institute and urologic programs, decreased length of stay while decreasing readmission, and guided the medical staff through the implementation of an electronic health record. He also managed hospital-employed practices and physician service agreements; was the strategic and operational point with the health system’s Accountable Care Organization (ACO); and oversaw the Medical Staff Office, as well as the Quality, Risk and Care Management departments.

Prior to Mercy, Dr. Rusk was Medical Director of Hospital Medicine and Care Management at the 200-bed Portsmouth Regional Hospital in Portsmouth, NH, where he restructured and grew its hospitalist program and was responsible for clinical co-management of cardiovascular, orthopedic and neurosurgical cases. At Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC), a 349-bed hospital in Bangor, ME, Dr. Rusk served as lead physician after founding a Hospital Medicine Program in 1997,which eventually included hospital-based orthopedic surgeons, infection disease and gastroenterologists, and created a Hospice and Palliative Program.

Dr. Rusk attended Stanford University School of Medicine. His residency in internal medicine was completed at UC Davis, where he served as chief resident. He is a former assistance clinical professor at UC Davis and University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service. Since 1992 he has been a member and fellow of the American College of Physicians, and continues to be board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Rusk is married to Dr. Ann Lindsey a graduate of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. They have two adult sons, Nolan and Grant.

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About St. Joseph Hospital

Founded in 1929, St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California is a nationally recognized, 463-bed, not-for-profit Catholic hospital dedicated to extending the healing ministry of Jesus in the tradition of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Fully accredited by The Joint Commission and designated as a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, St. Joseph Hospital’s reputation for clinical excellence and compassionate, family-centered care draws patients from all over the United States. This is one reason why St. Joseph Hospital was named one of the top hospitals in the Los Angeles/Orange County area by U.S. News & World Report. With a highly recognized 1,000-member medical staff and more than 3,100 support staff, St. Joseph Hospital is home to more than 75 specialty programs, including The Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment, the Heart and Vascular Center and a nationally acclaimed Orthopedics program that has been ranked among the top 50 in the nation by U.S.News & World Report. Equally important is St. Joseph Hospital’s dedication to caring for the medically underserved through health education programs, a free-standing medical and dental clinic, and mobile health vans. St. Joseph Hospital depends on philanthropic support from the community to carry out its mission. These efforts are coordinated through the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation. St. Joseph Hospital is a member of the Irvine-based St. Joseph Hoag Health alliance, an integrated health network of seven hospitals, 26 urgent care centers and an array of programs and services throughout Orange County and the High Desert.