Affinity Health System names patient service-focused expert as next CEO

02 / 22 / 2006

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For more information contact:
Lisa Cruz, Media Relations
Affinity Health System
(920) 720-1752
(920) 554-0686 (pager)

MENASHA, Wis. – Six months earlier than previously announced, Affinity Health System is tapping Daniel E. Neufelder, 47, the chief operating officer from north-central Indiana’s premier teaching hospital, as its next president and chief executive officer. He will join Affinity March 31.

“We found the right person to lead Affinity, and we want to get him working with our retiring CEO and leadership team as soon as possible.  Dan is passionate about excellence and making sure Affinity’s patients continue to experience the best health care in the world.  He has a track record of success and his personal values mesh with Affinity’s mission,” said John Oliverio, Affinity’s board chairman and chief executive officer of Affinity co-sponsor Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare.

Neufelder spent 12 years at Memorial Hospital of South Bend contributing to the hospital’s strong financial performance, leading the launch of Indiana’s first community clinical oncology program, a Heart & Vascular Center, as well as expansion of emergency and women’s services.  He championed the hospital’s designation as a Level II Trauma Center and regional center for children’s services. The University of Southern Indiana graduate also holds an MBA from the University of Indianapolis.  Before joining Memorial Hospital, he served in leadership positions at St. Vincent Hospital and Healthcare System and the Community Hospitals of Indiana System--two of Indiana’s leading integrated health networks. He began his career as a health care management consultant at Ernst & Young. 

“Being a great health system starts with the belief that all human life is sacred and extends to our mission--to serve the community and each other,” Neufelder said.  He outlined six steps for success:

  • Enhance health for residents of the Fox River Valley.
  • Provide superior service to all Affinity clients.
  • Assure world class clinical quality to Affinity patients.
  • Be a great place to work and practice.
  • Make sure the income is strong and stable, securing dollars to invest in tomorrow’s life-saving medical advances.
  • Growth through innovation and creativity.

“During my visits, I saw for myself how Affinity’s commitment to the community matched my deeply held beliefs.  I’m very excited about using my ideas, skills and experiences in Northeast Wisconsin,” he added.

“We salute our committee of community board members, physicians and others from throughout the system who spent countless hours working through an extensive process to select our new CEO,” said Nicholas Desien, Affinity board vice chairman and chief executive officer of Affinity’s co-sponsor Ministry Health Care.  “This community and volunteer commitment is a hallmark of what makes Affinity special in the Fox Cities.”

“After Dan arrives he will work with Kevin Nolan, Affinity’s retiring CEO, during a transition period to be mutually set by the two men,” added Desien.

Neufelder is a competitive tennis player, runner and social golfer who enjoys reading and his family.  He says his friends are teasing him about the move because he was the biggest Green Bay Packers fan in his boyhood hometown of Louisville, Ky.  Neufelder and his wife, Jane, recently celebrated their silver wedding anniversary.  Their daughter, Laura, is a freshman at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.  While in South Bend, Neufelder actively worked for several community-based organizations including The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care which is the largest hospice in Indiana and one of the most-admired in the United States.  The Neufelders are also active in their Catholic church.

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For the Editor:
Affinity Health System, a Catholic mission-oriented regional health care network, is a partnership of Ministry Health Care and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. Affinity Health System is the Fox Valley’s third largest employer, according to the Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry, and is ranked 24 among the top 100 integrated health care networks nationwide (Verispan 2008). Both St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton and Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh rank among the top 1 percent among hospitals nationwide in terms of quality and efficiency, as determined by the 2007 Premier | CareScience Select practice National Quality Award. Network Health Plan has achieved Excellent accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the highest possible level. It is ranked 37th among the 250 rated health plans in the nation in terms of customer satisfaction and clinical performance, according to the U.S. News and World Report/NCQA Best Health Plans in America listing. Members of Affinity include Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Health Foundation, Oshkosh; St. Elizabeth Hospital and the St. Elizabeth Hospital Community Foundation, Appleton; Affinity Medical Group, a regional network of 23 family practice and specialty clinics in 13 communities; Calumet Medical Center, Chilton; Network Health Plan, Menasha; and Affinity Occupational Health.