Care New England President Keefe Announces Retirement

Monday, September 11, 2017

GoLocalProv Business Team

 

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Dennis Keefe

Care New England (CNE) president and CEO Dennis Keefe is retiring effective December 31, 2017, after serving in the role since August of 2011.

The move marks the latest development for CNE, which signed an agreement for a potential merger with Massachusetts-based Partners Healthcare in April -- but by August, saw Partners express concerns about CNE's financial standing. 

Following his retirement, Keefe will serve as a consultant to CNE for up to one year to assist in a transition of leadership and to provide assistance on pending transactions including partnership opportunities with Partners HealthCare and the acquisition of Memorial Hospital by Prime Healthcare Foundation.

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“Since my arrival at Care New England, I have been impressed with the dedication and commitment displayed by everyone at this institution focusing on our mission of caring and healing. I am extremely proud and honored to be a member of this organization for that reason. Despite our challenges and recent difficulties, I remain confident in a future of sustained financial stability for Care New England. That is a testament to the work we have done together, and that you will continue to do going forward. It represents the best and necessary path to ensure a strong Care New England regardless of the outcome of our important and current business opportunities,” said Keefe.

Effective January 1, 2018, James E. Fanale, MD, who currently serves as executive vice president, chief clinical officer, and chief operating officer of CNE, will become the interim president and CEO of CNE.

About Keefe

Keefe previously served as the CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) and the commissioner of public health for the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, from 2002 to 2011. Under Keefe's leadership, CHA  became a more than $1 billion integrated health care delivery system. While at CHA, Keefe led the organization through a significant service reconfiguration plan which served to stabilize the foundation of CHA to serve its employees and patients for the future.

While at Care New England, Keefe co-chaired Governor Raimondo’s Healthcare Leaders’ Workgroup and served as co-chair of Governor Raimondo’s Reinvent Medicaid Workgroup in 2015. 

He is currently co-chair of Mayor Elorza’s Non-Profit Working Group. 

He currently sits on the boards of Rhode Island Quality Institute, the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and has been a member of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. 

He has served as chair of the Hospital Association of Rhode Island, and on the Board of the Essential Hospitals Institute.  He was chair of the 2015 Southern New England Heart Walk which raised 40 percent more than the previous year’s walk and was campaign chair of the 2013 March of Dimes March for Babies Walk. 

He has served as chair of the Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA). Additionally, he has served on the executive committee of the National Association of Public Hospitals and as board chair of the National Public Health and Hospital Institute.

Keefe is the recipient of the 2016 Citizen of the Year Award from the March of Dimes and the 2014 recipient of the Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen Award.  In 2008, Keefe was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Massachusetts advocacy organization Health Care for All for his efforts to improve access to medical care in Massachusetts and, in 2009, received the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Massachusetts Healthcare Executive of the Year Award.

He is a highest honors graduate of Northeastern University where he received the Dean's Citation Award as the top student in the Health Sciences Program.

Keefe also earned a master's degree in business administration with a focus in health care administration from Northeastern University, and was honored as the 2005 Alumnus of the Year by Northeastern University.

About Fanale

Fanale currently serves as executive vice president, chief operating officer, and chief clinical officer for Care New England.

Before arriving at Care New England, Fanale served as senior vice president for system development and chief operating officer at Jordan Hospital.

He created and implemented programs involving population health management, was responsible for the overall operations of the system, and assisted in the merger of Jordan Hospital into Beth Israel Medical Center. He also advanced key relationships with health plans and the physician networks to pioneer both the clinical and management aspects of health care in the accountable care environment.

He has been instrumental in the continuing development of Care New England’s ACO, Integra, including the establishment of Integra as a Medicaid Accountable Entity.  In addition, he serves as the prime investigator of the recently awarded, $3.9 million CMS Accountable Communities Grant.

Fanale earned his medical degree from Chicago Medical School and completed his residency at UMass Memorial Medical Center.

He is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Fanale is a fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American Geriatrics Society, and is a past president and chair of the board of the American Geriatrics Society.

He is a member of numerous professional organizations, and has served as an advisor or consultant to numerous public and private organizations.

 

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