Source: McLeod Health
Florence, South Carolina — McLeod Health has announced the promotion of Donna Isgett to the role of Chief Operating Officer.
She will report to President and CEO Rob Colones and have oversight of administrators at all seven hospitals in the McLeod Health system, which serves 18 counties, from the Midlands of South Carolina to the Coast. Isgett will continue to support administration of McLeod Physician Associates.
Isgett replaces Ron Boring, who recently retired from McLeod. Isgett’s appointment follows a national search that attracted 100 external and internal applicants from across the country.
Isgett has worked at McLeod since 1997, most recently serving as Corporate Senior Vice President of Quality and Safety, as well as McLeod Physician Associates.
“I’ve witnessed Donna Isgett working closely with our physicians and employees to shape a culture focused on patient safety and on clinical excellence that garners national recognition,” stated McLeod President & CEO Rob Colones. “Donna has been courted to lead national organizations and it was clear, when we reviewed the other applicants, that she has the demonstrated experience and a knowledge of the McLeod Mission, Vision and Values to step into the role on day one.”
Her focus will be on fostering a culture of system thinking to benefit patients, physician and staff engagement and the pursuit of clinical and service excellence throughout McLeod Health.
“I look forward to this new challenge as we all work to keep improving healthcare in the many communities we serve,” Isgett said. “Although I’ve been at McLeod for many years, healthcare is a constantly changing environment. To gain fresh insights, I want to spend my first 90 days at all seven hospitals, listening and learning on all shifts and to as many physicians and employees as possible.”
Isgett has served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Quality and Safety at McLeod Health. This corporate division will move to Physician leadership, under the direction of McLeod Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dale Lusk.
Dr. Lusk is responsible for leading development and execution of clinical integration activities, driving physician alignment and engagement. He will assume oversight of leaders in the Divisions of Clinical Effectiveness, Service Excellence, Operational Effectiveness, Corporate Quality and Risk Management, Clinical Outcomes, Epidemiology, Medical Staff Credentials and Case Management.
Ken Beasley, a member of the McLeod team since 2017, has been appointed to lead operations of McLeod Physician Associates as Senior Vice President, and will be reporting to Isgett and serving with Dr. Richard Alexander, Chief Medical Officer of McLeod Physician Associates. Beasley has decades of experience in leadership development, with physician leadership responsibilities at Palmetto Health, Tenet, and Providence prior to joining McLeod.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Isgett received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Georgia State University and her Master’s Degree in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She spent the majority of her clinical career as an emergency flight nurse. She also completed a Master of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Isgett has led corporate oversight of the Quality Divisions and championing clinical improvement activities throughout McLeod Health.
Isgett is also a member of the McLeod Regional Medical Center and McLeod Loris Seacoast Community Boards. In 2015, she was elected to the Coker College Board of Trustees. Isgett served as founding co-chair for the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) Re-engineering Committee and is a member of the Board of Trustees for SCHA and incoming president of the SCHA Board. In 2011, she was one of two South Carolina healthcare leaders appointed to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Executive Quality Leader Network.
She also served as the co-chairperson for the 2005 Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s National Forum. Isgett has personally been honored by receiving the Milliken Medal of Quality Award from the South Carolina Quality Forum, the Lewis Blackman Patient Safety Award from the South Carolina Hospital Association, the Mary Dean Brewer Women of Distinction Award, the Tribute to Women of Influence Award and the Extraordinary Women’s Healthcare Award.
She is also a 2011 Liberty Fellow with the Aspen Global Institute. She is married to John Isgett and they have two children, John and Sarah.
About McLeod Health
Founded in 1906, McLeod Health is a locally owned and managed, not for profit organization supported by the strength of approximately 750 members on its medical staff and more than 2,000 registered nurses. McLeod Health is also composed of approximately 8,500 employees and more than 90 physician offices throughout its 18-county service area. With seven hospitals, McLeod Health operates three Health and Fitness Centers, a Sports Medicine and Outpatient Rehabilitation Center, a Behavioral Health Center, Hospice, and Home Health Services. The hospitals within McLeod Health include: McLeod Regional Medical Center, McLeod Health Darlington, McLeod Health Dillon, McLeod Health Loris, McLeod Health Seacoast, McLeod Health Cheraw and McLeod Health Clarendon. On the coast, the McLeod Health Carolina Forest complex has opened the first two of seven medical park office buildings. Multiple physician practices occupy these two office buildings as an extension of McLeod Health Seacoast. This 43-acre outpatient medical campus is designed to provide services to meet the healthcare needs of residents within and around the Carolina Forest area.