Sarah Krevans, who was the first woman to serve as president and CEO of Sutter Health, will retire in early 2022.
The CEO of Sacramento, California-based Sutter Health announced her plans for retirement earlier this week.
Sarah Krevans, who has served as president and CEO of the integrated health system for the past five years, is stepping down in early 2022.
"I am grateful to have spent the last five years as CEO," Krevans said in a statement. "Sutter’s integral role in the communities we serve has been on full display during the pandemic. I see firsthand how incredible our people are — especially our staff and clinicians on the frontlines treating patients — and the significant benefits of an integrated network that can share best practices, resources and support."
Krevans, who is the first woman to lead the health system, previously served as Sutter's COO, and served as regional executive officer and president of the Sutter Health Sacramento Sierra Region.
The Sutter Health Board will be conducting a national search for the next CEO and will consider both internal and external candidates for Kevan's replacement.
"The Sutter Health Board and I are grateful for Sarah’s commitment to Sutter Health’s mission, vision and values during her 22 years with the organization,"Gubby Barlow, board chair for Sutter Health, said in a statement. "As CEO for the past five years, Sarah has been a leading voice in advocating for the patients and communities that Sutter Health serves."
During her tenure, Krevans focused on increasing the health system's culture of safety, leading it to be ranked as a national leader in care quality. She also committed to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives for the organizations, becoming one of the first organizations in California to offer unconscious bias training for the system and clinical leaders.
Other accomplishments include expanding telehealth services, expanding mental health support, education, and access to patients and employees, and lowering the total cost of care for patients and payers.
Krevan's announcement comes a month after a judge approved a "landmark" anti-trust settlement agreement between Sutter, the state of California, and a group of health insurers. This ruling resulted in a loss of $575 million for Sutter, and new rules the organization must operate under to limit its ability to control the price of healthcare in northern California.
Melanie Blackman is a contributing editor for strategy, marketing, and human resources at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.