A top administrator in the Duke University Health System is leaving to pursue a national opportunity this fall.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Cuffe will take over as president and CEO of physician services for Hospital Corporation of America Healthcare, the company announced Tuesday.
Cuffe, who also serves as vice president for ambulatory services, put in his resignation from the University and DUHS Tuesday, though Cuffe will not join HCA until Oct. 26, said Dr. Victor Dzau, chancellor for health affairs and president and chief executive officer for DUHS.
“This is a significant opportunity for him, obviously,” Dzau said. “It’s an even bigger job than what he has right now. It’s a much larger position, managing a growing physicians network.”
The Tennessee-based hospital company is one of the nation’s leading providers of health care services. It manages more than 160 hospitals across the nation and serves approximately 18 million patients per year.
Dzau said to his knowledge, HCA approached Cuffe about three to four months ago.
“There was some discussion that he had been being recruited and looking at this position at HCA,” Dzau said. “They were looking for the very best candidate, and of course, Cuffe was one of them.”
Jack Bovender, vice chair of Duke’s Board of Trustees and Trinity ’67 and Graduate School ’69, is the former chairman and CEO of HCA.
A spokesperson for HCA could not be reached for comment.
The resignation comes just months after Cuffe’s recent promotion to DUHS chief medical officer. Cuffe formerly served as vice president for medical affairs at DUHS and as vice dean for medical affairs for the School of Medicine.
“It was a little bit of a surprise,” Dzau said. “I obviously think very highly of him... but then I can understand the circumstance—it’s such a great opportunity.”
It is not yet determined who will replace Cuffe, Dzau added, noting that DUHS is currently working out a succession plan and should be able to confirm the successor by the end of the week.
“We haven’t yet had a chance to confirm with the people that we plan to put into place, so it is too premature to release their names,” he noted.
Cuffe received his medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine in 1991 and also received an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business in 2009. He completed a cardiology fellowship and his residency in internal medicine at the Duke University Medical Center.
In the newly created role as president and CEO of physician services, Cuffe will work to provide practice management in support of HCA’s clinical operations, as well as improve and manage the company’s market-based physician network strategy, according to the HCA release. HCA decided to create this position as part of an internal reorganization announced in February.
“We’re sorry to see him go, but I think this opportunity may be too difficult to turn down,” Dzau said.
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