John Howser
C.J. Stimson, MD, JD, assistant professor of Urology and Senior Vice President of Value Transformation in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) Office of Population Health, has been named Executive Vice President for Population Health. His appointment was effective Jan. 1.
Stimson succeeds David Posch, MA, who is transitioning to the role of Senior Vice President for Business Development. (See accompanying article).
In this role Stimson will report to C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Health System Officer, and will be responsible for leading VUMC’s ongoing implementation of population health and value-based approaches to care.
Stimson will lead the development and execution of strategies that support the mission of the Office of Population Health to improve the health and health care of the patients that VUMC and the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network (VHAN) serve. He will be accountable for the full scope of the population health portfolio, including the Episodes of Care team and MyHealth Bundles program, offerings and relationships within the Employer Solutions group, VUMC’s programs in Occupational Health and Wellness, and the VHAN.
“Having already demonstrated his potential in a variety of roles in this area, Dr. Stimson is well prepared to serve in a broader capacity leading our programs in population health. His insights will also provide important guidance to the agenda of the Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network. I look forward to his contributions as he assumes these new responsibilities,” said Pinson. “I also want to thank David Posch for his continued involvement in these important programs he helped found.”
In addition to serving as SVP of Value Transformation, Stimson also serves as Chief Medical Officer for the Employee Health Plan (EHP). In these roles he has facilitated VUMC’s transition to a value-based purchaser and provider of health care service and has been accountable for a wide portfolio of initiatives, including VUMC’s nationally recognized, direct-to-employer bundle payment program, MyHealth Bundles.
“Dr Stimson is a trusted colleague and has proven to be a great leader in health care value creation. He brings great creativity and skill in building and managing value approaches to care. He is passionate in creating excellence for patients as well as in creating a superior environment of care for practitioners. I have no doubt that Dr Stimson will lead the Vanderbilt and VHAN population health efforts to ever greater levels of success,” Posch said.
Stimson developed expertise in value-based care during the four years he served as a senior advisor at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). In this role he supported the federal government’s transition from a volume to value-based health care purchaser. In 2016 he was the first surgeon at CMMI, providing clinical and regulatory expertise related to the development of alternative payment models.
“For a decade under the leadership of Dr. Pinson and David Posch, VUMC’s population health team has done incredible work to transform the patient health care experience in Tennessee. To support such an inspiring mission and such an inspiring team is a gift. I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to serve in this role, and look forward to the exciting work ahead,” Stimson said.
Stimson received a Bachelor of Science from the College of William and Mary, his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and his juris doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School. He completed his residency in urologic surgery at VUMC. At Johns Hopkins, he completed a fellowship in urologic oncology. He continues to care for patients at VUMC and the Nashville Veterans Administration Medical Center, focusing on the surgical management of patients with kidney, bladder and prostate cancer.