On Friday afternoon April 22, Community Health Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CYH) announced David L. Miller, president and chief operating officer, will retire at the end of the year. Miller is the company's first ever COO and has served in this position since January 2014.
Miller oversees the company's six operating divisions, which currently include 198 affiliated hospitals in 29 states and a broad range of outpatient services. He also manages enterprise-level strategic growth initiatives during a transformational period in the company's history. Miller was instrumental in the acquisitions of Triad Hospitals in 2007 and Health Management Associates, Inc. in 2014. He has been a driving force behind the organization's shift to operate in larger, more competitive markets and to build regional healthcare networks.
Commenting on the announcement, Wayne T. Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of CHS said, "Through two decades of leadership, David Miller's service has been characterized by the pursuit of quality in all things - as a champion for clinical excellence, an astute and disciplined operator, and a trusted leader and mentor for hospital and corporate executives. He has contributed mightily to the growth of Community Health Systems over these 20 years with many of our most notable accomplishments directly attributable to his leadership. David has made a positive and indelible mark on our organization, for which I am personally and forever grateful."
Miller is a 19-year veteran of CHS and has over 40 years of executive healthcare management experience. He joined Community Health Systems in 1997 as a vice president of operations and was subsequently promoted to senior vice president of group operations and then to division president before being named president and chief operating officer. Prior to joining CHS, Miller worked for two different publicly traded healthcare management companies. He received his bachelor's degree from Virginia Military Institute and an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia. Miller currently serves as a member of the Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors. He is also a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.