By Jill Clendening

Victor Legner, MD, has been named to the new role of associate vice chair for Network Services for the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. This change is effective Sept. 1.

Legner, an associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, previously served as the founding executive medical director of the Primary Care Patient Care Center (PCC) at VUMC, which was established in 2020. Prior to that role, Legner served as the executive medical director of the Medicine PCC at VUMC.

Legner has been instrumental in the development of many key primary care services at VUMC including the new Hospital at Home program that allows patients to remain in the comfort of their own home while receiving treatment for acute medical issues that would have previously required hospitalization. He was also a leader in the development of VUMC’s COVID to Home program, which provided at-home care and monitoring for individuals with COVID-19.

“We look forward to Dr. Legner’s leadership and expertise in his new role as associate vice chair for Network Services as we continue to work diligently to meet the needs of both our patients and our many clinical practices,” said Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, Hugh J. Morgan Professor of Medicine and chair of the Department of Medicine at VUMC. “With Dr. Legner’s guidance, we hope to more effectively and efficiently support clinical programs and facilitate the development of new programs tailored to patients’ needs at our numerous network locations outside of Davidson County. We also expect his role to be crucial as we bring future clinical sites on board.”

In Legner’s new role, he will be responsible for:

• Coordinating services across network sites and facilitating clinical programs outside of Davidson County.
• Establishing a Department of Medicine standard operating procedure for provider lines of communication and hiring practices.
• Supervising quality and performance initiatives at network sites.
• Creating strategies for effective communication between VUMC’s main campus and network site.
• Vetting and supporting the development of programs at network locations.
• Working closely with PCC leaders, regional chief medical officers (CMOs), and hospital/clinic leaders to facilitate program quality, feasibility and function.
• Communicating with the Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs Cecelia Theobald, MD, and department chair regarding ongoing initiatives and needs assessment.

“I am honored to be selected as the associate vice chair for Network Services,” Legner said. “As VUMC has continued to grow, the importance of bidirectional communication between the Nashville campus and our large network of hospital and clinical sites has become increasingly vital. It is my goal to work closely with the Medical Center’s PCC leaders, regional chief medical officers, and hospital and clinic leaders to support both the development of new programs and to provide continued support of existing programs to best serve our communities.”

Legner has been an attending physician at VUMC, specializing in geriatric care, since 2016. He is a member of many institutional leadership groups including the Accountable Care Organizations Operations Committee, the Patient Centered Medical Home Steering Committee, the Population Health PMO Executive Committee and the Medical Center Medical Board. He also serves on the Shade Tree Clinic board of directors.