The board of directors of Doylestown Hospital in Doylestown, Pa., announced Tuesday that former Erlanger Health System President and CEO Jim Brexler will become the hospital’s next president and chief executive officer. Mr. Brexler will succeed Richard A. Reif, who announced his retirement after serving in the position for 23 years.

“We are thrilled to bring a very thoughtful leader with a unique depth and breadth of experience to our hospital and community,” said Chairman of the Board of Directors Carolyn Della-Rodolfa. “The search committee was struck by Jim’s instinctual understanding of our culture, our commitment to maintaining the independence of our hospital and quality of our medical staff, and most of all, our mission to improve the health and wellness of our community.

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Doylestown officials said of Mr. Brexler, "During his eight-year tenure, he guided the public health provider through an expansion, achieved and maintained positive operating incomes and an “A” bond rating, and developed strong community alliances."

“Health care is a complex and rapidly changing industry, and Jim has demonstrated his ability to manage every situation and opportunity throughout his career,” said Bruce M. Derrick, MD, president of the Doylestown Hospital Medical Staff. “We chose Jim because we believe his knowledge and leadership skills will guide us through the challenges ahead, preserving our independence and maintaining our focus on patient satisfaction and quality improvement.”

Doylestown officials said, "Currently working as a consultant to Vanderbilt University Hospital, Brexler has had a distinguished career leading complex healthcare systems in multiple markets. When he assumed leadership of Erlanger in 2004, the health system was under federal investigation into questionable physician contracting. Within two years, Brexler had successfully rewritten all physician contracts, negotiated a settlement with the government, and implemented a model compliance program.

"Brexler also served as vice chancellor of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, and chairman of the Tennessee Hospital Association’s board of directors. He received the American Hospital Association’s Grassroots Champion Award, and was honored in 2011 with the Tennessee Hospital Association’s highest award for distinguished service."

Mr. Brexler said, “I am extremely honored to be selected to lead Doylestown Hospital. I am very impressed by the working relationship between the physicians and the hospital. Together they’ve developed a powerful model for health care quality that is ahead of its time and has positioned the hospital well for the future. Doylestown Hospital’s long-standing commitment to community health is very exciting to me, and exactly what health care reform should embrace. I look forward to working collaboratively with the entire organization on the next chapter in its long history of excellence.”

A graduate of Westminster College, Fulton, Mo., Mr. Brexler holds a Masters of Public Affairs from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina and completed the Executive Program in Healthcare Financial Management at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

“My wife, Kelly, and I are very excited about moving our family to Bucks County,” Mr. Brexler said. He will assume leadership of Doylestown Hospital in mid- to late-January.

About Doylestown Hospital
Doylestown Hospital is a comprehensive 238-bed medical center serving families throughout Bucks and Montgomery Counties and Western New Jersey. The Medical Staff includes more than 420 physicians in more than 40 specialty areas. Doylestown Hospital is one of the 100 best hospitals in the U.S., according to the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals® study released in 2012. The Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital is a regional center of excellence for cardiology and cardiac surgery and was named one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals® in the nation (Thomson Reuters 2012). Areas of clinical emphasis also include emergency medicine, oncology, maternal-child health, orthopedics, interventional radiology, gastroenterology, urology, general surgery and robotic surgery.