Jason Spring, FACHE, NACD.DC®

In my current role, I work with boards, CEOs, trustees, and healthcare leaders as they navigate enterprise risk, value-based care, long-term strategy, governance effectiveness, and systemwide transformation. Much of the work involves helping leaders move from fragmented priorities to clearer decision-making frameworks while balancing financial pressure, clinical performance, regulatory expectations, and community impact. I also help shape national governance frameworks and strengthen collaboration across member systems. Working with internal teams and member leaders, I support network strategy, performance improvement, innovation, and enterprise growth initiatives. Serving as an ex officio board liaison has reinforced the importance of connecting governance intent with operational execution so that strategy is practical, measurable, and aligned with healthcare organizations’ needs.

When I joined Logan Health, the organization was operating through sustained instability, including CEO transitions, board conflict, and compliance challenges. The work required more than strategy development; it required rebuilding alignment, preserving stakeholder confidence, and helping the board and executive team stay focused on the system’s long-term future while managing immediate pressures. Together, we advanced capital allocation, payer strategy, and population health transformation, including value-based care work across nine practices that generated $25M+ in revenue. We also led growth, M&A, and system expansion, including a 30-bed pediatric specialty hospital, regional partnerships, outreach market strategies, and managed hospital initiatives. By engaging government leaders, payers, regulators, physicians, and community stakeholders, we strengthened credibility and expanded telehealth, medical tourism, and innovation platforms.

As CEO of North Valley Hospital, I led the organization through a board-driven merger as long-term sustainability, regional scale, and value-based care readiness became increasingly important. One central challenge was overcoming stakeholder skepticism and helping physicians, board members, community leaders, and employees understand why integration was necessary for the hospital’s future. Working with the board and leadership team, we established joint governance structures with cross-organizational board representation, creating clearer fiduciary ownership and stronger alignment across physicians and community stakeholders. We executed an enterprise strategy focused on clinical integration, capital allocation, resource optimization, service line expansion, and innovation adoption, strengthening regional market position and organizational resilience.

At HealthPark Hospital, I stepped into a complex turnaround following a management company exit. The organization faced litigation, governance strain, financial instability, and the need to restore confidence among physicians, payors, providers, patients, and investors. Working with the board and physician leaders, we rebuilt governance alignment, onboarded 12 new physician investors, and partnered with a multispecialty group to strengthen credibility and execution capacity. Together, we defined a focused strategy around service excellence, operational efficiency, patient outcomes, and financial discipline. That work helped achieve 97th percentile patient satisfaction, double surgical volume, improve liquidity, and restore sustainable profitability. We also directed capital allocation and infrastructure strategy, including 60K sq. ft. main campus and 30K sq. ft. satellite facilities, then executed a sale-leaseback recapitalization with a private equity partner, positioning the organization for a successful merger and durable enterprise value creation.

As CEO of CHI St. Vincent Rehabilitation Hospital/HealthSouth, I reported to the joint venture board and worked to ensure alignment across sponsor organizations while overseeing strategic and operational performance of an 83-bed rehabilitation system. The role required balancing governance expectations, clinical quality, operational efficiency, and financial performance. Working with the leadership team, clinicians, and board representatives, we focused on disciplined growth in admissions, stronger service utilization, and improved financial stewardship. By aligning operational priorities with board expectations and maintaining focus on performance, we increased net income from $1M to $3.8M while strengthening operating discipline and the organization’s long-term financial foundation.