Surgical Directions Announces New Head of Anesthesia Services and Strategic Executive Advisor

CHICAGO, Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Surgical Directions, the leading expert in perioperative, procedural care, and anesthesia services, is proud to announce the appointment of Robert Johnson, RCPT, MBA as the Managing Director of Anesthesia and Mark Penkhus, MHA, MBA, FACHE as a Strategic Executive Advisor.

Robert (Bob) Johnson brings a wealth of anesthesiology experience to Surgical Directions. He started his career in healthcare as a Perfusionist and Cardio-Pulmonary Technologist at Johns Hopkins and soon was appointed the Administrator for the Johns Hopkins Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. Johnson's success in an administrator role led to achieving the positions of Senior Associate Chief Operating Officer for Duke Hospital, Vice President of Administration at the Baylor College of Medicine, and Executive Director of Anesthesiology and Critical Care for UPMC. Bob left academic healthcare to pursue roles in for-profit companies such as the Chief Business Development Officer for Sheridan Healthcare (now Envision), Vice President of Hospital-based Physician Services at HCA, and Vice President of Business Development for Premier Anesthesia. Most recently, he co-founded a company called Physician Hospital Services Consulting in 2019 with Mark Penkhus. Johnson specializes in assessing, staffing, operations, and revenue cycles of anesthesia services.

"I am excited to join the team at Surgical Directions and bring my expertise in anesthesia services to the organization. I look forward to working with the experienced practitioners and consultants at Surgical Directions to tackle critical issues and achieve financial, operational, and clinical outcome excellence for our clients," says Johnson.

Mark Penkhus, MHA, MBA, FACHE, is a senior healthcare executive with broad leadership experience in both nationally recognized not-for-profit and for-profit healthcare corporations. His leadership experience includes governance, strategy, operations, and financial and transformational management. Mark is a facilitator and a change agent working effectively with boards, executive management, and medical staff leadership to align organizational strategies, operating objectives and financial goals, using disciplined data-driven approaches, and development of creative, clear, executable solutions. Mark has held numerous senior leadership roles with health systems nationwide. His experience includes National VP for Hospital-based Physician Services at HCA, Executive Vice President for Oregon Health and Sciences University, CEO for Vanderbilt University Hospitals, Managing Partner for EY, LLC for the MidAtlantic Performance Improvement Practice, and National Leader for Academic Health Centers, in Washington DC., and co-founder of the Blue Ridge Academic Health Group, a thought leadership consortium of leading Academic Health Centers, from 1997 to 2005. Mark started his career with Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, the largest Catholic hospital in New England, followed by a COO role with the Sisters of Charity Healthcare System Hospitals in Colorado and a CEO position in Michigan (now part of Common Sprit) before he was Executive Vice President at the Detroit Medical Center. Mark was the founder and CEO of Physician Hospital Services Consulting (PHSC LLC) from 2019 to 2023, until recently joining Surgical Directions.

"I am honored to join the team at Surgical Directions as a Strategic Executive Advisor. The organization's dedication to improving perioperative, procedural care, and anesthesia services aligns with my own passion for driving positive change in the healthcare industry. I look forward to leveraging my leadership experience to help Surgical Directions continue to grow and provide clinical and operational expertise to their clients."

"We are thrilled to welcome Bob and Mark to the Surgical Directions team," said Leslie Basham, CEO. "Their expertise and experience will rapidly expand and mature our anesthesia and other hospital-based services to better serve our clients. Together, we will continue to improve patient care, financial outcomes, and clinician engagement for our clients."

Surgical Directions is a healthcare solutions organization that helps clients improve perioperative, procedural care and anesthesia services through consulting, technology, and leadership. They partner with organizations to reduce costs and increase revenue using peer-to-peer leadership and process expertise coupled with actionable data analytics. Our team of experienced practitioners and consultants tackles critical issues while achieving financial, operational, and clinical outcome excellence. Surgical Directions has successfully served 400+ hospitals, ASCs, and medical groups to increase patient access and, most importantly, improve patient care. Additional information is available at www.surgicaldirections.com. 

SOURCE Surgical Directions