Surgical Directions Names Kelly Downey as Chief Growth Officer to Accelerate Healthcare Transformation

CHICAGO, April 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Surgical Directions is investing in bold, strategic leadership to support its next phase of growth. Today, the firm announces the appointment of Kelly Downey as Chief Growth Officer. Downey brings decades of healthcare experience and a proven track record of driving measurable growth through business development, commercialization, and customer success.

Downey joins Surgical Directions at a pivotal time, as health systems seek partners who can blend clinical insight with operational innovation to improve performance and patient care. Known for her ability to lead growth transformations at scale, Downey will spearhead the firm's go-to-market strategy, elevate customer experience, and build market awareness for Surgical Directions' consulting services and analytics platform, Merlin™.

"Surgical Directions has continued year-over-year revenue growth, and we are looking to accelerate that growth as complications in anesthesia, surgical access and sterile processing continue to require solutions. Kelly is passionate about improving patient access while eliminating waste in a way that engages (vs. disenfranchises) clinicians, staff and administrators," said Leslie Basham, President and CEO of Surgical Directions. "Her leadership and passion will ensure that Surgical Directions continues to deliver on our mission of powering the future of perioperative and procedural care."

Downey most recently served as Head of Marketing for EverHealth, a division of EverCommerce. Prior to that, she spent more than a decade at Vizient, where she served as Senior Vice President of Marketing for the nation's largest healthcare performance improvement company.

As Surgical Directions continues to expand its national footprint, Downey will be responsible for business development to drive sustained growth and client value across health systems, ambulatory surgery centers, and provider groups.

Why Healthcare Organizations Are Turning to Experts Like Surgical Directions

Hospitals are facing unprecedented margin compression, staffing shortages, and new care delivery expectations. Partnering with experienced healthcare consultants can be the key to unlocking operational savings and accelerating performance transformation. Surgical Directions brings more than 25 years of experience helping clients increase surgical access, lower supply costs, streamline workflows, and improve clinical outcomes and engagement.

What sets Surgical Directions apart is its peer-to-peer model, in which experienced clinicians and operators work alongside client teams to implement change, not just recommend it. The firm combines clinician-led consulting, supply chain and surgical services expertise, and predictive analytics through its proprietary Merlin™ platform to deliver measurable, sustainable results.

Downey's appointment signals Surgical Directions' continued investment in customer value, innovation, and industry leadership at a time when hospitals need solutions that work and partners they can trust.

For more information, visit www.surgicaldirections.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

ABOUT SURGICAL DIRECTIONS

Surgical Directions is a healthcare solutions company specializing in perioperative and procedural care, sterile processing, and anesthesia services. With a unique clinician-led model and proprietary analytics platform, Merlin™, the firm empowers hospitals and provider groups to drive measurable improvements in access, efficiency, and financial performance. From supply chain optimization to governance redesign, Surgical Directions delivers peer-to-peer partnership and clinical expertise that helps clients provide quality care and improve margins. Learn more at www.surgicaldirections.com.

SOURCE Surgical Directions