Bingham Memorial Hospital Announces New CEO

The following is a news release from Bingham Memorial Hospital.

BLACKFOOT — The Board of Directors at Bingham Memorial Hospital (BMH, Inc.) announced today that after two years as Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and ten years as Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Daniels will retire effective November 17, 2017. Jake Erickson, who currently serves as chief operating officer (COO) at BMH, Inc., will take over as CEO on October 1, 2017. In support of the transition, Mr. Daniels will finish out his service as Interim CEO through September of this year.

“Jeff will leave an indelible mark on Bingham Memorial Hospital,” said Joe Cannon, Chairman of the BMH Board of Directors. “He has maintained an unwavering commitment to our patients and employees, and we are indebted to him for his innumerable professional contributions and for his outstanding personal character. We congratulate him on his retirement and wish him and his family well.”

Mr. Daniels will close his career with more than 45 years of leadership experience in the healthcare industry. He has been an integral part in transforming BMH, Inc.’s community-owned hospital from a small facility to an award-winning healthcare provider recognized for clinical excellence and outstanding patient care delivered in a caring and compassionate manner. A significant part of Mr. Daniel’s role as CEO has been his passion for growing BMH Inc.’s team of world-class providers and his dedication to bringing the latest in innovative technology to the people of Eastern Idaho. Most notably, this includes the acquisition of the da Vinci Surgical System and the Mazor X, a transformative platform for robot-guided spinal surgeries, making Blackfoot one of the first locations in the world to use this advanced technology.

The Board’s selection of Mr. Erickson to take over as CEO later this year comes after meeting with local and national consultants. “We met with many people, including administrators of several hospitals in the region, local and national professionals, and many of our physician partners. It became evident that our administrative team, especially Jake, had earned the respect from the medical community in Eastern Idaho,” said Mr. Cannon. “In making this decision, the Board identified the current need to maintain the upward momentum the hospital had generated in recent years,” continued Mr. Cannon. “We also considered the future needs of the hospital. It became abundantly clear that we already had the best candidate right here, within the organization. Jake is from Eastern Idaho, is well-known and respected throughout the region, and is clearly the best person to take the reins and guide BMH into the future. He has the unanimous support of our Board.”

Mr. Erickson holds a Master of Business Administration, and has been with BMH, Inc.’s rapidly expanding healthcare system for the past 11 years. He has served as Assistant Administrator and COO during that time, and he has proven to be an effective change agent and a proactive leader who has ensured the efficiency of the day-to-day operations at the hospital and Bingham Memorial’s healthcare centers throughout Eastern Idaho. It has been under Mr. Erickson’s direction as the head of physician recruitment that BMH, Inc. has grown its medical staff to over 150 providers, a 400% growth over the past ten years. Additionally, Mr. Erickson has played a key role in the major partnerships of recent years and has helped expand Bingham Memorial’s service offerings to more than 35 physician specialties.

“This changeover comes at a time when Bingham Memorial is accelerating its strategic initiatives to increase access of our services to area residents,” said Mr. Daniels. “Jake has played a pivotal role in the growth and stability we have experienced this past decade, and I have every confidence in his ability to lead this organization into a new era while continuing our tradition of exceptional patient care.”