News

Ellis steps in as Pardee chief medical officer

By Bill Moss, Published: November 26, 2014

Pardee Hospital and its chief medical officer, Dr. Robert T. Kiskaddon, parted ways after hospital administrators declined to renew his contract.
"I can't tell you a whole lot because it's a personnel issue," said Dr. Bill Medina, a retired oncologist who is a member of the Pardee Hospital Board of Directors. "There were a number of issues involved. Dr. Kiskaddon did a lot of good things and we certainly wish him well. Ultimately, at the end of the day, (Pardee CEO) Jay Kirby has the responsibility and privilege of choosing the members of his management team and the board tries not to get involved."
The hospital has appointed Dr. David Ellis as interim chief medical officer, serving on a part-time basis while sustaining his ob-gyn practice.
"He's stepped into that position already," Medina said. "He's been a leader on the medical staff for a number of years. He's run his own practice for many years and he has had a longstanding interest in health care management."
Pardee administrators declined to comment on the change in the executive suite, saying the hospital "does not comment on personnel issues."
Then-CEO Kris Hoce hired Kiskaddon as Pardee's first chief medical officer in July 2010 to help guide clinical programs and services, serve as a liaison between physicians and the administration and involve physicians in the strategic planning and decision-making processes, Pardee said in a news release announcing Kiskaddon's appointment.
Kiskaddon had previously worked as medical director of the Carle Foundation Physician Services in Urbana, Ill., and had served in health care management roles since 1980 while also working in emergency medicine.