Elkins, WV—At Thursday’s Davis Health System (DHS) Board of Directors meeting, President and CEO Mark Doak announced his intent to retire. The board will now begin the process of planning for a change in leadership.
“Mr. Doak will continue to serve as President/CEO until a new leader is found,” said Steve Toney, M.D., chair of the Davis Health System Board. “This will ensure a smooth transition and maintain continuity of our health system’s mission and strategy.”
“The Board feels Davis is in a strong position today,” added Toney. “We have a new outpatient care center, financials are sound, quality ratings are high and we have an outstanding team of physicians and staff.”
“We are grateful to Mark for his valuable contributions spanning more than a decade,” said Toney. “In addition to his leadership and business acumen, Mark pioneered the “Patients First” culture of DHS by driving high standards of quality, access, convenience and patient experience to the forefront of the Davis mission.”
“Finding a leader who has the appropriate leadership skills and experience to continue the positive course we have set for Davis Health System is important for the long-term good of the organization.”
The board has formed a search committee to lead the hiring and transition process. The plan is to have a successor named within 12 months to provide a seamless transition of leadership.
Doak’s decision to retire will bring to close 14 years of continuous service to the health system and a career of 41 years. Mr. Doak joined Davis Health System as Chief Operating Officer in 1998 and in 2001 was named president and CEO.
“I am extremely proud of the Davis Health System team, and that which we have accomplished together in building a better health system for the region,” said Doak. “Working alongside the outstanding men and women who care for patients every day is a privilege.”
“Mark Doak is one of West Virginia’s best healthcare strategists,” said Joe Letnaunchyn, president and CEO of the West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA). “He is certainly recognized by his peers as a respected leader in shaping the future of West Virginia’s hospitals.” Doak is a member of and served as chair of the West Virginia Hospital Association Board of Trustees.
He also served as chair of the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) Section for Small/Rural Hospitals, and was a member of the AHA’s Coalition to Protect America’s Healthcare. “Mark’s leadership, advocacy, and representation for the unique needs of rural hospitals have helped advance the patient’s experience of care and population health for a lower per capita cost. He has been a champion for the rural hospital safety-net and his contributions to the delivery of care in rural America are appreciated greatly by all,” said John Supplitt, senior director of the Section for Small or Rural Hospitals of the American Hospital Association (AHA).
Other professional distinctions include the 2010 Who’s Who in West Virginia Business and the 2014 Center for Rural Health Development’s West Virginia Rural Health Leadership Award.
He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), as well as several community boards including the Elkins-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce, Randolph County Development Authority and Tucker Community Foundation.
Prior to joining DHS, Doak was a partner with the accounting firm of Doak, Cuppet and Poling (DCP). At DCP he provided accounting and consulting services to rural health care organizations in West Virginia., including small and rural hospitals, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC).
