University Medical Center CEO stepping down

By Conor Shine, Katie Visconti

Published Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 | 2:45 p.m.

Updated Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 | 4:25 p.m.

After less than a year as chief executive officer of University Medical Center, Lawrence Barnard is resigning to take an executive position with Dignity Health, which operates three Las Vegas-area hospitals.

Barnard's resignation was confirmed this afternoon in a statement from the hospital. The hospital's governing board will hold a special meeting Friday to consider appointing chief operating officer Mason Van Houweling to the interim chief executive position.

Barnard previously served as UMC’s chief operating officer from August 2012 until January, when he was promoted to CEO.

He replaced Brian Brannman, who left UMC to become president of Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican Hospitals — Siena Campus. Barnard will be joining Brannman at Dignity Health as the president of the company's St. Rose Dominican Hospitals — San Martin Campus in the southwest valley.

Barnard stepped into a challenging environment at UMC, which for years has run deficits of up to $70 million that required a county subsidy to balance the budget. Barnard was charged with cutting the deficit and reducing the subsidy, leading to cost-cutting efforts that included layoffs of 390 employees and the closure of several satellite clinics during his 11-month tenure.

Barnard also had to deal with a new governing board formed in January to oversee the hospital's operations and changes caused by the Affordable Care Act that disrupted the hospital's payer mix and revenue streams.

Commissioner Lawrence Weekly, who chairs the University of Medical Center Board of Trustees, called Barnard's departure bittersweet.

"I'm happy for the young man. It's a wonderful opportunity to grow and do great things," Weekly said. "It sends us back to the drawing board. In order for us to be able to do what we have to do (at UMC) we have to keep trying to find people who have the heart to serve."