Ten days after the departure of John Cacciamani, Temple Health - Chestnut Hill Hospital now announced a new president and CEO. Current President and CEO of Phoenixville Hospital/Pottstown Hospital - Tower Health Richard Newell is slated to take over for Cacciamani April 8.

“Rich’s two decades of healthcare operations leadership experience and passion for quality and service-oriented care make him an excellent fit with our goals to propel Chestnut Hill Hospital to greater levels of excellence through integration and expansion of services,” said Abhi Rastogi, MBA, MIS, President and CEO of Temple University Hospital and Executive Vice President of Temple University Health System. “Throughout his career, Rich has maintained a steady focus on quality improvement, including higher Leapfrog Safety Grades and 5-Star HealthGrades ratings.” 

At Phoenixville Hospital/Pottstown Hospital – Tower Health, Newell “effectively integrated finance, IT, health information management, compliance, case management, physician liaison, and marketing operations across the two hospitals,” according to a press release.

Newell also served as CEO of Carlisle Regional Medical Center, where he demonstrated his talent for service line development and strategic planning for hospital and outpatient services, resulting in quality care and revenue enhancements. He also built an alliance with Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to strengthen clinical resources available in the Carlisle community, including stroke telehealth and cancer services. Prior to that, Newell served at Roxborough Memorial Hospital as Chief Operating Officer, Director Business Development/Physician Practice Manager, and Director of Therapy Services. He also worked at Temple Health for four years earlier in his career, as Senior Physical Therapist, Clinical Manager, and Manager of Outpatient Services.

Newell earned bachelor's degrees in economics and business administration from Berry College in Georgia, and his master's and doctor of physical therapy degrees from Temple University.  

“We look forward to working with Rich as we build upon the performance improvement processes we have already begun at Temple Health-Chestnut Hill Hospital,” Rastogi added. “Rich is a superb leader and will be a strong partner with our Temple Health leadership team as we fulfill our commitment to making Chestnut Hill a more comprehensive community hospital with the broad spectrum of services and expertise of Temple’s specialists in the Chestnut Hill community.”