On Thursday, Novant Health confirmed that Jeff Lindsay was no longer with the company.
Lindsay has worked in healthcare for nearly three decades and started working at Novant in 1996. He most recently served as Novant’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. In late June, after Shelbourn Stevens left Novant, Lindsay stepped in as interim leader of both NHRMC and the coastal market.
Lindsay's salary and benefits were just shy of $2.5 million, according to Novant's 2022 tax filings, roughly the same as John Gizdic, who ran NHRMC when it was owned by the county and is now a Novant executive vice president. Only Novant CEO and President Carl Amato received more, roughly $5.3 million.
According to Novant, Lindsay accepted a new opportunity with UNC Health as president and chief operating officer.
Novant has not named a replacement for the interim leadership position, instead saying its senior team will handle operations.
“In the interim, we have a strong senior team in place in the Coastal region that is handling day-to-day operational needs with the support of systemwide leaders,” according to a Novant spokesperson.
Novant did not comment on the status of finding a permanent replacement for Stevens.
Related: Novant reportedly sacks NHRMC President Shelbourn Stevens
Stevens had been with Novant Health for over three decades, much of that time spent leading the healthcare company's Brunswick Medical Center. He was named as New Hanover Regional Medical Center president after Novant purchased the hospital from the county.
During Stevens' tenure, NHRMC suffered from severe pandemic-related staffing shortages. Novant responded by utilizing traveling nurses — but their high wages took a chunk out of the company's bottom line and had a devastating impact on morale. When a 77-year-old patient died waiting for care in the summer of 2022, a federal agency threatened to cut the hospital's Medicaid and Medicare contracts if conditions didn’t improve.
In late June, several sources familiar with the situation told WHQR Stevens had been fired — although Novant neither confirmed that nor offered a reason for his exit.
Novant has been able to improve conditions — escaping 'immediate jeopardy' with government regulators — and, by some reports, helped stabilize morale in part by pouring $65 million into its workforce.
