St. Francis Hospital hires key management position

St. Francis Hospital named John A. Milazzo III, as its new chief financial officer on Thursday.

Milazzo replaces Greg Hembree, who left the hospital in August. Milazzo will be responsible for directing the financial activities for the Columbus hospital and affiliated entities including St. Francis Medical Group.

St. Francis is pleased to have Milazzo in his new role, said Chief Executive Officer David Koontz.

“As a seasoned healthcare executive, he brings significant experience to this important position,” Koontz said in a news release. “John’s skills and vision will be invaluable as we continue to expand our services in the coming years.”

Milazzo, a 25-year veteran in the health care industry and a certified public accountant, most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for River Regional Health System in Vicksburg, Miss. He has also worked at hospitals in Anniston, Ala., and Haines City, Fla.

Milazzo and his wife, Tami, who have two grown children, are in the process of moving to Columbus, according to the St. Francis release.

St. Francis was purchased in late 2015 by Tennessee-based LifePoint Health after major financial issues were uncovered in the fall of 2014. Those issues led to the sale of then non-profit hospital LifePoint.

This story was originally published January 26, 2017 at 2:42 PM with the headline "St. Francis Hospital hires key management position."