After a national search, Joe Hodges, who has served as interim regional president/system vice president of SSM Health Care of Oklahoma since last September, was named today to fill the top post on a permanent basis effective Feb. 13. Hodges replaces Chris Howard, who was appointed regional president/system vice president of SSM Health Care-St. Louis. Hodges has been with SSM Health Care for 20 years, having joined St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City as a part-time employee in the hospital's business office in 1992. After being promoted six times, he became hospital president in 2005. He served in that role until becoming interim regional president/system vice president in September 2011.
