CommonSpirit Health CEO Kevin Lofton Announces Retirement

Co-CEO Lloyd H. Dean will become the sole CEO at the Catholic health system, which was formed in February 2019 with the $29 billion merger of Dignity Health and CHI.

CommonSpirit Health Co-CEO Kevin E. Lofton is retiring at the end of June, the Chicago-based health system announced.

When Lofton retires, Co-CEO Lloyd H. Dean will become the sole CEO at the Catholic health system, which was formed in February 2019 with the $29 billion merger of Dignity Health and CHI.

Lofton, 65, was named CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives in 2003, and has a four decades-long resume as a healthcare executive. 

"Kevin Lofton is an exceptional leader and one of the most influential in healthcare," CommonSpirit Board Chair Tessie Guillermo said in a media release, adding that Lofton will retire with the honorary title of CEO Emeritus.   

"We have been lucky to be on this journey under the leadership and expertise of both Kevin and Lloyd as they worked side-by-side in the Office of the CEO. We are confident that under Lloyd’s leadership we will be well-positioned to transform how we deliver care across the 21 states we serve,” Guillermo said.

When the merger was finalized last February, Lofton and Dean were described by the heath system as "each a CEO in the Office of the CEO."

CommonSpirit has a footprint in 21 states, with more than 700 care sites and 142 hospitals, along with research programs, virtual care services, home health programs, and population health initiatives to tackle the root causes of poor health.