The system's current president and CEO, Steve Edwards, will be retiring at the end of May.
CoxHealth has announced a new president and CEO for the six-hospital system based in Springfield, Missouri.
Following Steve Edward's planned retirement at the end of May, Max Buetow will succeed him and assume the role of president and CEO in June.
The system's board of directors unanimously approved the selection of Buetow following an internal and national search.
"In Max Buetow, we found the right person to continue CoxHealth's high-level focus on patient care," Rob Fulp, chair of CoxHealth's board of directors, said in a statement. "He has demonstrated his passion for this organization, for our patients and for our 12,500 CoxHealth team members. We are excited for all he will bring to the table as we embark on Cox Health's next chapter. We wouldn't be where we are today without Steve's leadership and Max will continue to expand on the great work Steve has done."
Buetow, who joined CoxHealth in 2012, currently serves as the nonprofit health system's executive vice president and COO, where he leads and manages the operations for the system's six regional hospitals. Prior to that, he served as vice president of Cox Medical Group where he led more than 750 integrated physicians and providers, in addition to the system's neuroscience service line.
Edwards, who has worked closely with Buetow, expressed his confidence in him as a leader and his gratitude to the board for selection Buetow in a statement.
"I deeply admire his virtues, and I am confident he will continue to advance our culture whereby we expect leaders to take care of staff, and staff to take care of each other and our community," he said in a statement. "He treats people as if they are what they can become, which causes us to rise to meet his faith in each of us."
Buetow stated that he's committed to leading the health system with "integrity, humility, and compassion" and will put the interested of the organization and its patients before his own.
"I will seek the wisdom of others and encourage open debate. I will focus on creating clear expectations and a culture of accountability, always holding myself and our team to the highest standard. Ultimately, we will bring together our individual talents and energies to produce exceptional results for those who need us most," he added.
“He has demonstrated his passion for this organization, for our patients and for our 12,500 CoxHealth team members. We are excited for all he will bring to the table as we embark on Cox Health's next chapter. We wouldn't be where we are today without Steve's leadership and Max will continue to expand on the great work Steve has done.”
Rob Fulp, chair, CoxHealth board of directors
Jasmyne Ray is the revenue cycle editor at HealthLeaders.