Episode 118: Warner Thomas, Pete November Talk About Ochsner’s Big Leadership Change

This week’s guests are Ochsner Health CEO Warner Thomas and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Pete November. Thomas announced earlier today, Sept. 13, that he’s leaving his post at Louisiana’s largest private employer after 24 years to take the top job at Sutter Health, a Sacramento, Ca.-based nonprofit healthcare network. November will take over as CEO at Ochsner on, appropriately enough, Nov. 1. In this episode, the two talk about Ochsner’s past, present and future: Thomas’s biggest accomplishment, November’s priorities and the challenges facing the healthcare industry in general.

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Pete November
Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Incoming Chief Executive Officer, Effective November 1, 2022

Effective November 1, 2022, Pete November will assume the role of CEO of Ochsner Health, Louisiana’s largest not-for-profit academic health system and its largest private employer. November was named CEO after serving in numerous senior leadership positions within the organization from 2012 – 2022. Most recently, November has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Ochsner, leading Accounting, Financial Planning & Analysis, Reimbursement, Revenue Cycle and financial operations for the system. In this role, November also oversaw the Information Services, Real Estate, Supply Chain and Partnerships & Integration divisions, and the development and formation of new partnerships for Ochsner throughout the Gulf South.

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November previously served as EVP, Digital Health and Chief Administrative Officer at Ochsner, where he managed shared services including innovationOchsner (iO), Digital Medicine, Telehealth, Supply Chain, Information Technology, System Partnerships & Integration, Real Estate and Post-Acute Care. Notably, in this role, November spearheaded the development of Ochsner LSU Health System of North Louisiana, creating meaningful impact within the region through the hiring of more than 300 physicians, expansion of behavioral health services and community investment of more than $200 million.

November joined Ochsner in 2012 as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to joining Ochsner, he served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Head of Acquisitions for LHC Group Inc., one of the largest providers of home care in the nation. Prior to LHC Group, Inc., November was an equity partner with Alston & Bird, an international law firm, where he helped a wide range of healthcare organizations navigate growth and complex partnerships for more than 14 years.

November is a graduate with a degree in Accounting from the University of Kentucky and received his Juris Doctorate at the University of Kentucky College of Law. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. November is actively involved in the community and serves as an Adjunct Professor and Guest Lecturer at Loyola University College of Business, was a member of the Governor John Bel Edwards Healthcare Transition Team and serves on the Board of Trustees for the National World War II Museum. For nearly 15 years, November has proudly called Louisiana home with his wife and two adult children.

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Warner L. Thomas
President and Chief Executive Officer, Ochsner Health

Warner Thomas was named President and CEO of Ochsner Health in 2012 after previously serving as President and Chief Operating Officer from 1998-2012. He is the CEO of Louisiana’s largest non-profit academic health system and its largest private employer.

Today, Ochsner employs 25,000 employees and more than 1,300 employed physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties and conducts more than 700 clinical research studies. The system coordinates and provides clinical and hospital patient care across the Gulf South region through its 40 owned, managed and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals, and more than 100 health centers and urgent care centers.

Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across two adult specialty categories and two pediatric specialties and every year cares for patients from all 50 states and more than 70 countries.

Under Thomas’s leadership, Ochsner has expanded across Louisiana and the Gulf South to become a national and global destination for healthcare. The system’s strategy revolves around supporting the growing needs of the patient population and providing specialty services where and when patients need it. Some of this is accomplished in partnership with other strong healthcare organizations across the Gulf South, and provides the opportunity for Ochsner to scale patient-centered technology and other solutions to bring advanced care closer to home.

Thomas has been instrumental in developing a population health focus at Ochsner, delivering programs and resources that empower patients to effectively manage chronic conditions while also maintaining focus on preventive measures, screenings and education to help people stay well and avoid preventable disease. He also worked to launch innovationOchsner in 2015, an Ochsner lab designed to create health advancements to address national issues including chronic disease management, as well as to support and partner with companies working to revolutionize patient-centered care. Internally, Thomas spearheaded the creation of the Ochsner Learning Institute which provides free professional education for all Ochsner leaders to better prepare them to confront challenges, seek opportunity and ignite enthusiasm around best practices in healthcare.

Thomas was appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission in 2014 where he continues to advise Congress on issues affecting Medicare. He has served as Chairman of the American Hospital Association Section for Health Systems Governing Council and is a past member of both the Board of the American Medical Group Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges Advisory Panel for Health Care and Council of Teaching Hospitals. Additionally, Thomas is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a Louisiana Hospital Association board member and a member of both the Young Presidents Organization and New Orleans Business Council.

Thomas received an undergraduate degree in accounting and computer information systems from New Hampshire College in Manchester, N.H., and his Master of Business Administration degree in 1994 from Boston University Graduate School of Management. He is also a certified public accountant.

Thomas is a recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award, the Anti-Defamation League 2018 A.I. Botnick Torch of Liberty Award, and was named the 2017 CEO of the Year by Biz New Orleans magazine, one of Glassdoor Top CEOs in 2018 and one of Ernst &Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® in the Healthcare & Related Services category for the Gulf Coast Area in 2019.

 

 

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