New senior exec to lead Lovelace Health System eight months after last appointment

Nov. 17—A new but familiar face will soon be stepping into the role of president and CEO of the Lovelace Health System.

Returning to Albuquerque after three years in Columbia, Missouri, Troy Greer will take the mantle of one of Lovelace's top executives in December, the health system announced on Friday.

The transition comes less than a year after David Schultz was appointed to the position in April. Schultz will go to Lovelace's parent company, Ardent Health Services, to serve as interim president of hospital operations, overseeing 30 hospitals across six states, including Lovelace.

Greer served as president and CEO of Boone Health in Columbia from September 2020 to April 2023.

Greer said Lovelace's connectivity to the community and the institution itself drew him to return to Lovelace.

"Lovelace has been a very important part of the fabric of Albuquerque for more than 100 years," he said.

Compared to Boone Health's 392-bed service, Lovelace's 619 inpatient beds will provide a larger environment for Greer to oversee. The Lovelace Health System has six hospitals, 33 health care clinics and seven outpatient therapy clinics.

It'll be a familiar environment, though. Greer was the CEO of Lovelace Westside Hospital from 2007 to 2012 and CEO of Lovelace Medical Center and Heart Hospital of New Mexico from 2012 to 2020.

Greer said his previous 13 years of experience at two different Lovelace institutions will help him approach the size and complexity of his new role.

As president and CEO, Greer said he wants to focus on workforce support, especially after caregivers suffered immensely during the pandemic. The pandemic intensified a health care worker shortage that already existed in New Mexico, particularly in rural areas.

"Getting that workforce supported the way you need to be supported is something that we're facing nationally as well as locally, and so that is a big passion of mine and the health system," he said. "And so we're really looking forward to making that a top priority."

He said a statewide presence is also crucial. Greer said for the state to grow, there has to be a strong health care infrastructure.

"We have responsibilities to the communities that we serve, and we're happy to hold those," he said.

As for other goals, Greer said he still needs to talk to other Lovelace officials who lead the system's different institutions about their priorities. He said he's already talked to providers and anticipates that will accelerate over the next few weeks.

"It also helps me understand the challenges that existed previously, that have been worked on, so that when we look to the future, we have a good idea of the things that work, the things that need to be altered in order to become better at what we do," he said.

Greer said Schultz will "still have an active role in ensuring that this market performs well for the sake of our community." Schultz will stay at Lovelace to help with Greer's transition, Lovelace marking director Raschel Brennan said.

Greer said his previous 13 years of experience at Lovelace gives him a broad understanding of how things work.

It's nice, he said, to have the relationships and memories he cultivated while serving at the individual facility level as he steps into the role of president and CEO. He said it'll make him a strong senior executive because he understands the processes and people at Lovelace.

"And I know what to do to support those people that are sitting in those seats today," he said.

Still, he said, challenges are to be expected with a new job.

He said connecting and forming relationships can help ensure that Lovelace is on the "progressive edge of ensuring that health care needs are met."

Greer starts Dec. 11. He said he's glad to be back in the Albuquerque community where his kids graduated from high school, and he is eager to rejoin the local holiday festivities along with starting his new role.