Healthcare Executive
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Experience

Strategy. Governance. Performance.

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About John N. Kastanis, MBA, FACHE

Instilling financial discipline and leading service line expansion at academic medical centers and teaching hospitals for OVER 30 years at the Executive Level

John Kastanis is an accomplished Health System Executive with significant experience leading teaching, high acute/tertiary/quaternary-care and specialty hospitals.  His core expertise is in strategic planning, governance, fund development, academic medicine, while also managing large Medicaid and Medicare patient populations.

John has a proven record of success with financial turnarounds, mergers, corporate restructurings, integrated delivery network development, labor-management negotiations, and performance improvement. His demonstrated ability to deliver results, motivate staff and drive new growth has benefited several health organizations.

More recently, as President and CEO at University Hospital, Newark, NJ, Kastanis led the State’s primary teaching hospital and clinical research site for Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, the State’s only Northern New Jersey Level 1 Trauma Center, and the EMS 911 service for the City of Newark.  A leader in healthcare delivery systems, Kastanis has also served as President and CEO at Temple University Hospital, and the Hospital for Joint Diseases Orthopedic Institute, among several others.

 
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Executive Leadership History

PRINCIPAL & CONSULTANT
JNK Consulting (An independent healthcare consulting practice.) | New Rochelle, New York
2006 – 2011 & 2019 – Present

Leverage expertise in hospital management and organizational turnarounds to provide strategic advisory services to diverse healthcare organizations and deliver interim executive leadership at teaching hospitals and health systems.

Current Consulting Engagements (2019—Present):

  • Board Director, VB Acquisitions Corporation (Wilmington, Delaware): Established a SPAC (Special-Purpose Acquisitions Company), focusing on neuro-musculoskeletal device companies with substantial organic growth potential and positioned to go public.

  • Advisory Board Member, MedSign International (New York, New York): Deliver guidance on marketing, sales and investment strategies to leading-edge telehealth company that recently launched Qortex, a TVbased telehealth solution.

  • Advisory Board Member, McGinley Orthopaedics (Casper, Wyoming): Provide strategic guidance in areas of sales, marketing, healthcare trends and operations to a manufacturer of the IntelliSense Drill and other innovative engineering solutions for surgical procedures.

Provided interim CEO/COO leadership to several hospitals, including:

  • Iowa Hospitals & Clinics (Iowa City, Iowa): Served as Interim COO, led all ancillary and support departments, surgical services and capital projects. Implemented new peri-operative functions, increasing efficiency by 10%+. Achieved positive TJC surveys and addressed significant workforce shortages (2021).

  • Quincy Medical Center (Quincy, Massachusetts): Served as Interim CEO, positioned 196-bed hospital for long-term success through a capital partnership with Steward Health Care System, resulting in $56M debt reduction, $34M infusion of working capital and future participation in an ACO (2010-2011).

  • Caritas Health (Queens, New York): Served as Interim CEO, steered the safe and orderly closure of the system, including all inpatient and off-site satellite clinic operations, 911 ambulance services, placement of all 197 medical residents and liquidation of $35M in assets (2008-2009).

  • Southampton Hospital (Southampton, New York): Served as Interim CEO, designed and implemented financial stabilization plan, avoiding bankruptcy filing. Embarked on initiative to eliminate $39M bond debt by monetizing real estate assets. Established formal affiliation with Stony Brook University Health System. Recruited permanent CEO (2005-2006).

Past Consulting Engagements :

  • Liaison, Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA): Worked within a multi-agency command center at the Javits Center and USNS Comfort to manage admission of COVID-19 patients. Assisted in coordination of care among all hospital systems in NYC (2020).

  • Management Team, StoneBridge Healthcare (Lahaska, Pennsylvania): Advise CEO on all aspects of establishing an organization that will purchase, rebuild and operate acute care hospitals in urban and suburban locations nationwide to drive improvements in community health (2019-2021).

  • Provided operational and financial reviews for teaching hospitals and health systems as an independent contractor with Navigant Consulting and Capstone Advisory Group (2006—2011).

 

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
University Hospital | Newark, New Jersey
2016 - 2018

Hired to deliver a financial turnaround, initiate a public/private partnership with RJWBarnabas Health and develop a population health management strategy for community suffering from chronic illnesses, including diabetes and obesity. Led 10 direct reports.  

University Hospital is a 519-bed, publicly owned acute care teaching hospital and only Level 1 trauma center in northern New Jersey, with 690 medical and adjunct physicians on staff, 616 medical residents and $702M annual net patient revenue.

 

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Temple University Hospital | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2011 - 2016

Brought in for interim leadership role and hired full time in 2012 to deliver financial turnaround. Provided executive and operational leadership, with a focus on workforce productivity, clinical resource management, growth and faculty practice redesign. Led eight direct reports (5,500 FTEs) and managed $1.1B annual operating budget.  

Temple University Hospital is a 728-bed, nonprofit academic medical center and Level 1 regional trauma center that provides patient care on four campuses and serves as the defacto public health hospital for Philadelphia. 

 

PRINCIPAL AND CONSULTANT
JNK Consulting | New Rochelle, New York
2006 - 2011

Leveraged expertise in hospital management and organizational turnarounds to deliver interim executive leadership at community teaching hospitals nationwide. Provided strategic advisory services as independent contractor with Navigant Consulting, Inc. and Capstone Advisory Group, LLC. Interim CEO engagements included Quincy Medical Center (Quincy, Massachusetts), Caritas Health (Queens, New York), and Southampton Hospital (Southampton, New York).

JNK Consulting is an independent healthcare consulting practice.

 

PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, HOSPITAL FOR JOINT DISEASES
Mount Sinai-New York University Health System | New York, New York
1996 - 2005

Provided executive and operational leadership for a 220-bed specialty teaching hospital of NYU Medical Center when it was an independent hospital, as well as after it merged with Mount Sinai in 1998 and then demerged in 2002. Led due diligence process that resulted in merger; chaired system-wide committees; and negotiated a $680M bond issue. Managed seven direct reports.

Mount Sinai-New York University Health System is a multibillion-dollar merged enterprise comprised of Mount Sinai Hospital, NYU Medical Center, the Hospital for Joint Diseases and NYU Downtown Hospital.

 

Earlier Roles

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, SCHCS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, BSH
Sisters of Charity Healthcare System & Bayley Seton Hospital | Staten Island, New York

VICE PRESIDENT AND OPERATING OFFICER
New Rochelle Medical Center | New Rochelle, New York

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital | New York, New York


Education

BARUCH COLLEGE, MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Master of Business Administration,
Healthcare Administration

QUEENS COLLEGE
Bachelor of Arts,
Political Science

CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Health Executive Development Program

Activities & Affiliations

  • American College of Healthcare Executives | Fellow

  • Healthcare Financial Management Association | Advanced Member

  • American Hellenic Education & Progressive Association | Member

  • MedSign International Corporation | Advisory Board Member, 2019—present

  • McGinley Orthopedic Innovations | Advisory Board Member, 2019—present

  • Greater Newark Healthcare Coalition | Board Member, 2016—2018

  • Greater New York Hospital Association| Board Member, 2016—2018

  • New Jersey Hospital Association | Board Member, 2016—2018

  • Vizient University Health System Consortium | Board of Managers, 2014—2018

  • America’s Essential Hospitals | Member, Strategic Planning Committee, 2014—2018

  • Hellenic Medical Society of Philadelphia | Member, 2012—2016