Longtime healthcare leader Vince Caponi has agreed to serve as interim Wisconsin Ministry Market Executive following the retirement of Nick Desien, who has held that position since 2013. Caponi will begin on January 1, 2016, and serve in this role for six months as Ascension continues its search for a permanent Wisconsin Ministry Market Executive.
Caponi has enjoyed a long and successful career with Ascension beginning in 1983. He led St. Vincent in Indianapolis from 1998 to 2013, and later assumed the position of Executive Board Chair for St. Vincent. Currently, he is Executive Board Chair of Ascension Texas. Caponi also serves in a consultative role to Health City Cayman Islands (HCCI), a partnership of Ascension and Narayana Health of India to provide care for underserved populations in the Caribbean. He will continue to serve in his consultative role to HCCI.
Ascension Wisconsin is engaged in several key physician strategies where Caponi will offer a great deal of leadership and guidance, according to Patricia Maryland, Dr.PH, President, Healthcare Operations and Chief Operating Officer, Ascension Health. In addition, the Boards of Ministry Health Care, Columbia St. Mary's and Integrated Health Network – the statewide accountable care organization in which they participate – will benefit from Caponi's visionary leadership, deep experience and extensive knowledge, she said.
Earlier in his career, Caponi served in executive leadership roles at two Ascension hospitals – St. Vincent's Birmingham in Alabama, and St. Joseph Hospital in Augusta, Georgia – as well as hospitals in Michigan.
Under Caponi's leadership, St. Vincent grew from an Indianapolis campus with a tertiary hospital to a statewide network with hospitals serving many rural areas. His legacy includes developing a high-quality healthcare system, building on local resources and empowering local capabilities to deliver high-quality, affordable healthcare throughout Central Indiana. St. Vincent became one of the state's largest healthcare employers, and Caponi led efforts to develop innovative healthcare solutions for employers and commercial markets across the state.
"This experience will be invaluable to the Wisconsin Ministry Market as we prepare to welcome the Southeast Wisconsin health ministries of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare to Ascension," Maryland said. In October Ascension signed a letter of intent with the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters for the transfer of all Southeast Wisconsin operations and related corporate services of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare to Ascension Wisconsin.
"Most importantly, Vince has distinguished himself as a virtuous servant leader," she said. "His strong faith and his alignment with, and support of, the principles of human dignity and the common good translate to a leadership style that promotes an authentic community of work."
"I'm looking forward to working with the strong leadership and committed physicians of Columbia St. Mary's, Ministry Health Care and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare to build a more robust statewide presence, leading to increased healthcare access, even higher quality, and a focus on keeping healthcare affordable for the individuals we serve in communities across Wisconsin," Caponi said.
Upon the expected closing of the transaction with Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare in the first quarter of 2016, Ascension Wisconsin will comprise 27 hospitals, more than 24,000 associates including 1,000 medical group physicians, 150 clinics, and $3.5 billion in annual operating revenues.
