Kehrberg Named SVP, Supply Chain for Catholic Health Initiatives

Steven Kehrberg has been named senior vice president, supply chain for Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives, the nation’s third-largest faith-based health care system.

Kehrberg, who has more than 36 years of experience in clinical engineering and support services in the medical industry, has served for the last 10 months in an interim capacity as CHI’s top supply chain executive.

The appointment of Kehrberg, 58, who formerly served as CHI’s vice president of clinical engineering, takes effect immediately.

Kehrberg, who began his clinical engineering career in the U.S. Army, will oversee an expanded national program at CHI that includes 73 hospitals and other facilities in 19 states and an annual budget of approximately $2 billion. The system’s highly integrated supply chain and clinical engineering programs include more than 410 employees across the nation.

After completing his military service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Kehrberg launched the biomedical program at St. Joseph Medical Center, Tacoma, Wash., the flagship hospital of the Franciscan Health System. He developed a shared-services delivery model that supported FHS facilities across Washington and Oregon, and later expanded his scope throughout the entire western region of the U.S. when FHS joined CHI in 1997.

As interim supply chain chief, Kehrberg oversaw the successful conversion of Louisville, Ky.-based Jewish Hospital and St. Mary’s HealthCare, a joint venture with CHI, into the system’s integrated supply chain program. He also has led a multi-million dollar expense-reduction effort across the system.

In addition to traditional supply chain and clinical engineering operations, Kehrberg will oversee the organization’s technology, capital procurement and facility management. He serves on several advisory boards, including the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, and is a member of professional associations that include the American Society of Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

Kehrberg trained at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Denver and received a Biomedical Engineering and Healthcare Management degree from Regis College in Denver.

About Catholic Health Initiatives: CHI is a national nonprofit health organization with headquarters in Denver. The faith-based system operates in 19 states and includes 73 hospitals; 40 long-term care, assisted- and residential-living facilities; two community health-services organizations; and home health agencies. In fiscal year 2010, CHI provided almost $590 million in charity care and community benefit, including services for the poor, free clinics, education and research. With annual revenues of approximately $9 billion, CHI is the nation's third-largest Catholic health care system.