National Business Magazine Honors Catholic Health Initiatives’ Kevin Lofton

Kevin Lofton, the president and chief executive officer of Denver-based Catholic Health Initiatives, has been named one of the “Top 25 Minority Executives in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare magazine. Lofton has appeared on all three of the biennial listings of top minority executives since the weekly business publication began the exclusive roster in 2006.

The selection of the “Top 25,” culled from a total of 177 nominations, was based on criteria such as a leader’s ability to “power or effect” change in the health care industry, to serve as a role model and to provide leadership outside of the individual’s own organization or company. Lofton also has appeared five times on Modern Healthcare’s annual list of “The 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare,” including 2009, when he ranked No. 68.

Widely recognized as a national leader in health care, Lofton has served since August 2003 as the top executive of Catholic Health Initiatives, the second-largest nonprofit health care system in the nation, with 72 hospitals in 18 states. In 2007, he served as chairman of the American Hospital Association’s board of trustees, and has won many honors during a lengthy career as a health care executive.

About Catholic Health Initiatives: CHI is a national nonprofit health organization with headquarters in Denver. The faith-based system operates in 18 states and includes 72 hospitals; 40 long-term care, assisted- and residential-living facilities; and two community health-services organizations. Together, those facilities provided $553 million during the 2009 fiscal year in charity care and community benefit, including services for the poor, free clinics, education and research. With annual revenues of $8.6 billion, CHI ranks as the nation’s second-largest Catholic health care system.