Formerly of Wellstar and Sutter Health, Owen Plietz brings decades of health system experience to Kaiser Permanente.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Kaiser Permanente has announced that Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE, is the new regional president for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. In this role, Owen Plietz will lead the health plan and hospitals management team, partnering closely with The Permanente Medical Group as well as Kaiser Permanente’s labor partners. As the area’s largest nonprofit health plan, Kaiser Permanente provides care for more than 4.5 million members through its 21 hospitals and 257 medical offices in Northern California. She will also have responsibility for initiatives that address the social health needs of Kaiser Permanente members and communities, including grants and strategic investments that strengthen resources for housing, food, and economic opportunity.
Owen Plietz joins Kaiser Permanente after nearly 5 years with Wellstar Health System in Atlanta where she served as executive vice president, chief operating officer for the organization’s Hospital Division, which includes 11 hospitals, multiple outpatient centers, nursing homes, and other facilities and services. Owen Plietz previously spent 17 years at Sutter Health, a Northern California regional integrated health care system, serving as both chief operating officer and chief administrative officer of multi-hospital entities, and finally as CEO of Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento. Owen Plietz currently serves as chair-elect for the American College of Healthcare Executives, and chair-elect of the Healthcare Executives Study Society.
“This is an extraordinary time for leaders in health care to step up and address the current challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while simultaneously working to improve the long-term health of patients, members, and communities,” said Greg A. Adams, Kaiser Permanente chairman and CEO. “We are striving every day to do just that, and we are excited to have such an accomplished leader as Carrie join us and help drive this critical work.”
Owen Plietz will report directly to Janet Liang, executive vice president and group president for markets in California for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals.
“Carrie is a dynamic leader with a strong track record of successful leadership and driving excellence through teams and medical group partnerships,” said Liang. “Her deep experience in and across all the many aspects of health system operations, strategy, and leadership, coupled with her proven record of integrating multiple functions and facilities into one enterprise, will be a great asset to our organization.”
“I am very excited about this opportunity to be part of delivering on the mission of Kaiser Permanente, and humbled by the responsibility it entails,” Owen Plietz said. “Kaiser Permanente has a tremendous 75-year record of achievement and making a difference in the lives of all those it serves, and I look forward to being a part of the many more achievements to come.”
For 75 years, Kaiser Permanente has been committed to shaping the future of health and health care — and helping our members, patients, and communities experience more healthy years. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Since July 21, 1945, Kaiser Permanente’s mission has been to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.