Neil Meltzer,
President and Chief Executive Officer Designate
Neil Meltzer began his relationship with Sinai Hospital in 1988 as vice president of Operations and has ascended the ranks ever
since. In 1992, he became senior vice president for Operations before moving up to senior vice president and chief operating officer of the 720 million-dollar, 494-bed community teaching hospital just four years later. He assumed the titles of president and COO of Sinai and senior vice president of LifeBridge Health in 1998. LifeBridge Health is the parent company for Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital, Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Hospital and LifeBridge Health and Fitness, as well as a number of other smaller subsidiaries. He will become the president and chief executive officer for LifeBridge Health in July 2013.
He has already made the company even more than a place to receive top-notch health care. The Baltimore Business Journal recognized LifeBridge Health as a Best Place to Work in the Greater Baltimore area for three consecutive years, and LifeBridge Health was subsequently added to the Fortune 100 list of Best Places to Work. Meltzer worked to create the office of Medical Education, which supports residency training initiatives, continuing education and faculty development. He has prioritized research and a patient-centered philosophy of care. In 2008, Sinai Hospital was awarded Magnet status, which is the highest distinction bestowed to an organization for its nursing culture.
During Meltzer’s tenure, LifeBridge Health has developed the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, a world class orthopedic institute that boasts internationally-renowned surgeons and state-of-the-art orthopedic operating rooms. He collaborated with physician leaders to cultivate the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain and Spine Institute, a multispecialty center of excellence. The institute was honored by US News and World Reports and has achieved the American Heart Association’s Sustained Gold Plus Recognition (Sinai) and Silver Status (Northwest Hospital). He also cultivated the Krieger Eye Institute (KEI), which provides a full range of ophthalmic consultation. KEI is at the forefront of ocular disease and research, hosting an array of highly-trained ophthalmologists who excel in their particular subspecialties. In March 2012, the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai welcomed youngsters and their families to an expanded facility with 26 private patient rooms.
Meltzer has made LifeBridge Health a beacon of the Baltimore community and beyond, and he remains engaged with the city and the state of Maryland. He is on the Greater Baltimore President’s Advisory Committee, the Baltimore City Workforce Investment Board and serves on the board of the Maryland Hospital Association. Meltzer chairs the MHA Legislative and Regulatory Policy Committee. He also makes time to sit on the President’s Advisory Council for the Notre Dame of Maryland University. The governor of Maryland has acknowledged Meltzer’s contributions by appointing him as the chairman of the state’s Workforce Investment Board Health Care Committee.
Meltzer has also been spotlighted on the national stage as national chairman of the American Heart Association
(AHA) from 2009-2010. His work took him to AHA affiliates all around the country. He rallied supporters at Start! Heart Walks, galas and Go Red and Power to End Stroke events. He devoted his time and energy to the association’s Scientific Sessions, where some of the brightest minds in heart health came together to defeat heart disease. He also teamed with former President Bill Clinton to celebrate schools that champion healthy lifestyles.
A leading advocate for consumers throughout the health care reform debate, Meltzer was appointed by the president of the United States as a member of the National Health Care Workforce Commission. This 15-member panel was established under the new health care law to ensure that our health care workforce is well prepared to meet the current and future needs of all Americans. Commission members are valuable resources for the president of the United States, the U.S. Congress and state officials.
In a letter to the AHA staff (co-authored by Dr. Clyde Yancy, M.D., the outgoing president of the AHA), Meltzer wrote: “If what makes a job worthwhile is the way you feel when you consider the true impact of your day’s work, then each of you should be fulfilled. You do good work and you make a difference.” Doing good work and making a difference are clearly Neil Meltzer’s guiding principles as he brings innovation and integrity to health care.
Download the PDF here.