CommUnityCare, a chain of clinics that serve low-income Austinites, has a new CEO after a monthslong leadership conflict with its public partner, Central Health.
With the hiring announcement, the two organizations signaled they had come to a common understanding of their complex working partnership, which some 134,000 patients in the Austin area rely on for affordable medical care.
Dr. Nicholas Yagoda served as CommUnityCare’s interim CEO for several months before accepting the permanent position at the unanimous recommendation of the CUC board of directors. He previously served as chief medical officer for the organization. He will also hold a position with Central Health as its first executive vice president of ambulatory services — a role intended to help with streamlining operations across Central Health’s various outpatient clinical offerings and partnerships.
“My dual role enforces collaboration, eliminates silos and helps us deliver seamless ambulatory care under a unified vision,” Yagoda said.
CommUnityCare clinics work with Travis County’s public hospital district Central Health to receive "federally public health center" status. That translates to better Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement rates and better deals on prescription drugs, allowing CUC clinics to serve patients who struggle to pay for health care.
But the legal agreement between the two organizations is complicated. CommUnityCare was formed to take over operations of clinics that were once run by Austin and Travis County. Although it is an independent organization, CUC receives funding from Central Health, and Central Health’s human resources department serves both organizations.
They butted heads last fall when Dr. Pat Lee, the CEO of Central Health, fired Jaeson Fournier, the former CEO of CommUnityCare. The CommUnityCare board said this wasn’t allowed under the organizations’ legal cooperative agreement, that only the CUC board had the right to fire Fournier.
Leaders from the two organizations had public disagreements over how the organizations’ shared public health center model should operate. If the conflict had persisted, the organizations risked possibly falling out of compliance with the federal rules that govern public health centers.
On Friday, Yagoda and the chairs of both the Central Health and CUC boards emphasized that, after months of collaborative meetings to discuss their relationship, they were ready to move forward as partners with a shared mission of building a stronger health safety net for Travis County residents.
“Dr. Yagoda is exactly the leader we need at exactly the right moment,” said Ann Kitchen, the chair of Central Health’s board of managers. “His expertise, his vision and his collaborative approach make him uniquely positioned to drive this transformation forward.”
Lee was not present for the announcement; Kitchen said he was out of town on business, but that he shared the Central Health board’s approval of Yagoda’s hiring.
Kitchen also said the Central Health board had “re-affirmed” the CommUnityCare board’s role as the body responsible for hiring and firing the CommUnityCare CEO.
“We have clear governance,” Yagoda said Friday. “CommUnityCare remains governed by an independent board. Central Health provides funding and systems stewardship. Together, we provide care. We've moved from conflict to collaboration. Past tensions have given way to honest dialogue.”
Guy Swenson, the chair of CommUnityCare’s board, also spoke positively of the progress the two organizations had made.
“Out of this has come a very strong relationship between Ann and myself,” Swenson said. “We are working on creating a liaison team between the two boards, and looking at this as an opportunity to strengthen that relationship.”
Against the backdrop of Yagoda’s promotion, litigation related to Fournier’s firing is still ongoing.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed Yagoda's title at Central Health as executive director of ambulatory services. He is vice president of ambulatory services.
