Mission Health Announces Appointment to Oversee Compliance

Mission Health is pleased to announce the appointment of Gwen McKinney to the position of Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer.  She had been serving as Vice President and Interim Chief Compliance Officer. 

In her new role, McKinney will oversee the Corporate Compliance Program for all of Mission Health.  She will have leadership responsibility for Audit and Compliance Services and Privacy.  In addition, she will facilitate the system-wide Enterprise Risk Management program and oversee compliance with Mission’s Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA).

“Gwen’s journey is one of so many wonderful Mission Health stories.  She is a native of Asheville and began her healthcare career at Mission as a medical laboratory technologist in 1983.  Through hard work, education and a demonstrated track record of success she has now assumed a very large and critical role within our system,” said Ronald A. Paulus, MD, President and CEO, Mission Health. “Gwen has done an outstanding job as Interim Chief Compliance Officer since February, 2015 and she has the experience, demonstrated competence and passion to do very well in her new role.”

McKinney began her career at Mission in 1983 as a board certified Medical Laboratory Technologist.  She has held multiple positions within Mission including positions in Health Information Management and Finance before joining Audit and Compliance Services in 2000.  McKinney had been serving as Interim Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer since February 2015.  Prior to being named to the interim position, she served as the Executive Director of Audit and Compliance Services since 2011.

A native of Asheville, McKinney graduated Cum Laude from Montreat College with a degree in Business Administration and received her MBA from Western Carolina University. She is certified in Healthcare Compliance through the Healthcare Compliance Association.  She serves on the board of Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry and is the board treasurer.  She and her husband, Greg, have two grown daughters. 

About Mission Health

Mission Health, based in Asheville, North Carolina, is the state’s sixth-largest health system and the region’s only not-for-profit, independent community hospital system governed and managed exclusively in western North Carolina. Mission Health has been recognized as one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems 2012-2015 by Truven Health Analytics, formerly Thomson Reuters. Mission Health is the only health system in the nation to receive this recognition four years in a row, and the only health system in North Carolina to achieve Top 15 recognition. 

Mission Health, which traces its roots in the region back to 1885, operates six hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, post-acute care provider CarePartners, long-term acute care provider Asheville Specialty Hospital and the region’s only dedicated Level II trauma center. Its medical staff consists of more than 1,000 physicians and is certified in more than 50 medical specialties and sub-specialties. Mission Health has seven Centers of Excellence: Cancer, Heart, Mission Children’s Hospital, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Trauma and Women’s Health. Mission Hospital, located in Asheville, is the system’s flagship hospital and is licensed for 763 beds. It is the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care. It also includes Mission Children’s Hospital – the region’s only children’s hospital. Other Mission Health member hospitals include Angel Medical Center in Franklin, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital in Highlands, McDowell Hospital in Marion and Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard. With approximately 10,700 employees and 2,000 volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina. For more information, please visit mission-health.org or @MissionHealthNC.