Joan Coffman was selected to head St. Tammany Health System in 2018 when its board of commissioners conducted a national search to replace their president of 18 years.
COVINGTON, LA, March 04, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- An established leader in health innovation, Joan M. Coffman FACHE, has been inducted into the Marquis Who's Who, an American publisher of biographical volumes used for research, corporate measures of success and university catalogues dating back to its founding in 1899.
Ms. Coffman is president and CEO of St. Tammany Health System, a nonprofit community health system located across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, LA. This health system has earned distinction under her leadership as a Top 100 Hospital for Spine Surgery by Healthgrades, a High Performing Hospital for COPD and Heart Failure by U.S. News & World Report, and a Top 10% Hospital for Overall Hospital, Medical and Surgical Excellence by CareChex.
Supported by a demonstrated track record improving quality, safety and patient experience, Ms. Coffman was selected to head St. Tammany Health System in 2018 when its board of commissioners conducted a national search to replace their president of 18 years.
Ms. Coffman came to the opportunity with a wealth of experience, as well as passion for improving overall health and quality of life in her community while providing exceptional healthcare value in the hospitals she has led.
A native of New Orleans, Ms. Coffman originally began her healthcare career in 1982 as a radiologic technologist at STHS, then called St. Tammany Parish Hospital. Immediately prior to her return to STHS as president, Ms. Coffman served as president and CEO of HSHS St. Mary's Hospital, part of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS). HSHS is a multi-institutional healthcare system that cares for patients in 14 communities in Illinois and Wisconsin. She previously served as president and CEO of HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital in Chippewa Falls, WI, joining the organization in 2008.
Achieving her first executive position in 2000, Ms. Coffman was chief executive officer of the Louisiana Clinic. In 2003 she became the director of outpatient services for the Tenet Healthcare Corporation, and in 2004 was promoted to become the assistant administrator of St. Charles General Hospital and Lindy Boggs Medical Center, until it closed due to flood damage sustained in Hurricane Katrina. From 2006 to 2008, Ms. Coffman found success as the chief administrative officer of the East Tennessee Heart and Medical Group.
Ms. Coffman earned an ARRT from Ochsner School of Applied Health and a Bachelor of Science in health arts from the University of Saint Francis in Joliet, Illinois. She earned a Master's in Business Administration from the University of New Orleans and is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE).
Well respected and appreciated for her healthcare advocacy, philanthropic endeavors and giving nature, Ms. Coffman has been the recipient of numerous awards, most recently being presented with the 2017 Grassroots Champion Award from the American Hospital Association. In 2015 she received the ACHE-Wisconsin Regent Senior Healthcare Executive Award, as well as the Healogics Center of Excellence Award for the Wound Center's Outstanding Patient Outcomes. The year 2014 brought Ms. Coffman the "Best of the Best" Administrative Award from the Partners of Wisconsin Hospital Association and the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for Quality. A fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives since 2013, Ms. Coffman has additionally won a Wisconsin Forward Award—based on the Baldridge criteria.
Ms. Coffman attributes the great success of her career to her parents - her mother was a nurse and her father's entrepreneurial spirit steered her down her current career path. While coming of age, she visited the practice where her mother worked and became very intrigued by physicians, clinicians and the support staff working together to help patients and creating a very healthy community. Ms. Coffman feels fortunate to have such a culmination of gifts and talents shared by both of her parents.
Presently, Ms. Coffman chairs the Joint Operating Committee overseeing the partnership of STHS and Ochsner Health. She is also a member of the St. Tammany Toxicology Laboratory Services Board of Managers and Northshore Rehabilitation Hospital Board. She chairs the AHA Governance & Nominating Committee for small and rural hospitals and sits on boards for the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce, Vizient Southern States, Ochsner Health Network and Safe Haven. In the past she has served on the boards of the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce, Chippewa Falls Chamber of Commerce, Chippewa Valley Technical College Foundation Board and Chippewa Falls Family Support Center. Ms. Coffman is also a member of the Metropolitan Hospital Council of New Orleans, Northshore Business Council, Northshore Healthcare Alliance and Louisiana Hospital Association.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #