PRESS RELEASES

Richard Tanzella Selected as New CEO for East Jefferson General Hospital

(Dec. 28, 2020) HARTZ Search is excited to announce the placement of Richard Tanzella as the new Chief Executive Officer for East Jefferson General Hospital (EJ) in Metairie, LA. After a successful and extensive national search, Richard Tanzella was selected to lead the 50-year old community anchor, a 420-bed and 4-Time Magnet Designated Hospital.

EJ an awarding-winning hospital has been named the #1 Hospital in the state of Louisiana by CareChex, the #2 Ranked Hospital in Metro NOLA by US News & World Report; as well as a compilation of 13 Five Star Ratings by HealthGrades. East Jefferson recently became the 6th hospital to join the LCMC Health family of hospitals in 2020.

Richard Tanzella will start in his new role as Chief Executive Officer on February 1st, 2021 leading over 3,000 staff members and leaders and a $100M capital transformation. Richard brings to EJ more than 25 years of healthcare experience, most recently with Piedmont Healthcare, Inc., a $4B integrated healthcare system in Atlanta, Georgia that includes 11 acute care hospitals with more than 2,500 beds, the Piedmont Heart Institute, Piedmont Transplant Institute, Piedmont Physicians Group, and the Piedmont Clinic.

Since 2017, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Piedmont Rockdale Hospital. During his tenure, he directed the transaction and transition of the first for-profit hospital into the Piedmont Healthcare system. He also led the financial and cultural transformation of Piedmont Rockdale Hospital, focusing on quality, safety, and service with a focus on accountability and team/talent building.

Prior to that, he served from 2009-2017 as Chief Operations Officer of the Piedmont Physician Enterprise, which included more than 2,500 providers, and was Vice President of Cardiovascular Services for Piedmont Hospital. Tanzella holds a bachelor’s degree of Science in Healthcare Administration and a Master of Health Administration, both from Florida Atlantic University.

Richard is a strategic, action oriented senior executive who constantly advances performance through innovation, process improvement and teamwork. He is adept at collaborating with physicians and administration leaders. Richard has a steady, composed demeanor that stays calm when issues get difficult. Richard is an authentic servant leader and manager who provides access to his experience without forcing decisions, and a natural collaborator who gets the right people involved in making key decisions. Overall, Richard is a high-level executive able to connect with everyone from the hourly employee to the board member who understands how to run a profitable business.