HJBR Mar/Apr 2022

Warner Thomas was named president and CEO of Ochsner Health in 2012 after previously serving as president and chief operating officer from 1998-2012. Today, as Louisiana’s largest nonprofit academic health system, Ochsner employs 25,000 employees to coordinate and provide clinical and hospital patient care across the Gulf South region through its 40 owned, managed, and affiliated hospitals and specialty hospitals and more than 100 health centers and urgent care centers, providing its services to patients from all 50 states and more than 70 countries. Ochsner is the only Louisiana hospital recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Hospital” across two adult specialty categories and two pediatric specialties. Thomas has been instrumental in developing a population health focus at Ochsner to effectively manage chronic conditions while also maintaining focus on preventive measures, screenings, and education to help people stay well and avoid preventable disease. He alsoworked to launch innovationOchsner in2015, designed to create health advancements to address national issues, including chronic disease management, as well as to support and partner with companies working to revolutionize patient- centered care. Internally, Thomas spearheaded the creation of the Ochsner Learning Institute, which provides free professional education for all Ochsner leaders. Thomas was appointed to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission in 2014 where he continues to advise Congress on issues affecting Medicare. Additionally, Thomas is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a Louisiana Hospital Association board member and a member of both the Young Presidents Organization and New Orleans Business Council. After receiving an undergraduate degree in accounting and computer information systems from New Hampshire College in Manchester, Thomas earned a Master of Business Administration in 1994 from Boston University Graduate School of Management. He is also a certified public accountant. Thomas is a recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award, the Anti-Defamation League 2018 A.I. Botnick Torch of Liberty Award, and was named the 2017 CEO of the Year by Biz New Orleans magazine, one of Glassdoor Top CEOs in 2018, and one of Ernst &Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year in the Healthcare & Related Services category for the Gulf Coast area in 2019. ONE on ONE WARNER THOMAS PRESIDENT AND CEO, OCHSNER HEALTH HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE I  MAR / APR 2022 9