Amir Rubin to step down from SHC at year's end

Stanford Health Care announced Sept. 24 that Amir Dan Rubin, president and chief executive officer, will leave at the end of this year to join UnitedHealth Group and its Optum organization as executive vice president.

Rubin became the president and CEO of Stanford Health Care in January 2011. During his tenure, the organization has achieved many important milestones. This year, U.S. News & World Report ranked Stanford Health Care the No. 1 hospital in California and in its Best Hospitals Honor Roll Top 15 in the nation. National Research Corporation also ranks Stanford Health Care as the most preferred hospital in its region, and it has achieved the best patient-experience rankings in the Bay Area, according to Medicare.

“Since my arrival, Amir Rubin has been a partner with me and Chris Dawes [president and CEO of Stanford Children's Health] in building Stanford Medicine’s excellence in clinical care,” said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine. “Amir’s leadership has had a fundamental impact and helped build the widespread recognition that Stanford Medicine provides life-changing outcomes for our patients. I want to personally thank Amir for the substantial and transformational role he has played in making Stanford Medicine a world-class academic medical center, and for advancing our vision of leading the biomedical revolution in precision health.” 

The new, state-of-the-art Stanford Hospital is under construction and scheduled to be completed in 2018. Additionally, Stanford Health Care has expanded its reach into the surrounding communities by affiliating with ValleyCare hospitals in the East Bay, opening the new Stanford Cancer Center South Bay in San Jose, and continuing to grow its outpatient network of care throughout the Bay Area.

Stanford Health Care continues to innovate in the provision of virtual care, including providing video visits and an innovative patient portal. Moreover, it has developed employer on-site clinics and new accountable care and health benefits offerings to support the provision of high-value care.

Through the support of generous donors, Stanford Health Care has expanded access to its level-1 trauma center and Emergency Department, supported its affiliated research and teaching programs, and advanced construction of the new Stanford Hospital.

It has been the privilege of a lifetime to work with such spectacular people dedicated to healing humanity, through science and compassion, one patient at a time.

In announcing his decision, Rubin said, “I wish to share my heartfelt appreciation for the honor of having served Stanford Health Care as president and CEO. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to work with such spectacular people dedicated to healing humanity, through science and compassion, one patient at a time. Words cannot express how incredible it has been to engage with colleagues and supporters who these past years have received Nobel Prizes, achieved nursing Magnet status and won numerous accolades.”

“Stanford Health Care, with the contributions of the Stanford School of Medicine, has raised the bar for innovative, patient-centered care not only in California, but the nation,” said John Levin, chair of Stanford Health Care’s board of directors. “We are greatly appreciative of Amir’s five years of energetic and passionate commitment to Stanford Medicine.”

“Amir's greatest contribution was the creation of a culture at Stanford Health Care that put the patient first,” said Dawes. “The impact of this cultural shift has been dramatic. Amir has also been a very effective partner along with the dean, Lloyd Minor, in guiding the development of the Stanford network of care, which now includes over 250 community-based providers in communities throughout the Bay Area.”

Rubin will be joining the nation’s leading benefits and health services organization, UnitedHealth Group and its Optum organization, as executive vice president. “In my new role, I look forward to helping improve health and make the broader health-care system work better for everyone in this nation and around the world,” said Rubin.

The board of directors announced that it has appointed a transition committee to begin the search for a new leader and to work with the management team at Stanford Health Care to support a seamless transition.