Press Releases: Southern California
July 13, 2009
Kaiser Permanente Names New Senior Vice President and Executive Director for San Diego
Mary Ann Barnes Appointed to Lead Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals in San Diego County
SAN DIEGO – Mary Ann Barnes has been named as the new senior vice president and executive director for Kaiser Permanente Health Plan and Hospitals in San Diego County, including Kaiser Permanente's 392-bed hospital, 20 outpatient medical facilities, and more than 7,800 employees and physicians. Kaiser Permanente in San Diego cares for nearly 500,000 members – about one in every six people who reside in San Diego County.
Barnes joins Area Medical Director Paul E. Bernstein, MD, and Medical Group Administrator, James G. Malone, as a member of Kaiser Permanente's executive leadership team, to ensure continued access to convenient, quality, and affordable health care throughout the county.
With an innovative leadership style, Barnes is focused on integration, collaboration and mutual accountability. Her emphasis on improving care and access are well-suited for the San Diego health care market. Barnes brings more than 35 years of medical and leadership expertise to her new role.
In 1974, Barnes joined Kaiser Permanente as a staff nurse in San Diego and has held positions of progressive responsibility within Kaiser Permanente's Southern and Northern California regions since that time. In her most recent position as senior vice president and area manager of Kaiser Permanente's Santa Clara Service Area, Barnes led health plan and hospital operations for Santa Clara, including the opening of the new Santa Clara Medical Center in August 2007. From 2000 to 2006, she served as the medical group administrator for the Los Angeles Medical Center and associated medical offices in East Los Angeles, Glendale and Pasadena, serving more than 260,000 members. Prior to that, Barnes served as medical group administrator for the West Los Angeles Medical Center, where she oversaw an annual operating budget of $124 million as well as 1,200 employees and 210 physicians.
Barnes earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Arizona State University, and her Master of Science in Nursing from San Diego State University. She also attended Harvard Business School's Executive Leadership Program, and Stanford University, Executive Business Program. She most recently served on the Board of Directors of the Mission City Fund Board, JW House and as a member of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
Barnes succeeds Nathaniel L. Oubré, Jr., San Diego's senior vice president and executive director for the past seven years. Oubré recently accepted the position of senior vice president and area manager for the East Bay Area in Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Region.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente is composed of the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, the nonprofit Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, and the for-profit Permanente Medial Groups. A group practice prepayment program headquartered in Oakland, Calif., Kaiser Permanente began serving San Diego in 1967, and currently provides care for nearly 500,000 members throughout the county. More than 7,000 staff and 830 physicians care for our members at 20 medical facilities and at Kaiser Permanente's San Diego Medical Center. The medical center has 392 licensed beds and a 56-bed emergency department. To learn more, visit kp.org.
