HFMA president and CEO to retire in 2023
President and CEO of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA, will retire from his role June 1, 2023.
Fifer has served as president and CEO of the association since June 2012. He has more than 30 years of executive leadership experience prior to HFMA, including 12 years at Spectrum Health, now known as BHSH Health. During his time at the helm of HFMA, the association’s membership has jumped from 37,000 to more than 89,000––an increase of 140%. Fifer led the development of an organizational membership model that extends educational and other benefits to finance teams in a wide range of healthcare organizations, and he also oversaw the introduction of an international membership.
HFMA represents healthcare finance leaders, working with stakeholders to identify gaps in the healthcare delivery systems and bridge them through sharing of best practices and knowledge.
During his tenure, Fifer’s team has developed more resources for finance leaders across healthcare and around the patient financial experience, collaborating with industry groups with the goals of delivering high-value healthcare, improving health equity and passing savings onto care purchasers. Fifer is credited as the key architect of HFMA’s best practices for the industry for improving price transparency, patient financial communications and medical account resolution.
“Joe has a gift for change leadership and a passion for improving experiences, both for healthcare consumers and for HFMA members,” said HFMA 2022-23 Board Chair Aaron R, Crane, FHFMA, CPA. “Both HFMA and the healthcare field will benefit from the strategic initiatives he has implemented and those he has set in motion for years to come. The entire HFMA Board has asked me to convey their appreciation to Joe for combining his visionary leadership with a steady hand on the helm.”
HFMA said in July it will begin a search for a successor, and a search committee of volunteer leaders with diverse HFMA and industry experience has formed that will identify and assess potential candidates.
The news of Fifer’s retirement came just weeks after HFMA named Aaron R. Crane as chair of the board of directors for the 2022-23 term. His term began on June 1, 2022. Crane most recently served as executive vice president of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. He also previously served as CEO of Propel Health, an ACO of eight healthcare organizations in Oregon.
In addition, HFMA added three newly elected members to the boar for a three-year term ending in 2025, including:
- Carladenise Armbrister Edwards, PhD, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, Henry Ford Health System
- David W. Johnson, CEO, 4sight Health
- Marcus Whitney, founder and managing partner, Jumpstart Nova
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."