MemorialCare appoints Gary Purushotham CEO, names Sapna Mehta, D.O., chief medical officer at Long Beach Medical Center

Gary Purushotham has been appointed chief executive officer and Sapna Mehta, D.O., has been named chief medical officer at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center, where they will lead in a dyad leadership model. Purushotham most recently served as CEO of Detroit Medical Center Sinai-Grace Hospital for nearly four years. Dr. Mehta has served as a hospitalist at Long Beach Medical Center for more than seven years.

"One of the primary reasons I wanted to come to Long Beach Medical Center is its unique position-delivering academic-level care and nationally recognized expertise with the personal feel of a community hospital, grounded in a century-long legacy," said Purushotham. "As health care continues to evolve, I'm excited to build on that legacy by strengthening access, quality and innovation so we can serve this community for the next 100 years and further establish Long Beach Medical Center as a regional leader in care."

Purushotham's first-year priorities include realigning with physician partners-both independent community physicians and MemorialCare's employed providers-and establishing a cadence of operational discipline and cost transformation initiatives to improve access to care and surgical throughput. He will also focus on advancing Long Beach Medical Center's journey as a high-reliability organization to strengthen patient safety and quality.

"The dyad leadership model helps ensure close alignment as we move these priorities forward," said Purushotham. "Partnering with Dr. Mehta is critical. As a practicing physician at Long Beach Medical Center, she knows our physicians, understands our culture and is deeply connected to the Long Beach community. That perspective will help us strengthen quality and patient safety, advance our Institutes and support sustainable growth. I'm proud to have her as my partner."

Despite stepping into an administrative role, Dr. Mehta will continue to practice as a hospitalist with a scaled-back schedule.

"Continuing to care for patients is central to who I am, and it keeps me closely connected to the realities our teams face every day," said Dr. Mehta. "By continuing to practice, even with a reduced schedule, I can remain grounded in the bedside experience, strengthen collaboration with nurses, case managers and physicians, and bring that perspective into leadership decisions as we work to improve care and thoughtfully implement change."

As she expands her role, Dr. Mehta aims to broaden her impact as a physician leader. In her first year as chief medical officer, Dr. Mehta will focus on improving patient experience and care delivery from the emergency department through discharge, reducing redundancies while better supporting patients and their families. She will also continue advancing Long Beach Medical Center's high-reliability organization efforts and elevating awareness of the talent across the medical staff and the expertise within the medical center's Institutes.

Before joining Long Beach Medical Center as a hospitalist, Dr. Mehta worked at Cedars-Sinai.

"I'm honored and humbled to step into the chief medical officer role, and I intend to lead with transparency and authenticity," said Dr. Mehta. "I love the Long Beach community, and I have deep trust in the physicians and clinicians I work alongside every day. This is a community that shows up for one another, and we will continue to show up for our patients and families with compassion, excellence and consistency."