MetroHealth System’s board of trustees today named Dr. Christine Alexander-Rager as it acting president and CEO while Airica Steed — the current President and CEO — is on medical leave.
“We have every confidence Dr. Alexander-Rager will ensure operations continue to run smoothly and our more than 9,000 caregivers have the support they need to fulfill our mission,” board chair Dr. E. Harry Walker said in a statement. “She is a veteran of MetroHealth who cares deeply about this institution, our patients and our community.”
Alexander-Rager has been at the hospital for nearly three decades and most recently served as interim chief physician executive and clinical officer. She previously was chair of family medicine for 14 years.
The board of trustees did not say in its statement when it expects Steed to return.
Steed became CEO of the hospital in December 2022, after the board of trustees ousted its former CEO, Dr. Akram Boutros, just before his planned retirement.
Steed’s leave comes at a critical time for the health system, which is facing a decline in revenues and rising costs.
This past March, the board of trustees agreed that the hospital met performance goals for 2023 and, therefore, Steed and other executives were eligible for a performance-based bonus. Steed received a roughly $381,000 bonus on top of her $900,000 base salary.
A summary of her performance review, completed in March 2024 and which you can read below, states Steed met or exceeded expectations in categories of “mission strategy, quality safety and experience, financial management and community and external relations.”
The review said Steed only partially met expectations related to collaboration and building relationships with physicians.
Steed performed below expectations when it came to “effective leadership of management team” and “relationship with the board and chair,” according to the review.
The review recommended that, among other actions, Steed “increase her visibility on campus” and “stabilize leadership team during the second year.”
The board also “strongly” recommended that she work with an executive-level coach.
Signal Cleveland has requested the full performance review on which the summary is based and is awaiting that report and its supporting documentation.