A Message from the Dean: Leadership Transition for UT Health Physicians on the retirement of Dr. Rosende

Carlos A. Rosende, MD, FACS, former executive vice dean for clinical affairs and executive director of UT Health Physicians, retired on January 31, 2022.

Carlos A. Rosende, M.D.
Carlos A. Rosende, MD, FACS

Dr. Rosende has had a long and distinguished career with UT Health San Antonio. He joined the Department of Ophthalmology in 1999, serving as director of the Texas Diabetes Institute Ophthalmology Clinic and director of the Residency Program before being appointed chair in April 2006. In November 2010, Dr. Rosende was tapped to lead our multispecialty medical practice, UT Health Physicians. He directed the expansion of our clinical practice successfully navigating many operational and financial hurdles to establish over 20 care locations across San Antonio. During his tenure, practice plan revenues more than doubled from $235M to $512M and the MSRDP Fund Balance increased from $63M to $162M. He successfully negotiated new contracts with our county hospital partner, University Health, nearly doubling contract revenue from $60M in FY11 to $117M in FY18. The practice employed 690 physicians and 715 staff when he took the helm in 2011. Today, the practice employs over 900 physicians and 1,200 staff.

Ever the clinician, Dr. Rosende stressed the importance of focusing on our mission of taking care of patients and placing patients first in all that we do. He championed the practice’s efforts in creating patient centered medical care and was instrumental in the establishment our Primary Care Center at the Medical Arts and Research Center and seven satellite primary care center locations across San Antonio. He guided the practice’s value based care and population health initiatives from Meaningful Use to the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program, which has brought in $58.9M to the institution. Dr. Rosende played a major role in establishing an Accountable Care Organization, the UT Health San Antonio Regional Physicians Network, to help the practice prepare as health care reimbursements transition away from the fee-for-service model. These efforts helped grow patient visits from 1M to over 2M annually during his tenure. We will miss him and his steady leadership. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Rosende on his retirement.

Robert R. Leverence, MD, FACP, interim vice dean for clinical affairs and executive director of UT Health Physicians.

As of Feb. 1, Robert R. Leverence, MD, FACP, now serves as the interim vice dean for clinical affairs and executive director of UT Health Physicians. Dr. Leverence joined UT Health in 2018 as UT Health Physicians’ chief medical officer, where he has provided leadership for the practice’s ambulatory clinical operations ensuring coordinated delivery of patient centered medical care. His unwavering leadership these past two years has helped the practice and the institution survive and thrive during COVID. From safety and treatment protocols to town hall meetings and vaccine clinics, Dr. Leverence has guided our institution helping to keep our patients and employees safe during the on-going pandemic.

Prior to joining UT Health San Antonio, Dr. Leverence was the chief medical officer for the University of Florida College of Medicine. Before taking the CMO position, he served as the vice chair for Clinical Operations in the Department of Medicine at the University of Florida where he supervised all clinical operations for the department. He helped found the divisions of Hospital Medicine and Palliative Care, as well as the Allergy Clinic, Integrative Medicine Program, and the Global Health Program and Fellowship. During his tenure, the department’s faculty grew by over 200 members and clinic visits increased from 88,000 to nearly 200,000 annually.

Please, join us in welcoming Dr. Leverence as he assumes his new role and in thanking Dr. Rosende for his contributions to the practice and institution.

 

Sincerely,

Robert Hromas, MD

Dean, Long School of Medicine



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