Stephen L. Ummel, chairman and co-chief executive of Advocate Health Care, announced Tuesday he was taking a job with the professional-services firm of Ernst & Young.
“It’s been kind of a dream of mine to someday play a more national role,” and this new position will provide “a platform to work with communities, (health-care) providers and insurers to help improve local health-care systems,” said Ummel, 54.
The move comes 16 months after Advocate was created by the merger of EHS Health Care and Lutheran General HealthSystem. Advocate, based in Oak Brook, has 180 care sites, including eight hospitals, and more than 3,500 physicians throughout the metropolitan area.
A spokeswoman for Advocate said the board of directors will meet March 20 to select a replacement for Ummel, who was previously president and CEO of Lutheran General HealthSystem. The spokeswoman said Ummel’s posi-
tion of co-chief executive will not be filled. But officials declined to speculate as to Ummel’s replacement.
Richard R. Risk, currently president and co-CEO of Advocate, will be the sole CEO.
Risk was previously chief executive of EHS Health Care.
Ummel, who officially moves to the Chicago offices of Ernst & Young in early April, declined to comment on his possible replacement.
At Ernst & Young, Ummel, of Lake Forest, will serve as national adviser for integrated delivery systems in the firm’s health-care consulting group.
