Barton Health fires CFO after 7 months
By Kathryn Reed
Steve Neff, chief financial officer of Barton Health, was fired today.
Neff had been on the job since August.
Steve Neff
“He got fired today. I’m not at liberty to give all the reasons behind that,” Kirk Ledbetter, chairman of the board, told Lake Tahoe News. “It was something the leaders at Barton felt was appropriate.” Ledbetter sent a memo Wednesday letting the rest of the board know what was going on.
The CFO reports to the chief executive officer. Only the CEO reports to the board.
CEO John Williams was not available Wednesday afternoon. However, the morning of March 11 he sent an email to staff saying Neff had been terminated.
Mindi Befu, spokeswoman for the South Lake Tahoe-based healthcare organization, told Lake Tahoe News because it’s a personnel issue the reasons for Neff’s firing could not be disclosed, but added that the terms of his contract were followed.
Befu would not say what Neff’s salary was. His predecessor was making about $400,000 a year.
Neff joined Barton after Dick Derby, who had the position for 14 years, retired last summer. Before coming to Tahoe Neff had been a partner with Renaissance Healthcare Partners in Massachusetts for 17 months. He has been in health care for more than 30 years, with 14 of them in leadership positions.
At the time he was hired, Williams in a statement said, “We look forward to his experience and leadership in the coming years.”
Recruiting for another CFO will begin in the next month. Ledbetter expects the board to be updated on matters at the March 26 meeting.
$400,000.00 a year and we are talking about health insurance for directors of STPUD. No wonder our health care cost are so outrageous. maybe our insurance cost would be less if these people made a little bit more reasonable salary.
Fireman, the problem is, people who have put in decades to gain the skills and knowledge of how the system works are hard to find. Its a sellers market and the job isn’t just 8-5. Its not like we can take a recent grad, stick him in the job and train him up, there are lots of laws, and lots of inside knowledge.
Its not like this is socialist Venezuela where the government can come in and put a price ceiling on how much people can make. (look at how that’s worked for them) If you have a way to get someone in to do this job for less, how about you tell us rather than wishing these people who’ve worked decades to get their knowledge and skill would work for less.
The laws of supply and demand apply in the labor market also.
How much was the buyout? This fubar organization tried to screw me 13 years ago until I told them I would see them in court. It is so typical of other large semi-government organizations that wouldn’t know a legitimate fee schedule if it saw one. So many good personnel working in a toxic environment.
I have had all my serious medical treatment since then at the VA in Reno.
Remember Kirk keep everything secret, you wouldn’t want the public informed, would you?
Toxic environment-soooo true.
I guess you really showed them
dang partly gubmint supported health care losers at Barton by now enjoying the socialized medicine at the VA-totally supported by gubmint-
tell them stupid gubmint people to keep their hands off your medicare and medicaid too
Someone correct me if I am wrong. Barton, like the NFL is a not-for-profit organization. The ‘profit’ is instead funneled into $400,000.00 salaries for management.
The non-profit status of all organizations needs to go into the gargage bin. It is just another way of getting out of paying taxes in our society- while the burden falls on small businesses and hourly workers to cover the costs of government. What an outrage!
Isee, lets take that one step farther and include the churches and their ilk be removed from the tax free status. Now that would change some things, and I say for the better.
TeaTotal how many years did you spend in the United States Armed Forces. A patriot like must have spent at least 20 years active duty. What was your branch and your rank? How much do you resent all those wounded soldiers from Vietnam, Korea, WW11, Iraq, and Afghanistan getting care at the VA? You really showed them.
nature: yup. obviously, abrahamic religions are fundamental (pun intended) to most social, cultural, and economic problems on earth…and they are afforded tax advantages? gotta change
Hi Nature- By ‘all non-profit organizations’ I meant churches, too. Remember Jim & Tammy Baker?
tea total
cat got your tongue or fingers
This is very funny. I have had to make at least 12 visits to their A/R facility to fix billing problems that no matter what resolution I was told would happen never got fixed and continued to go on infinitum. They miscoded a billing and just pointed fingers at each other rather than correct the error. I threatened to take the problem to the “new” CFO if they did not fix the problem. They actually chose the write it off rather than correct the billing error. Now that is leadership. Heads need to roll in this organization beyond the top.