Who we place
Why boards and PE partners choose us
- We reach the leaders who aren't looking. The best executive for your seat is running someone else's right now. We bring them to you, confidentially.
- A senior specialist runs your search. Your seat is handled by a senior consultant who focuses on exactly this specialty, under our US healthcare Sector Head. Not a junior associate and a database.
- Healthcare is all we do. We know the difference between a clinician with a title and a leader who can run a P&L and a medical staff.
- Retained means all-in. We commit the full team to one search and stay until the right person signs. Most of ours close in 30 to 90 days.
- A global bench behind a local search. ISG runs in 50-plus countries with 1,200-plus partners, so no leader is out of reach.
What a rural and community hospital CEO search really demands
- A leader who has run a hospital under 250 beds, not just a big-system executive
- Critical-access reimbursement and rural healthcare economics
- Financial turnaround and margin improvement on limited capital
- Physician recruitment and retention in a hard market
- Genuine community engagement and board partnership
- Strategic partnerships and affiliations to keep the doors open
Representative engagements
Representative, anonymized examples. Details and locations changed to protect client and candidate confidentiality.
- A community hospital that is the only provider for its region had struggled for months to attract a committed CEO. We found and placed a leader who came for the mission and stayed for it.
- A physician-owned community facility was slipping. We placed turnaround leadership, and confidence across the organization came back with it.
Frequently asked questions
What makes rural hospital leadership different?
Rural and community hospital leaders carry an unusually wide mandate, from finance to community relations, often with a lean team. The best candidates are drawn to the mission, not just the title.
Can you place an interim administrator?
Yes. We keep relationships with interim leaders experienced in rural and community settings who can stabilize operations quickly.
How do you recruit to a rural market?
We lead with mission and impact, and we vet hard for genuine commitment to the community, which is what makes a rural placement stick.
Meet your search partner
Lee Fossey leads the US Healthcare Executive Search practice for ISG Americas, with a team of senior consultants each focused on a specialty, so your search is run by someone who lives in that corner of the market. Across nearly three decades in search, the practice has helped hospitals, health systems, and private-equity-backed platforms place the leaders who change their trajectory, and on the global ISG platform that reach extends to more than 50 countries. Lee would rather have one honest conversation about your search than send you a proposal.
Book a confidential call with Lee →Have a seat open?
Every week a leadership seat sits empty, it costs you momentum, money, and the board's confidence. One confidential call, and you will know quickly whether we are the firm for your search.
Book a confidential call