US Radiology Specialists names 2nd new CEO in less than 1 year

US Radiology Specialists on Tuesday named its second new chief executive officer in less than one year. 

Caitlin Zulla is taking over the Raleigh, North Carolina-based imaging group’s top post after previously serving as CEO of Optum Health’s East Region. She succeeds Lee Cooper who became US Radiology Specialists chief last April and will transition back to his previous role as board chair. 

At UnitedHealth Group subsidiary Optum, Zulla oversaw multispecialty physician services across 10 states for the country’s largest healthcare corporation. In her new position, she’ll focus on strategic growth and driving innovation for an organization that includes 5,000 team members and 180 outpatient imaging centers across 13 states. 

“Radiology plays a vital role in healthcare, touching nearly every patient’s journey,” Zulla said in a Q&A posted by US Radiology Specialists on LinkedIn Tuesday. “As the engine of healthcare, medical imaging is well-positioned for meaningful growth especially as we see advancements in AI, predictive analytics and precision medicine,” she added later. 

Working for Optum, Zulla led a team of over 4,000 providers and 17,000 employees delivering care to 5.6 million patients. Her territory covered the Northeastern quadrant of the U.S., with services spanning primary, specialty, surgical, home-based, virtual, behavioral and urgent care. She steered efforts to improve accessibility and affordability for UnitedHealthcare plan members, according to 2023 announcement on her appointment. Before that, Zulla spent seven years at ambulatory surgery center operator SCA Health, including three as CEO. There, she helped expand the organization’s network of ASCs, which now include 320 centers serviced by 13,500 aligned physicians. 

Zulla said she sees a “strong foundation” from which to further build US Radiology Specialists. Charlotte Radiology first partnered with New York private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe to form USRS in 2018, and it has continued to grow since then. Its expansion has included taking on $450 million in debt to fuel the largest transaction in company history at the time, adding South Jersey Radiology Associates and Larchmont Imaging in 2022.

Zulla said she’ll initially focus on listening to radiologists and other teammates to understand what’s working and isn’t, ensuring USRS has the right resources, and “prioritizing advancement.” The latter will include driving “sustainable growth that benefits our people, partners and patients.” 

“Above all, I am committed to building a culture of collaboration, transparency and continuous improvement, where every member of the US Radiology team feels empowered to contribute to our collective success,” she noted. 

A USRS representative said Tuesday that Cooper was not forced to step down, as “evidenced by the fact that he’s staying with the organization as board chair.” He replaced founding CEO John Perkins, who had served in the practice’s top post for six years before departing to pursue other opportunities.  

“Lee’s had a long and successful career and felt like the organization was in a good position to hand over to the next leader to take USRS through the next phase of our growth over the next five-plus years,” Chris Core, MBA, the company’s chief growth officer, told Radiology Business by email. 

In a statement, Cooper called his replacement a “dynamic leader with a proven track record” while touting her focus on innovation and operational excellence. 

“I look forward to working closely with her in my role as board chair as we continue to guide the future growth of the company,” Cooper said.