Private equity-backed imaging provider US Radiology Specialists named a new CEO and board chair on Thursday coupled with the departure of its longtime chief executive.
Lee Cooper will take over the job on April 1 after previously spending nearly 30 years with GE. There, he led several business units, ending his tenure in 2019 as president and CEO of GE HealthCare, U.S. and Canada. He also served as CEO of pharmacy firm Shields Health Solutions and later executive VP of pharmacy at Walgreens after Shields was acquired by the retail giant.
Cooper replaces John Perkins, who has served as CEO and chair of US Radiology Specialists for six years. He is stepping away from the company to explore new challenges but will remain as an advisor during the transition.
“I want to thank John for his tremendous work as US Radiology's founding CEO," Cooper said in a March 21 announcement. “I'm honored to have the opportunity to keep that momentum going and work alongside our more than 5,000 team members as we fulfill our mission to make the best of radiology better to improve lives for the patients we serve,” he added later.
Cooper also has served as executive board member for US Radiology Specialists since December and an operating partner at Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe since July, according to his LinkedIn profile. The latter, a New York-based private equity firm, founded USRS in 2018 alongside private practice Charlotte Radiology. Starting with a single partnership, the company has grown to include more than 180 imaging centers across 13 states, handling over 8 million studies annually.
Meanwhile, current USRS board member Molly Joseph will take over for Perkins as chair. She has been on the organization’s board since 2022 and previously served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare Global, leading a team of 70,000 across 55 hospitals and several hundred outpatient and ambulatory centers. Joseph has extensive corporate governance experience having served on the boards of West Pharmaceutical Services, AMSURG and First Solar.
“These are proven leaders with ideal backgrounds to guide our company through its next phase of growth," Robert Mittl, MD, board member and chair of US Radiology's National Physician Leadership Board, said in the announcement.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.