SACRAMENTO, Calif., – Sutter Health has named Todd Smith, M.D., to the newly created role of senior vice president and chief physician executive. He will officially start in this new role on June 12.
Dr. Smith will serve on Sutter Health’s executive leadership team and will have broad responsibility for leading the system’s clinical transformation in providing consumer-centric, seamless, and integrated care across one of the country’s largest healthcare delivery systems.
As CPE, Dr. Smith will spearhead Sutter’s continued focus on high-quality care and safety and oversee and further embed Sutter’s Institute for Advancing Health Equity across the system’s integrated care delivery model. He will be responsible for delivering systemwide service line standards, reducing clinical variation, and developing and deepening physician relationships with medical group and community physicians across Sutter’s footprint. Dr. Smith will provide physician leadership to all system-level clinical initiatives, while advancing strategic opportunities and relationships to continue improving Sutter’s coordinated care.
Dr. Smith will work closely with Mark Sevco, who starts at Sutter Health on June 5, as senior vice president and chief operating officer. In dyad leadership partnership, Dr. Smith and Sevco will together oversee acute, clinic and ambulatory operations, including aligning Sutter’s community-based market structure within a connected enterprise-wide clinical ecosystem focused on investing in best-in-class service lines and expanding access for Sutter’s more than 3.3 million patients across Northern California.
“Todd Smith brings a wealth of experience and expertise in administrative, operational and medical leadership, along with a deep understanding of integrated healthcare delivery systems,” said Warner L. Thomas, Sutter Health president and CEO. “Todd is highly regarded across Sutter Health and over the last several months, has played a key role on my transition team and in setting Sutter’s future vision and strategy. His leadership will help Sutter Health deliver on our long-term strategy to serve more patients through stronger physician relationships, an elevated patient experience, and a continued commitment to the highest quality standards across our integrated health system.”
“I look forward to deepening Sutter Health’s relationships with our aligned physicians,” said Dr. Smith. “Together we can deliver industry-leading access, quality and patient experience to our patients and achieve our goal of making Sutter the premier place to work, practice medicine and receive care in California.”
Prior to his new role, Dr. Smith was CEO of Sutter Health Valley Medical Foundation. There, he fostered an integrated and collaborative approach to improving Sutter’s services and was instrumental in bringing a new Women’s Health Center to Modesto. He previously served as the medical director of specialty care at Gould Medical Group (GMG), where he worked closely with senior leadership to ensure seamless care for patients. In addition, he held various leadership positions including section chief for orthopedics and podiatry at Sutter Gould Medical Foundation (SGMF) and medical staff leadership roles at Sutter’s Memorial Medical Center in Modesto.
During his leadership tenure, GMG added 120 providers to its roster, increasing patient access in multiple specialty areas. Dr. Smith also guided the organization’s focus on improving key quality and safety measures, including lowering surgical site infections and enhancing surgical safety. These efforts led to SGMF and GMG consistently earning the Integrated Healthcare Association’s “Excellence in Healthcare” award for top performance (top 10th percentile) in patient experience for care delivered to commercial HMO patients. And nearly every year for the past decade, GMG has achieved Top Quality Honors (earning four or more stars out of a possible five) for high-quality care delivered to Medicare Advantage patients.
Beyond the south valley, Dr. Smith collaborated with Sutter Davis Hospital’s CEO, CMO and care teams on projects to stabilize staffing needs for the hospital’s expanded birthing center. And he worked with Sutter Amador Hospital’s CEO and philanthropy team to secure space for the expanded family medicine residency program.
Dr. Smith is a highly accomplished orthopedic surgeon, specializing in upper extremity care and consistently delivering exceptional patient care.
Dr. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from California State University, East Bay. In 1991, he earned a medical degree from Georgetown University Medical Center and 1996, he completed an orthopedic surgery residency at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He went on to complete a fellowship in hand surgery at the University of Virginia in 1997.
Dr. Smith served on the Sutter Health Board of Directors from 2009 to 2016, serving as board chair in 2015-2016. Dr. Smith previously served on several individual, region and operating unit boards within the Sutter Health system. Dr. Smith is a diplomate with the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, board certified in 1999, 2009 and 2019.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Dr. Smith is actively involved in the community. He serves as a member of the American Heart Association leadership team for the Go Red for Women initiative and has been involved with the Beyer High School Robotics Program in Modesto. Additionally, he has contributed his time to volunteer at Shelter Cove Community Church and Treasure Cove.
