Tamra Kaplan Named COO of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center

Tamra Kaplan, PharmD

LONG BEACH, Calif. – June 8, 2009 – Long Beach Memorial Medical Center (LBMMC) today announced the appointment of Tamra Kaplan, Pharm. D., to the position of Chief Operating Officer effective July 1, 2009. Kaplan replaces Diana Hendel, Pharm. D., who was recently appointed CEO of Long Beach Memorial and Miller Children’s Hospital.

“Tamra’s natural leadership and dedication to patients is a tremendous asset to MemorialCare,” says Hendel. “Her long record of service and success speaks volumes, and I look forward to working with her to carry out the vision of Long Beach Memorial.”

Kaplan has spent the majority of her professional career with the not-for-profit MemorialCare health system, which has hospitals throughout Los Angeles and Orange County, including Long Beach Memorial. Starting her tenure in 1989 as a resident in LBMMC’s Hospital Pharmacy Practice, Kaplan moved on to hold several supervisory roles at LBMMC, including Lead Pharmacist for the Infusion Care Pharmacy. Kaplan also served as Vice President of Ancillary & Support Services at Anaheim Memorial Medical Center, another hospital within the MemorialCare health system, as well as its interim Chief Operating Officer.

Most recently, Kaplan served as Executive Director of the MC*21 (MemorialCare for the 21st Century) Management System, a system-wide initiative to take patient care to the next level by implementing new technologies and methods, such as electronic medical records, across all medical centers.

In this position, Kaplan facilitated master planning through the MC*21 Management System Oversight Committee, oversaw the development and integration of all system-wide MC*21 Management System activities, and led the daily operations of the Resource Office, including Lean Fellow development. Kaplan incorporated the principles of the Toyota Production System (LEAN), a management philosophy that emphasizes creating a sense of purpose to transform business and cultures. Under Kaplan’s leadership, the pilot year of MC*21 resulted in an estimated $2.1 million annualized return, and fiscal year 2009 will yield a three-year return of $15.3 million.

“I have spent nearly 20 years working with the dedicated and talented staff in the MemorialCare system, and couldn’t be more pleased to accept this new role within the organization,” says Kaplan. “I look forward to applying my knowledge of hospital operations to Long Beach Memorial, as I work with the leadership team and the rest of the staff to uphold our standard of enhancing patient safety, service and satisfaction.”

Kaplan received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from the University of California, Irvine, and a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of the Pacific Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy. She continues her commitment to education in a teaching capacity, serving as an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of the Pacific School of Pharmacy.

About Long Beach Memorial Medical Center: Long Beach Memorial Medical Center is one of the nation’s top-rated medical centers and with Miller Children’s Hospital, is the second largest not-for-profit, community-based hospital west of the Mississippi. The 54-acre campus houses 716 beds, employs more than 5,200 people and has more than 800 volunteers.

###