Former Harrison COO joins Tacoma General

Former Harrison Medical Center Chief Operating Officer Adar Palis has been named to the same position at Tacoma General Hospital.

MultiCare Health System announced the hire Wednesday.

Palis worked at Harrison for more than a decade, before departing the organization abruptly this fall. He left while Harrison was in the process of selecting a president to replace retired CEO Scott Bosch.

Palis officially resigned Dec. 4, according to a statement from Harrison.

“We thank Adar for his years of service to our organization and wish him much success as he departs to pursue other interests,” the statement said.

Harrison selected former Overlake Medical Center COO David Schultz as its new top executive. Schultz started work at Harrison Monday.

I’ll have a profile of Schultz and more details on the Palis transition in the next few days. Here’s the full MultiCare announcement:

TACOMA, Wash. — MultiCare Health System is pleased to announce the addition of a new Chief Operating Officer at Tacoma General Hospital.

Adar Palis, who served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Harrison Health Partners, where he worked for 10 years, will begin his new position on Jan. 12, 2015.

Palis received his Bachelor of Arts in Information Systems/Business Administration from the University of Washington and his Masters of Information Systems Management from Seattle Pacific University.

“I’m excited to see Adar join our MultiCare team,” said Shelly Mullin, President of West Pierce. “His approachable style, results focus and strong relationships with patients, staff and physicians alike make him a natural choice for the position.”

Tacoma General is MultiCare’s tertiary care center, caring for complex patients in neonatology, cardiology, comprehensive neurology, maternal fetal medicine, emergency services and more. The hospital strives to provide the highest quality, compassionate care to patients in the communities it serves.

Palis will team with Tacoma General/Allenmore Physician Executive Elizabeth Wheeler, MD, and Tacoma General Nurse Executive Anita Wolfe, RN, to strengthen and help prepare the hospital for upcoming challenges and opportunities in health care.

Palis has lived in Washington his whole life. He and his wife, Karrie, have two children — Olivia, 5 and Noah, 3.

Palis has a strong connection to his community and volunteers as a way of giving back. He is a huge Seahawks fan and enjoys staying in shape by running, hiking and playing basketball.