Well-informed folks have told me that William Schoenhard, who until this August served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of St. Louis-based SSN Health Care has the inside track as the new head of the Veterans Health Administration.
Schoenhard is not a doctor, but he has extensive experience as an administrator for a large hospital system, and I'm told that VHA, which operates 153 hospital and 1,140 outpatient clinics, needs a capable administrator much more than it needs another doctor.
I'm told that Schoenhard will not get the official nod from the White House until a 90 day vetting process is completed.
That process seems to wash out almost as many potential recruits as the only institution of higher learning I ever graduated from, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.
Bob Brewin
Bob Brewin joined Government Executive in April 2007, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience as a journalist focusing on defense issues and technology. Bob covers the world of defense and information technology for Nextgov, and is the author of the “What’s Brewin” blog.
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