Kaiser Hawaii names new president

Kaiser Permanente has hired a new president for the Hawaii region.

Dave Underriner will begin as head of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals of Hawaii in mid-May, the company said Monday.

Underriner most recently was executive vice president and chief executive officer at Providence Health &Services, a nonprofit network of hospitals, health plans, physicians and clinics similar to Kaiser.

“After spending so much of my career in one area of the country, I am excited to be taking on this new opportunity to meet the needs of the members, patients and communities served by Kaiser Permanente in Hawaii and helping the region to thrive,” Underriner said in a news release.

He has held various positions over the past 35 years and was most recently responsible for strategy and operations for the Oregon region, which includes eight acute care hospitals, 90 medical clinics and more than 3,650 active medical staff. He also was involved in operations of the health plan, which has more than 650,000 members.

Kaiser — both a medical provider and health insurer — is the state’s largest health maintenance organization, with more than 255,000 members statewide.

Former President Mary Ann Barnes retired in September and was replaced on an interim basis by Bill Caswell, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Barnes, who became head of Kaiser’s Hawaii operations in 2014, was with the HMO for 43 years, beginning as an intensive care unit nurse.