WHO WILL LEAD ST. FRANCIS?

Questions remain about who will lead St. Francis Medical Center when James Sexton, president and CEO of the hospital, leaves.

Sexton announced Tuesday that he is taking a job as president and CEO of a hospital network in Mason City, Iowa. His last day on the job here is Feb. 5.

St. Francis's management organization has been one of team leadership, explained Harry Rediger, chairman of the board of directors. Officially, no one was second in the chain of command.

With Sexton leaving someone needs to take the reigns on day-to-day operation of the hospital. "Someone has to pull it all together for a while," Rediger said. "We're working on that, but we haven't finalized it. We expect to name someone out of the existing management team to serve in the interim."

The board has another choice. It could hire an outside person to come in a acting CEO. "We've kind of been against that," Rediger said. "But we haven't really decided yet."

At the same time, the board of directors is considering if a permanent replacement for Sexton will be needed.

For the past year, St. Francis and Southeast Missouri Hospital, both in Cape Girardeau, have been discussing a possible merger. A joint study committee awaits a ruling from the Missouri Attorney General's office concerning the proposal.

If a decision on the merger would be made quickly, it's possible that a second CEO wouldn't be necessary. "But it's all too early yet to tell," Rediger said.