Best Life Brands Appoints New Chief Financial Officer; CVS Health CFO Announces Leave Of Absence

Best Life Brands names CFO

Best Life Brands has appointed Kevin Vesely as its new chief financial officer.

“We enthusiastically welcome Kevin to the Best Life Brands family to execute our continued success and financial health,” Best Life Brands CEO J.J. Sorrenti said in a press release. “His diverse experience, including private equity success and proficiency in process optimization, makes him an ideal fit for this role. Kevin’s insights from health care and audiology align perfectly with our mission to improve the lives of seniors and those in need of care, while his finance and administrative expertise enhances our growth capabilities.”

The Troy, Michigan-based Best Life Brands is a holding company that includes the home-based care companies ComForCare, At Your Side and Boost Home Healthcare. It has more than 600 franchise locations across the U.S. and Canada.

Prior to joining Best Life Brands, Vesely served as CFO of Alpaca Audiology. Before that, he was vice president of finance and controlling at Sonova Group.

“Best Life Brand’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life for seniors and those in need of care aligns perfectly with my professional experience, especially in healthcare and audiology,” Vesely said in the press release. “I am honored to bring my financial leadership skills to contribute to the company’s continued growth and success. Best Life Brand’s dedication to excellence and its aggressive expansion strategy, including international expansion and acquisitions, present exciting opportunities, and I look forward to being a part of this dynamic journey.”

CVS Health CFO will take a leave of absence

CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) recently announced that Shawn Guertin — executive vice president, CFO and president of health services — will be taking a leave of absence from his position due to unforeseen family health reasons.

During this time, Tom Cowhey, who serves as senior vice president of corporate finance, will step into the role of interim CFO.

Additionally, CEO of Oak Street Health, Mike Pykosz, has been named interim president of health services.

“Our thoughts are with Shawn and his family during this difficult period,” Karen S. Lynch, CEO and president of CVS Health President, said in a press statement. “The Board and I have every confidence that Tom and Mike will ensure we continue to execute our strategy seamlessly while we give Shawn time to be with his family.”

Cowhey joined CVS Health in February of 2022, and Pykosz joined the company after the acquisition of Oak Street Health in May 2023.

Guertin’s role is a vital one in terms of home-based care services. Prior to his leave of absence, Oak Street Health and Signify Health leaders began reporting to him directly.

Gateway Home Health & Hospice gets a new CEO

Mike Suor has joined Gateway Home Health & Hospice as its new CEO.

The Denver, Colorado-based Gateway Home Health & Hospice is a home-based care company that offers home health, hospice and home care services.

Prior to joining Gateway Home Health & Hospice, Suor served as the CEO of Bridge Home Health & Hospice. He also served as the executive director there.

Additionally, Suor has served in leadership roles at SV Healthcare Solutions and Harden Healthcare.

VillageMD makes several new leadership appointments

VillageMD recently made leadership announcements for Summit Health, CityMD and Village Medical.

The company has appointed Dr. Rishi Sikka as president of Village Medical. In his new role, Sikka will be responsible for the clinical outcomes. He previously served as president of system enterprises for Sutter Health.

VillageMD also promoted Becky Levy to president of Summit Health and Starling Physicians. Levy joined Summit Health in 2011. She has served as the organization’s chief legal officer, as well as chief administrative officer and chief strategy officer.

Additionally, Dr. Dan Frogel will hold a dual role of president of CityMD and chief clinical officer of the enterprise. Frogel joined CityMD in 2013 when Premier Care and CityMD merged.

“I’m delighted to welcome and congratulate Dr. Frogel, Dr. Sikka and Becky Levy to these new positions as we’re on the precipice of transforming healthcare,” Tim Barry, CEO and chair of VillageMD, said in a press release. “Each leader brings the perfect balance of passion for our mission along with extensive experience to lead us to operational and clinical excellence as we grow and serve more patients in the United States.”

As a company, the Chicago-based VillageMD delivers care services across 26 markets. It acquired Summit Health-CityMD — the result of the 2019 merger of Summit Medical Group and CityMD — at the start of the year. VillageMD is backed by Walgreens Boots Alliance (Nasdaq: WBA).

DUOS names new vice president of marketing

The New York-based startup DUOS has named Michael Furstenberg as vice president of marketing.

“I’m delighted to join DUOS and serve a growing population of beneficiaries who deserve convenient, accessible, and intuitive resources for maximizing their benefits and maintaining their livelihood so they can lead fulfilling lives at home,” Furstenberg said in a statement. “With a clear strategy centered on reimagining the future of aging with high-tech and high-touch solutions, innovation will continue to be a catalyst for growth at DUOS in an evolving landscape where social determinants of health are impacting people’s health, well-being, and quality of life daily.”

DUOS works with Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and dual-eligible plans to better accommodate aging-in-place seniors. The company also leverages proprietary software as a service component.

Previously, Furstenberg served as chief marketing officer at NationsBenefits. Before that, he served as head of marketing for Aetna Behavioral Health, a business unit of Aetna, which is a part of CVS Health.

In addition to Furstenberg’s appointment, DUOS has also launched DUOS+AI, a conversational interface meant to help recommend care services and more.

“With the launch of DUOS+AI and more solution innovations on the horizon, Furstenberg’s experience in managing great brands, executing influential campaigns, developing innovative tech-enabled products, and building high-performing teams for startups and established companies alike will prove indispensable to our leadership team,” Jenn Kerfoot, chief strategy & growth officer at DUOS, said in the statement. “Increasing brand awareness and scaling our member activation solutions will further enable us to dismantle barriers to care and access for the thousands of older adults who are aging into Medicare each day in the U.S.”