Robert Nesselbush

Robert J. Nesselbush, formerly the organization's chief financial officer, came to Kaleida Health in April 2019 after spending 24 years at Rochester Regional Health (RRH). At RRH, Nesselbush spent 24 years rising through the hospital system, beginning as the director of financial reporting and finishing as the executive vice president and chief operating officer (COO) of the $2.4 billion system. As COO, he led the merger integration of four health systems in June 2014: Rochester General Health System, Unity Health System, Clifton Springs Health System and United Memorial Medical Center. Rochester Regional has nearly 16,000 employees and consists of five acute hospitals (1,270 beds), including Rochester General Hospital, its 528-bed teaching hospital flagship. The system has 1,670 physicians in a range of affiliation models, including nearly 800 employed physicians and another 1,450+ in Greater Rochester IPA (GRIPA), the clinically-integrated physician-hospital organization. RRH also operates over 900 skilled nursing facility beds, a 900+ member capitated PACE program (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) and a lab enterprise which is international in reach. A big believer in the importance of cross-functional teams, Nesselbush worked closely with nursing and physician leadership throughout his tenure in Rochester to help improve outcomes, quality scores and to reposition their hospitals in the region. One of the direct results was the "RRH Quality and Safety Institute (QSI)," which is focused on driving continuous quality and patient safety improvement. The structure and investment in the quality program led to Rochester General Hospital's recognition as one of HealthGrades America's 50 Best Hospitals� (top 1% of hospitals in the nation). A Western New York native, Nesselbush's achievements in his three decades in healthcare are many. At RRH, he led the acquisition of over 80 physician practices accounting for over 200 providers; developed and invested in a physician and nursing informatics department focused on improving the electronic health record; and partnered with physician leadership in GRIPA to manage various payer risk contracts. In addition to this, he also led the investment in an inpatient nurse certification and clinical ladder program to provide a vehicle for delivering enhanced compensation for premium nursing skills. He also supported RRH nursing in the pursuit and achievement of 10 Beacon Awards for Nursing Excellence. In his time at Kaleida Health, Nesselbush has worked closely with operations and the executive management team to standardize strategic, financial and operating planning processes for the system. In addition to this, he spearheaded revenue cycle improvements, instituted a new payer governance structure, and implemented a new revenue recognition model. Prior to serving as COO at RRH, he was the senior vice president of the health system's acute care division and the president of Rochester General Hospital (RGH). RGH is a 528-bed acute-care facility with a medical and dental staff of 1,500 that provides services including emergency, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, neurosciences and vascular surgery. The hospital is home to a number of centers of excellence including the Lipson Cancer Institute and the Sands-Constellation Heart Institute. In his role there, he was responsible for hospital clinical services lines including cardiovascular, neurosciences, oncology, orthopedics, emergency medicine and pediatrics at Rochester General Hospital and Newark Wayne Community Hospital. His financial leadership positions include serving as the senior vice president and chief financial officer of RGH. Prior to that, he was the vice president of finance and corporate controller. He is a graduate of Bucknell University with a Bachelor of Arts and completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on public accounting. Nesselbush began his career and spent five years as a senior accountant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Rochester.