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UPMC Pinnacle names new top doctor

Joel Berg//December 12, 2017//

UPMC Pinnacle names new top doctor

Joel Berg//December 12, 2017//

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Dr. James Raczek will lead quality and safety programs, medical education and medical staff relationships, as well as contribute to strategic planning and implementation for UPMC Pinnacle.

He officially joined the system in October and said in an interview Monday that he has been spending much of his time so far listening and gathering information.

“I learn tons of stuff every day,” he said. “People have been open and it’s just as I expected from my interview process, that this would be a very transparent, open organization that was going to welcome somebody new coming into it.”

Among his tasks is integrating the Harrisburg-based system’s recent acquisitions in Cumberland, Lancaster and York counties and developing system-wide standards.

“I look forward to working with the medical and administrative teams at each of the UPMC Pinnacle hospitals to integrate clinical initiatives and innovations that advance personalized patient care for our region,” Raczek said in a staetment. 

Raczek has held several medical and senior leadership positions over the last 36 years. He worked most recently as the senior vice president and chief medical officer at Eastern Maine Medical Center, a 411-bed medical center in Bangor, Maine.

In the interview Monday he said he was ready for the challenge of being chief medical officer for a system, not just a single facility. 

“We are pleased to welcome Dr. Raczek to our team,” UPMC Pinnacle President and CEO Philip Guarneschelli said in a statement. “His proven knowledge and commitment to quality patient care will support our goals to improve the well-being and health of our community.”

Raczek earned a bachelor’s degree from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wis. and a medical degree from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison, Wis., where he also completed his family practice residency.

A military veteran, Raczek served in the U.S. Air Force as a staff family physician in Nebraska.

Raczek is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Medical Association, and the Pennsylvania Medical Society. He is board certified in family medicine and a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.