Ballad Health reinforces financial, operational leadership structure, moves key leaders into new positions

Following the appointment of Shane Hilton as Ballad Health’s chief financial officer earlier this year, Ballad Health has made additional adjustments to its financial and operational leadership structure, moving several established leaders into new roles.

Ballad Health’s current chief financial officer for its Northern Region, Sean Mills, was promoted to senior vice president and chief financial officer of acute services and market operations, and Joshua McFall, currently chief financial officer for Ballad Health’s acute services market operations, will move into Hilton’s former role as chief financial officer of Ballad Health’s corporate, retail and non-acute services. Additionally, Shana Tate, vice president of finance, was promoted to Ballad Health’s chief revenue officer; Chase Wilson, chief financial officer for four community hospitals in Ballad Health’s Southern Region, will move into the chief financial officer role at Johnson City Medical Center; and Davis Greene, previously serving as vice president of operations for UNC Health Nash in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, joins Ballad Health as vice president and chief operating officer at Johnson City Medical Center.

“By building a strong team of experienced and capable financial and operational leaders, Ballad Health is taking important steps to continue a strong legacy as stewards of rural healthcare,” said Eric Deaton, Ballad Health chief operating officer. “This realignment and the promotions from within our team reflect the dedication, talent and leadership within our existing organization. We believe that by empowering our people, we can continue to deliver excellence and strengthen our ability to serve our community. “I’m honored to work with this incredible team of leaders who share a vested commitment to the region, and I look forward to the great work I know this team will accomplish and the future they will help shape.”

Davis Greene

As an accomplished healthcare leader, Greene brings significant experience in rural and integrated settings to his new role as chief operating officer at Johnson City Medical Center. In his previous position, Davis served as the vice president of operations for UNC Health Nash in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, where he co-led a $200 million master facility plan development and its implementation, which included plans on a new six-floor inpatient tower and additional outpatient clinic development.

Before his healthcare career, Greene honed his leadership skills by counseling entrepreneurs on business development, accounting and operation management through his work as a business startup consultant with the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center. His work led to the creation of more than 35 small businesses in rural North Carolina.

Greene earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, before earning his master’s degree in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

In his new role, Greene will oversee the day-to-day operations of Johnson City Medical Center, providing strategic direction and operational leadership. He will be actively involved in service line management and growth and will collaborate with executive leaders and medical staff to identify opportunities to improve quality and patient satisfaction.

Joshua McFall

Before his service as chief financial officer of corporate, retail and non-acute services, McFall used his expertise as an accomplished healthcare leader to serve the organization as the CFO for Ballad Health’s hospital division, which encompasses 20 facilities. McFall has been leading finances in the region for several years and also served as a market chief financial officer, which consisted of financial leadership of eight hospitals and more than 900 beds in Ballad Health’s Southern Region, including Johnson City Medical Center, the region’s Level 1 Trauma Center; Niswonger Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital in the Appalachian Highlands; Woodridge Hospital, a behavioral health facility; and several community hospitals from Sneedville to Mountain City.

McFall’s career with the health system began as a financial analyst. He continued to rise through roles of increasing responsibility, eventually becoming the chief financial officer of Franklin Woods Community Hospital and Woodridge Hospital, where he oversaw finances and developed facility-specific initiatives that enhanced care and improved performance at both facilities. His tenure at those facilities earned him recognition through the Truven Health Analytics® 100 Top Hospitals awards in 2016 and 2017 at Franklin Woods. Additionally, he was named to The Business Journal of Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia’s 2016 40 Under Forty class, and he is a Fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. McFall has an undergraduate degree in finance and a Master of Business Administration, both from East Tennessee State University.

In his new role, McFall will be responsible for developing and maintaining the health system’s long-term operation and capital plans and its annual operating and capital budget.

Sean Mills

Mills came to the Appalachian Highlands in 2023 to serve as chief financial officer of Ballad Health’s Northern Region, which includes facilities in both Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Prior to his role at Ballad Health, Mills gained extensive experience in finance, administration, operations and strategy through roles in financial leadership in healthcare systems throughout the country, including Ascension Florida and Gulf Coast, where he was responsible for eight hospitals and 1,200 staffed acute beds. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, and earned a master’s degree in business administration with a healthcare concentration from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

In his new role as chief financial officer of acute services and market operations, Mills will oversee long-term financial operations in the health system’s hospital operations, ensuring cohesive, integrated resource management across the service area.

Shana Tate

Tate brings nearly 20 years of experience to her new role as chief revenue officer at Ballad Health. Tate’s contributions in her previous roles have been a key contributor to the health system’s growth and success.

Tate joined Mountain States Health Alliance in 2006 as an accountant, working her way up to various executive roles, eventually becoming senior vice president of revenue cycle at Ballad Health. She transitioned her role to Ensemble Health Partners when Ballad Health entered a partnership with the company in 2020. In that role, Tate oversaw self-pay operations, including inventory management, customer service, Medicaid eligibility and financial assistance.

Ballad Health welcomed Tate back in 2023, where she continued honing a deep understanding of the health system’s business and its vision for the future.

She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in accounting, from East Tennessee State University and her master’s degree in business administration from King University.

In her new role, Tate will be responsible for aligning all revenue-related functions to help accelerate growth, and she will also oversee the operational revenue performance functions, including value-based care and revenue cycle management. 

Chase Wilson

Wilson has been with Ballad Health since 2009, serving as a financial analyst and finance manager before taking on a series of leadership roles. From 2014 to 2020, he served as chief financial officer for Sycamore Shoals Hospital, Johnson County Community Hospital and Unicoi County Hospital, a period that included the transition of Unicoi County Hospital from its previous location to its current facility. Most recently, Wilson served as chief financial officer of Greeneville Community Hospital, Sycamore Shoals, Hawkins County Memorial Hospital and Hancock County Hospital. In his new role, Wilson will be responsible for the financial operations at Johnson City Medical Center, a 445-bed regional tertiary referral center for the entire service area of the Appalachian Highlands that houses the region’s Level 1 Trauma Center.

Wilson graduated from East Tennessee State University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration. He earned his master’s degree in business administration from Milligan University and is a Fellow of The Advisory Board.

“To build a stronger future for Ballad Health to grow in, we have to have quality leaders on board, and I greatly anticipate the future this leadership team will build,” said Shane Hilton, Ballad Health’s chief financial officer. “Ballad Health continues showing its commitment to enhancing rural healthcare by placing qualified, compassionate leaders at the helm, and we look forward to working with this incredible team to shape the future of rural healthcare in the Appalachian Highlands.”