Gandhi Named COO of Baystate Medical Center

SPRINGFIELD — Tejas Gandhi, the former chief administrative officer at Navicent Health in Macon, Ga. — where he led the organization through an era of positive change and restructuring, contributing greatly to their financial recovery — has been named chief operating officer at Baystate Medical Center.

His appointment became effective June 13.

Gandhi fills a position left vacant by Nancy Shendell-Falik, RN, MA, who for two years served in the dual position at Baystate Health as chief operating officer and senior vice president/chief nursing officer for Baystate Medical Center, prior to being named president of Baystate Medical Center and senior vice president of Hospital Operations for Baystate Health in October 2015.

“Dr. Gandhi is a true change agent, whose culture building skills and talents in the area of continuous process improvements will be an asset in leading Baystate Medical Center and supporting Baystate 2020, our health system’s strategic plan,” said Shendell-Falik. “His adherence to core values and accountability in all actions, as well as his advocacy of transparency, especially in his own interactions, will make him a key member of the Baystate Health family,”

Gandhi, with 15 years of professional experience in health care administration, comes to his new position from a hospital similar to Baystate Medical Center — a 637-bed teaching hospital affiliated with Mercer University School of Medicine, Level I Trauma Center, and three-time Magnet Designated hospital for nursing excellence nationwide.

Prior to joining Navicent Health in 2013, Gandhi was employed by Virtua Health in Marlton, N.J., the largest comprehensive health care system in Southern New Jersey, where he helped change the overall culture to one of continuous process improvement, resulting in cost savings and key improvements for the organization. During his 10 years there, Gandhi oversaw the process-driven planning process for a new $618 million replacement hospital and regional ambulatory center, also leading successful initiatives to improve clinical safety and quality outcomes, as well as patient satisfaction and employee engagement.

Gandhi attended the University of Bombay, India, where he received his bachelor of science degree in Chemical Engineering. He later received a master of science in Industrial Engineering from State University of New York at Binghamton and a doctorate in Health Administration and Leadership from Medical University of South Carolina.