UnityPoint executive joins Sanford Health
Aug. 12, 2020
At least one UnityPoint Health leader ended up being part of Sanford Health after all.
Kent Lehr most recently led organizational strategy and business development efforts for the Des Moines-based system, which nearly merged with Sanford last year.
At Sanford, he will serve as chief of business development and strategic partnerships, replacing retiring Kim Patrick.
In his time with UnityPoint, Lehr developed a major strategic road map for the organization and launched UPH Ventures as part of its innovation strategy. In 2017, Lehr was named on Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of rising stars in health care who are younger than 40.
“Kent is a great talent who will lead our enterprise strategy to advance new growth initiatives, partnerships and commercialization efforts to drive performance and support our important mission,” Kelby Krabbenhoft, president and CEO of Sanford Health, said in a statement.
At UnityPoint, Lehr played a key role in designing a joint venture with HealthPartners of Bloomington, Minn., which launched an insurance company in Iowa and Illinois in 2015. He also led UnityPoint in joining CivicaRx, an organization to which Sanford Health also belongs that lowers prescription drug costs for patients. His work at UnityPoint led to a 2018 Inspiration in Health Care Award for health care delivery.
“I am energized to join the team at Sanford,” Lehr said. “Innovation and growth strategies are vital in today’s evolving health care landscape. I look forward to bringing my talents to the team and helping lead Sanford to continued success.”
A Des Moines native, Lehr holds a master’s degree in health administration and an MBA from the University of Iowa.
