HCA Healthcare
July 01, 2019

NOT FOR EXTERNAL DISTRIBUTION

SOURCE: Houston Business Journal

AUTHOR: Chris Mathews

Elizabeth Ortega, CEO of The Woman's Hospital of Texas
COURTESY HCA

The Woman’s Hospital of Texas has a new CEO.

Elizabeth Ortega is joining the HCA Houston Healthcare-affiliated hospital from San Antonio-based Methodist Healthcare System’s Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital, where she’s served as chief operating officer since 2013, according to a press release. While with Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Ortega helped facilitate extensive expansion and renovation of the facility and grew the hospital’s service line volume.

Ortega also led strategic planning for the largest construction project in the system’s history — a roughly $250 million expansion of the Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital facilities, according to the San Antonio Business Journal, a sister publication of the Houston Business Journal. Ortega begins her CEO role with the Woman’s Hospital of Texas July 22.

“Elizabeth has demonstrated expertise in clinical operations, strategic planning, patient experience and physician relations during her tenure as COO at Methodist Hospital and Methodist Children’s Hospital,” Troy Villarreal, president of HCA Houston Healthcare, said in the press release. “Her natural leadership ability and impressive work ethic qualify her to take the helm at the Woman’s Hospital of Texas.”

In the new role, Ortega succeeds Ashley McClellan as CEO of the Woman’s Hospital of Texas. McClellan, who is being promoted to CEO of HCA Midwest Health’s Research Medical Center in Kansas City, was named CEO of the Woman’s Hospital of Texas in April 2015.

Ashley McClellan, former CEO of the Woman's Hospital of Texas
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“I want to take this opportunity to personally thank Ashley McClellan for her hard work, dedication and expert guidance over the last four years,” Villarreal said in the release. “The Woman’s Hospital of Texas has grown and improved under her leadership.”

Ortega earned a Bachelor of Science in corporate communication and a certificate in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin and went on to receive a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University. Ortega is a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives.

The Woman’s Hospital of Texas focuses on the health and wellbeing of women and children and was established in 1976. The hospital is affiliated with HCA Houston Healthcare, the local division of Nashville-based health care giant HCA Healthcare Inc. (NYSE: HCA).