HealthSouth Selects Munson as Divisional President

Life Science Partner placement brings a broad portfolio of business management and leadership skills to outpatient rehabilitation division

Life Science Partner announces the placement of Diane L. Munson as president of the outpatient rehabilitation division at Birmingham-based HealthSouth. In this role, Munson will lead a team of senior executives that oversees a 6,700-employee division with approximately 1,000 facilities and $620 million in revenue. Munson will direct the group’s senior leadership; guide strategic planning; strengthen operations, sales and marketing; and maintain general business practices and financial standards.

HealthSouth is the nation’s largest provider of rehabilitative health care and outpatient surgery services with nearly 1,700 facilities worldwide and projected 2004 revenues of $4.3 billion.

“Two of the common threads throughout Diane’s career have been team-building and integrity,” says Life Science Partner Founder and President Thomas H. Callaway. “She’s been able to assemble the people and resources necessary to grow into new markets profitably or bring underperforming organizations back to life. And she has cultivated a management style as a straightforward communicator who finds ways to inspire. These will be valuable tools in running an organization with the scale and prestige of HealthSouth’s rehabilitation business.”

Munson brings to HealthSouth the financial perspective of an organizational leader and the clinical background of a former nurse. Her varied accomplishments in diverse healthcare fields span management strategy, new business development, corporate turnaround projects, quality programs and more.

Munson comes to HealthSouth from Beverly Enterprises, an eldercare and rehabilitation services provider with $2 billion in revenues. At Beverly, she led the corporate quality and clinical management program as senior vice president of professional services. She also managed the successful turnaround and sale of a homecare subsidiary as its vice president and general manager.

Munson has served as president and CEO of Fluidsense, an IV infusion pump and software company. And as senior vice president of healthcare services for Inlight, an e-health company focused on prescriptive patient education and healthcare resource management, she directed national sales, sales operations and product launch initiatives.

With Caremark International, Munson held several titles. While corporate vice president for physician services, she was a member of the senior management team and held profit-and-loss responsibility for the physician practice business’ 15,000 employees and $1 billion budget. Munson grew the business aggressively through acquisition and expansion, increasing revenues from $130 million to $1 billion in three years—while reducing operating costs by $40 million. Munson was also president of Caremark Homecare, whose more than 1,000 employees provided intravenous treatment and services for patients with AIDS, cancer, kidney disease or digestive disorders.

After a 12-year career at Baxter International, Munson left the company as president of the general healthcare division. While president, Munson introduced alternate site sales and distribution strategies to reach $120 million in sales across the physician, long-term care, homecare and veterinary markets. During this time, the group reversed a negative sales trend to post double-digit profitability growth.

Munson has an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and an associate’s nursing degree from Prairie State College.

Life Science Partner’s high-quality executive and scientific recruiting services target the very specific needs of life sciences and healthcare organizations. We identify and recruit the brightest talent in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare services fields.