Boston MedFlight Announces Hiring of New Chief Executive Officer

February 01, 2017 The Board of Trustees of Boston MedFlight, a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 which provides critical care medical transport by air and ground, is pleased to announce that they have hired a new Chief Executive Officer. Following an extensive nationwide search that included many highly-qualified candidates, the Board has selected an internal candidate, Maura Hughes, CPA, MBA, to lead the organization.

Ms. Hughes joined Boston MedFlight in 1998, and has served as Chief Financial Officer since 2002. When Boston MedFlight’s former CEO and Medical Director, Dr. Suzanne Wedel, passed away in March 2016 from ovarian cancer, the Board asked Ms. Hughes to serve as Interim CEO, a role she has very capably fulfilled since that time.

Ms. Hughes is a nonprofit executive with over 25 years’ experience in nonprofit and healthcare industries. She is a CPA and graduate of Merrimack College with a BS in Accounting, and also holds an MBA in Finance from Bentley University. She is a nationally recognized expert on critical care transport consortium models and critical care transport billing. She is sought after by other air medical services considering creation of transport consortiums and advice on transport billing and operations.

From Ann Prestipino, SVP, Surgical and Anesthesia Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Chair of Boston MedFlight’s Board of Trustees:

“The Board of Trustees is so pleased that Maura Hughes has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer of Boston MedFlight. She is uniquely qualified to lead the organization, given her depth of experience and expertise, and long tenure and distinguished leadership at Boston MedFlight. As a nonprofit organization, founded by and partnering with a consortium of Boston’s leading academic medical centers, Boston MedFlight’s model is distinct as well as complex. Her demonstrated ability to work effectively with Boston MedFlight’s many partners, including the Consortium hospitals, community hospitals, insurance providers, and other partners has long been an asset to the organization. And internally, she works collaboratively with colleagues in all areas of Boston MedFlight’s operations. Boston MedFlight serves an essential role in the healthcare continuum, caring for the region’s sickest patients who require expert and efficient medical transport, and we are fortunate to have a leader as capable as Maura Hughes.”

About Boston MedFlight:
Boston MedFlight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1985 that provides critical care medical transport to the region’s most severely ill and injured patients with its fleet of helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and ground vehicles, all of which are outfitted with state of the art medical equipment and serve as mobile intensive care units. With highly-trained critical care nurses and critical care paramedics, Boston MedFlight transports adult, pediatric, and neonatal patients with a very diverse range of diagnoses, including medical, trauma, neurological, respiratory, cardiac, and obstetrical concerns. Each year Boston MedFlight completes over 4,000 patient transports, and cares for patients in need regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay, providing over $3 million each year in free and unreimbursed care to patients with little or no medical insurance.