Hospital Bids Farewell to Rich Reif

People who visit Doylestown Hospital years from now will know the name Richard Reif, even if they don't know for sure who he is.

Reif was honored Tuesday in several ways that will linger long after he retires on January 20 as the hospital's president and CEO.

The hospital's cardiac center has been renamed the Richard A. Reif Heart Institute of Doylestown Hospital. And a large portrait of Reif now hangs on the wall, a visual reminder of the man who led the community hospital through 23 years of expansive growth.

Reif became CEO of Doylestown Hospital in June 1989.

Under Reif's tenure, the hospital grew exponentially, adding a new Emergency Department and private rooms, acquiring the Pine Run Community, building the Health & Wellness Center in Warrington and greatly expanding heart care and cancer treatment.

Under his leadership, the hospital began The Heart Center of Doylestown Hospital in 2000 and grew it into a nationally recognized cardiac program.

Thomson Reuters named Doylestown Hospital one of the Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals in the United States for 2012. Doylestown is ranked second in the country for 30-day heart attack mortality, as reported by the federal government. 

In 2012, the hospital opened an inpatient rehab facility along with Moss Rehab, and an outpatient wound care center.

In December, the hospital announced the appointment of James Brexler as the new CEO.

Brexler comes to Doylestown from Chattanooga, Tenn., where he served for eight years as president and CEO of Erlanger Health System, a six-hospital, 1,035-bed regional health system.

He begins work as CEO on January 21.

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