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Covenant Health taps Saraceni to oversee combined marketing, physician services division [The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn. :: ](Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Feb. 07--Covenant Health has combined its physician services and marketing functions, naming longtime executive Debby Saraceni to oversee the new division. Saraceni, 52, has served as vice president of physician services for Covenant since 2006. She assumes the additional responsibility of vice president of marketing for the health system, following the December retirement of Max Shell. "With my background in marketing and PR, it just made sense to combine the two divisions. It works very well. There's a lot of synergy," said Saraceni, who began her career at Covenant Health in 1991 working as the director of marketing and public relations for Thompson Cancer Survival Center. She also has served as a corporate director at Covenant working with executive leaders on various initiatives. The two divisions already work together, particularly through physician recruitment and hiring, As the health system continues to expand its footprint, Saraceni said it will be increasingly important to coordinate community and physician awareness. In her new role, Saraceni said she wants to tell more patient stories. She also plans to oversee the rollout of a robust and comprehensive social media plan, as well as finding additional opportunities for marketing "to work lockstep with the operational side." "We already do a good job, but as we become larger, it's going to become even more important," she said. Covenant recently added its ninth hospital into the system. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Saraceni hold a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in communication. Before joining Covenant, she held positions at University of Tennessee Medical Center. "I'm so proud of Covenant, of its nonprofit mission and serving the communities," she said. "Everywhere we go, we invest in the communities. I want to tell that story more. We have some great stories to tell." ___ (c)2014 the Knoxville News-Sentinel (Knoxville, Tenn.) Visit the Knoxville News-Sentinel (Knoxville, Tenn.) at www.knoxnews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |