HFMA joins friends and family in remembering Ronald Kovener who died at the age of 92 on July 26, 2023, in Indianapolis. An accountant, he had been a member of HFMA since 1961 and served as National President from 1972 to 1973.
Kovener reminisced about his HFMA experience in 2021 when the Association celebrated its 75th anniversary. He explained he initially joined because he had been hired as CFO for the Sister Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Minneapolis and was looking for guidance.
“I knew about accounting, but I didn’t know much about healthcare,” said Kovener. “I thought it would be good to have other people in the field that I could turn to and consult with. So I joined HFMA, and it was ideal for me. I got very active in the Minnesota Chapter and became its president fairly promptly.”
Kovener’s involvement with the Chapter eventually led him to become active at the national level, ultimately being elected to its highest office. His HFMA service didn’t end, however, when his term as National President concluded. When HFMA established a Washington, D.C., office in October 1973, Kovener was hired to lead it as an associate executive director — a position he held for nearly two decades.
“Getting HFMA well recognized in Washington was the goal, and I think that happened very thoroughly,” said Kovener. “I had the great advantage of having many other healthcare associations there in D.C., and we got together regularly. I was quite a spark plug in that whole movement.”
Kovener also was responsible for launching HFMA’s Principles & Practices Board in 1975 to establish accounting principles and financial reporting practices for health service organizations.
“Ron’s contributions to HFMA and the healthcare finance industry were truly monumental,” said Richard Gundling, FHFMA, CMA, HFMA’s senior vice president of professional practice. “He believed in actively injecting financial knowledge to improve regulations, legislation and accounting standards. Thanks to Ron’s efforts, HFMA was well positioned to take a leading role in influencing healthcare finance guidance.”
Bill Rutherford and Sid Sczygelski announce retirement plans
Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA Healthcare announced that Bill Rutherford, CPA, will retire on May 1 as executive vice president and CFO, after a 34-year career with the company. Rutherford, a member of HFMA’s Tennessee Chapter, has served as CFO of HCA since 2014. He is credited with having had a tremendous impact during his 10 years in the position.
“The impressive operating results and shareholder returns achieved throughout his tenure are a testament to his leadership and disciplined approach to driving profitable growth,” said Sam Hazen, CEO of HCA Healthcare. “Without question, Bill’s legacy will endure.”
Sid Sczygelski also is retiring as senior vice president and CFO of Aspirus Health, a non-profit, community-directed health system based in Wausau, Wis. Sczygelski has been with the system for 39 years — more than 30 of which were spent in the CFO position. During that time, he has been instrumental in driving Aspirus’ growth from approximately $50 million to about $2 billion in net revenue from 1992 to 2023.
Sczygelski is a member of HFMA’s Wisconsin Chapter.
