James G. Wetrich
James G. Wetrich, FACHE*, is the CEO of The Wetrich Group LLC and The Wetrich Group SCO LLC. The Wetrich Group LLC is a health care management consultancy whose associates have more than 25 years of experience in the health care industry. Founded in 2001, The Wetrich Group offers a wide variety of health care management advisory services. In 2014, The Wetrich Group SCO LLC purchased the assets of Haney/Lowderman LLC, a firm specializing in outplacement and counseling services for hospital executives.
Mr. Wetrich has been deeply involved in healthcare since 1981. During his career, he has worked in a number of commercial capacities and been involved in a wide variety of companies and entrepreneurial activities in the United States, Europe and Latin America. Jim has successfully launched numerous products in three continents, created successful partnerships, been involved in numerous licensing deals and acquisitions and has served on a number of for-profit and not-for-profit boards as well as advisory boards. Jim has created limited partnerships and been involved in a number of commercial real estate ventures. He and his wife, Nancy, have supported various philanthropic organizations including an endowed scholarship at the Emory School of Nursing.
Mr. Wetrich spent the initial part his career on the provider side of healthcare. He worked in hospital administration at Ochsner Hospital; as Vice President of the Metropolitan Hospital Council of New Orleans; and as Vice President with Pitts Management Associates (PMA). During his time with David R. Pitts, FACHE at PMA, he played an instrumental role in the development of the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC). Jim later joined UHC as the Director of Business Development.
Mr. Wetrich left UHC and the provider side of the industry to join Abbott Laboratories as Manager of Corporate Strategic Planning. While at Abbott, he spent four years in product marketing; two years as Commercial Director for European Operations; two years as Director of HealthSystem Sales; and four years as Divisional Vice President for National Accounts, where he handled Abbott’s largest customer, Novation. At the time of his departure from Abbott, Mr. Wetrich’s responsibilities at Novation exceeded one billion dollars and spanned all aspects of Abbott’s businesses including diagnostics, hospital products, nutritional products and pharmaceuticals.
Mr. Wetrich started The Wetrich Group in 2001 to provide management consulting services to pharmaceutical, medical device and health care providers. From 2001-2006, The Wetrich Group served over 40 clients including Abbott Laboratories, Dell, Roche Diagnostics, Novation, Terumo Medical Corporation, and UHC.
In 2006, Mr. Wetrich joined Molnlycke Health Care where he served initially as President and General Manager of the US and Latin American wound care operations and later was promoted to President and General Manager of the Americas. During his eight year tenure at Molnlycke, the US wound care organization experienced dramatic growth, sales increased nearly 8 fold and EBITA increased over 20 times; in addition, the US surgical organization was turned around and redirected.
In 2014, Jim returned to The Wetrich Group LLC and shortly thereafter completed the acquisition of Haney/Lowderman.
Jim participated as an inaugural Fellow in 2015 at Stanford University’s Distinguished Careers Institute.
Jim attended the University of Southern California (USC) where he earned a B.S. in Biological Sciences and graduated with Outstanding Senior Recognition. Following graduation from USC, he attended Tulane University where he earned a Master of Health Administration with a concentration in financial management. In 2009, he received an executive MBA from the Goizueta School of Business at Emory University.
Mr. Wetrich is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. In 1989, he received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from Tulane University.
Mr. Wetrich has served on a number of boards and advisory boards. He currently serves on the boards of Optomeditech, Movi Medical, and Debra of America. He is on the Board of Visitors as well as the School of Nursing’s Dean’s Advisory Board of Emory University, the health care advisory board of the Vistria Fund and Radius Ventures, the advisory board of the USC Price School at the University of Southern California and the USC Marshall School of Business Supply Chain Institute. Mr. Wetrich was recently named to the Board of Councilors at The Carter Center. Jim is a member of the EO, the Entrepreneur’s Organization.
Jim is also serving as an Adjunct Professor at Texas Wesleyan University where he is teaching Principles of Marketing to the undergraduate business students.
Jim and his wife, Nancy, live in Southlake, Texas and they have two sons.
*FACHE = Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a professional certification sponsored by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), which is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.