Leadership

Chief executive officer

Joel North was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest in September 2024. In his role, he oversees the management and operations of the hospital ensuring both service line and overall strategic goals align with the development of the organization’s vision and strategic plan.

North previously served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood. During his tenure there, he oversaw executive strategy and business development as well as clinical operations for Surgical Services and ancillary departments.

North first joined HCA Houston Healthcare in 2018 as an assistant administrator and administrative resident of Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center. He was named assistant administrator at HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood in May 2019.

A native Houstonian, North earned his bachelor of arts in medical humanities and a master’s of business administration with a specialization in healthcare from Baylor University. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Chief medical officer

Arabinda “Ara” Pani, MD, joined HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in January 2022. In his role, Dr. Pani is responsible for leading quality initiatives that promote consistent patient-centered and high-quality care throughout the hospital.

Dr. Pani came to HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest from Dignity Heath Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) in Prescott, Arizona where he practiced since 2009. He served as an emergency room physician and most recently Chief of Staff at the hospital from 2018 to 2022. He also held several other hospital leadership roles while with YRMC including serving as a Board Member of the Hospital and the YRMC Foundation. Prior to his time at YRMC, Dr. Pani was at Harbor UCLA Medical Center where he completed his emergency medicine residency from 2006 to 2009.

Dr. Pani graduated with honors from Vanderbilt University in 2001. He subsequently went on to Harvard Medical School where he graduated in 2006. He is currently enrolled in the University of Texas executive physician leadership MBA / MHA program. Dr. Pani is board certified in emergency medicine and is a member of numerous professional physician organizations.

Chief operating officer

Tricia McGusty joined HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest as Chief Operating Officer (COO) in 2019. In her role, she is responsible for ensuring consistent department and service line strategy alignment as well as hospital facility initiatives including building maintenance, quality improvements and the overall environment of care.

McGusty joined HCA Healthcare in 2019. In her previous role, she served as the facility's vice president of business development. McGusty served in various roles at HCA Houston Northwest while the facility was owned by Tenet Healthcare.

She earned a bachelor's degree in biology and psychology from Houston Baptist University and MBA in leadership from the University of Houston Downtown. She currently serves as a board member on the D. Bradley McWilliams YMCA at Cypress Creek.

Chief financial officer

Thomas Holt, CPA, was appointed as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest in 2018. With over 25 years of experience, Holt oversees management of all financial departments, allocation of resources and preparation of the annual budget, including accounting and health information.

He joined HCA Healthcare in 1990. In previous roles, he served as CFO at HCA Houston Conroe, as well as CFO at West Houston, Fort Bend and Sugar Land Diagnostic and Surgical Center. He also served as CFO at Northwest Hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Holt earned a bachelor's degree in accounting and an MBA from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and has served on a variety of community organizations.

Chief nursing officer

Jeffrey Mills Jr., BSN, RN, NEA-BC, joined HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest as Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) in November 2020. In his role, he is responsible for driving, supporting and modeling a culture focused on clinical excellence, employee engagement, quality, patient safety and the overall patient experience.

Joining HCA Healthcare in 2013, Mills has over 17 years of nursing experience and has served in various roles at HCA Gulf Coast Division including Assistant Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO) at HCA Houston Northwest, vice president of clinical informatics for HCA Gulf Coast and as pediatric and trauma director at The Woman's Hospital of Texas Pediatric Center.

Mills earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and a master's degree in business administration from Houston Baptist University. He is a graduate of the HCA Leadership Institute Advanced Leadership Program. Mills has served in numerous leadership roles and currently serves as a member of the American Nurses Association, American Nurse's Informatics Association, Texas Nurse's Association, Texas Organization of Nurse Executives and Houston Organization of Nurse Leaders.