Acadia Healthcare elevated a senior executive to a newly created chief operating officer role as the behavioral health company refines its leadership amid a growth push. Effective June 30, Nasser Khan will assume the COO post, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that formalized the change in Acadia Healthcare’s C-suite (reporting: .
The COO title replaces responsibilities previously held by executive vice president of operations John Hollinsworth, who will retire on June 30 and remain an advisor through the end of 2024 to smooth the transition. The organizational update follows Acadia’s strategic emphasis on expanding its comprehensive treatment center business and aligning its executive nomenclature with peers of similar scale.
Khan, a physician with operational experience across health systems and specialty services, joined Acadia in 2022 as operations group president for the company’s comprehensive treatment center, or CTC, business. In that capacity he oversaw a network of roughly 145 CTC facilities and has driven expansion plans that include opening 14 new CTCs in 2024 and the acquisition of three North Carolina centers earlier this year.
Khan’s resume includes roles as senior vice president of operations at Shields Health Solutions, a Walgreens Boots Alliance subsidiary, head of program and chief medical officer at Biograph, and operational positions at DaVita and McKinsey. His 2022 hire from Walgreens was noted at the time as a key move to lead Acadia’s largest segment.
The promotion comes as Acadia balances near-term challenges with longer-term growth objectives. The company reported softer-than-expected patient volumes in the first quarter of 2024 but maintained guidance for the full year. Executives have signaled a five-point growth strategy focused on facility expansion, de novo development, joint ventures, acquisitions, and broadening the care continuum, including an increased emphasis on partial hospitalization programs and intensive outpatient programs.
Under Khan’s operational leadership, Acadia plans to accelerate innovation and better leverage technology to improve clinical outcomes and workforce experience. Observers say the elevation of an experienced operational clinician to COO aligns leadership with the company’s ambition to scale medication-assisted treatment and other behavioral health services while navigating a complex regulatory and market environment. Khan has previously highlighted the importance of treating opioid addiction and expanding access to care, remarks reported in industry media.
As Acadia Healthcare expands its footprint, the new COO will be tasked with translating strategic priorities into operational execution across one of the largest standalone behavioral health platforms in the United States.