Summit Health announced Sept. 2 that Jeffrey Alter has been appointed chief executive officer of the health care network effective Oct. 4, succeeding Dr. Jeffrey Le Benger who has served as CEO of Summit Medical Group since 1999 and of Summit Health since 2019.

Summit Health was formed by the 2019 merger of Summit Medical Group and CityMD. The combined organization, which has more than 2,000 providers, over 8,000 employees and over 200 locations in New Jersey, New York and Central Oregon, offers a full spectrum of primary, specialty and urgent care.

Le Benger will assume a new position as executive chairman to the management company’s board, providing counsel and guidance to Summit Health’s leadership and supporting the ongoing successful execution of Summit Health’s long-term strategic plan.

“It’s unbelievable how much we’ve achieved in the past two years particularly during the extraordinary events of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how our company continues to evolve,” said Le Benger. “I’m excited about the next chapter for the business under Jeff Alter’s leadership. And I look forward to partnering with him and continuing to support Summit Health’s mission in my new role as executive chairman.”

Alter brings a tremendous depth of health care industry experience. He was most recently executive vice president of Anthem Health Solutions and president of IngenioRx, Anthem’s pharmacy business. Prior to Anthem, he was the founder and president of Arcturus One ConsulMng. Earlier, Alter served as CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s Commercial Group and in other leadership positions during his 15-year tenure at UnitedHealthcare.

He has served on the board of CityMD since 2017 and is a current board member for Summit Health, Anomaly, St. John’s University, Progenity, and the Long Island Association.

“Having served on the board and gotten to know this great organization firsthand, I’m honored to work alongside this exceptional team to deliver our mission to provide a more compassionate, responsive, and connected kind of care,” said Alter. “I look forward to building on Summit Health’s established reputation for higher quality, lower-cost care as we transform health care for our patients.”