drkoop.com Monday appointed Gregory D. Taylor as chief operating officer.
Taylor replaces Dennis Upah who left the company in July to pursue other
interests.
Taylor, who most recently served as vice president, turnkey solutions,
for Siemens/Shared Medical Systems, has been charged with overseeing the
daily operations of the company and working with the existing executive and
management staff to readily grow and expand B2B components.
He has his work cut out for him. Last month the health Web site reported
that its third-quarter loss widened after it installed a new management team
and launched major staff reduction aimed at cutting costs and streamlining
operations.
At that time, the company reported a net loss of $57.9 million, or $1.60
a share, compared with a loss of $20.6 million, or 68 cents a share, in the
year-ago quarter.
The company anticipates a turnaround with new management is in place,
noted Stephanie Elsea, public relations manager. “We are building a
world-class management team with experience in the healthcare and ehealth
industries,” she said.
Taylor, who has 20 years experience in the healthcare field, is the
latest top executive to join the firm. Recent appointments include William
H. Carlson as executive vice president of business development and sales and
John Cardwell, who was named vice president of customer operations.
Taylor anticipates that new management will re-energize the once-ailing company.
“The last year has been particularly harsh on Internet companies and only
the strong will survive,” he said. “We have a winning combination including
healthcare content, a trusted brand and an experienced team to lead the
company forward.
“There are challenges, to be sure,” he added. “But, each challenge presents
us with a new opportunity to think creatively, build strategically and
empower consumers at the same time.”
