§323F-8  Chief executive officer; exempt positions.  (a)  The corporation board may appoint, by majority vote of its entire membership, a chief executive officer of the corporation whose salary shall be set by the corporation board and who shall be exempt from chapter 76 and section 26-35(a)(4).  The chief executive officer may also appoint up to eighteen other personnel, exempt from chapters 76 and 89, to work directly for the chief executive officer and the corporate board.

     (b)  The corporation board or its designee may discharge its exempt personnel with or without cause; provided that removal without cause shall not prejudice any contract rights of personnel.

     The discharge of the chief executive officer shall require a majority vote of the entire membership of the corporation board.

     (c)  The corporation's chief executive officer or the chief executive officer's designee may appoint, exempt from chapters 76 and 89, hospital administrators, assistant administrators, directors of nursing, medical directors, and staff physicians, to facilitate the management of facilities within the corporation; provided that directors of nursing appointed before July 1, 1998, may maintain their civil service status as provided in chapter 76 by so communicating in writing to the chief executive officer by October 31, 1998.  Hospital administrators and assistant administrators appointed before July 1, 1983, may maintain their permanent civil service status as provided in chapter 76.

     (d)  Hiring, firing, compensation packages, and other personnel actions with respect to employees not covered by chapter 76 and 89 shall be governed by policies and guidelines established by the corporation, except as otherwise provided in this chapter.

     (e)  Upon the establishment of a regional system board, the authority to appoint regional hospital administrators, assistant administrators, directors of nursing, medical directors, and staff physicians under subsection (c) shall be superseded by section 323F-8.5 for that regional system.  No incumbent personnel shall lose a position without specific action taken by the regional system board. [L 1996, c 262, pt of §2; am L 1998, c 229, §7; am L 2000, c 253, §150; am L 2002, c 148, §38; am L 2004, c 16, §6; am L 2007, c 290, §24; am L 2009, c 182, §13]