Carrie Owen Plietz is the group senior vice president and chief operating officer of national caredelivery for Kaiser Permanente, driving operational excellence and standardization across all integrated care and coverage markets.
Owen Plietz has extensive experience in both health plan, health system, and hospital leadership, bringing a deep commitment to advancing quality, safety, affordability and member experience across Kaiser Permanente’s integrated model.
Previously, Owen Plietz served as interim executive vice president for national care delivery and as president for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California. In that role, she restored financial stability and achieved over $2 billion in cost reductions for the market. She advanced clinical excellence and secured Magnet designations for multiple facilities, a 5‑star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and National Committee for Quality Assurance Health Equity Accreditation.
Before joining Kaiser Permanente in 2020, she served as executive vice president and COO of the Hospital Division at Wellstar Health System in Georgia. Prior to that, she held CEO and COO roles at Sutter Health including Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, Mills-Peninsula Health System and Sutter Health’s California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.
Board certified in healthcare management as an ACHE Fellow, Owen Plietz has been deeply involved in professional associations and healthcare leadership at both state, national and international levels. She served as ACHE Chair from 2020-21, Governor from 2016 to 2019, as the ACHE Regent for California—Northern & Central from 2013 to 2016, as president of the California Association of Healthcare Leaders, an ACHE chapter, and on numerous ACHE committees.