The group’s president, Dr. Paul Merrick, and its chief financial officer, Michael Pacetti, will serve as co-chief executive officers on an interim basis, effective immediately. Merrick has been president of DuPage Medical since 2009 and before that, was chairman of the group’s urology department. Pacetti has been with the organization for more than 20 years.<doc-sep>As part of an interim leadership transition plan in the wake of DuPage Medical Group CEO Michael Kasper’s death, President Dr. Paul Merrick and Chief Financial Officer Michael Pacetti will serve as co-CEOs. Merrick has been in practice at DuPage Medical Group since 1994 and has served in various leadership roles, including as president since 2009. Pacetti has been with the organization for more than 20 years. “We are committed to building on Mike Kasper’s legacy by continuing the great work that he so passionately believed in,” Merrick said in a statement. “Shoulder to shoulder, we will continue to make healthcare better for our patients and community by offering high quality and compassionate care.” Kasper, 46, died on May 4. He joined DuPage Medical Group in 2010.<doc-sep>Michael Kasper, the CEO of DuPage Medical Group — the largest independent doctors’ groups in Illinois — died Saturday at the age of 46, the group confirmed on Monday. DuPage Medical Group President Dr. Paul Merrick said Kasper died at home but declined Monday to reveal the cause of Kasper’s death, deferring to his family. Kasper’s wife declined to talk with a reporter Monday. A spokeswoman for the DuPage County coroner’s office said the cause of death was pending the results of toxicology tests. The Elmhurst police are investigating his death, said a spokeswoman for the city, declining to release any additional information. READ MORE: DuPage Medical Group names interim leaders, following death of CEO Michael Kasper » Advertisement Kasper led the Downers Grove-based group, which has locations mostly throughout the west and southwest suburbs, through a period of rapid expansion in recent years. About a decade ago, the group had about 275 doctors. The practice now has more than 700 doctors in more than 100 locations. Kasper had ambitions of extending the group beyond Illinois as well. In 2017, DuPage Medical Group’s management company received a $1.45 billion investment from a private equity firm, with Kasper saying at the time that the money would allow for the practice’s continued expansion. READ MORE: The death of Michael Kasper, whose vision pushed DuPage Medical Group toward a national presence, leaves it at crossroads » “Our ultimate goal would be to become the preeminent national medical group,” Kasper told the Tribune in a 2017 interview. The medical group said in a news release Monday that it was “shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of our beloved leader and colleague.” × In a 2017 interview, Michael Kasper, CEO of DuPage Medical Group, says he hopes DuPage is one day the nation’s preeminent medical group. “He was passionate about our business and our mission and he brought an extraordinary amount of energy and talent,” Dr. Paul Merrick, DuPage Medical Group president, said in an interview. He called Kasper his “dear friend and my brother.” Advertisement “He was a very, very driven man,” Merrick said. “Most of his career he’d gone places and spent a couple years and fixed things and moved on. When he came and joined us, around the second or third year, he confided that he was getting sucked into the mission and getting emotionally attached to the DuPage Medical Group family.” Kasper joined DuPage in 2010, after running health insurance plans in Atlanta, New Orleans and Pennsylvania. He was formerly president of Humana Illinois. Kasper grew up in Merrillville, Ind. In 2017, he said that he saw joining DuPage Medical Group as a chance to work with doctors on delivery of care. “I’ve always had a passion for health care,” Kasper told the Tribune in a 2017 interview. He said that growing up, he felt frustrated when family members went through the health care system and weren’t treated well. “I wanted to be a part of an organization where I could influence not only the care delivery side but the service side of health care and how we take care of people and the caring and compassion behind what we do and how we do it.” Kasper is survived by his wife and two children, ages 10 and 13. Merrick described Kasper as a “doting, dedicated” father and husband, with a passion for listening to live music. Advertisement Kasper also worked actively with the Loeys-Dietz Syndrome Foundation to raise awareness of the genetic connective tissue disorder after learning that his daughter had the disorder. He credited his daughter’s DuPage Medical Group pediatrician with saving her life. lschencker@chicagotribune.com Twitter @lschencker MORE COVERAGE Advertisement DuPage Medical Group eyes expansion with $1.45 billion investment » DuPage Medical Group to buy stake in Naperville surgery center » DuPage Medical Group gets minority investment from Summit Partners »<doc-sep>
DuPage Medical Group CEO who led major expansion dies at 46 Michael Kasper, who led a major expansion of Downers Grove-based DuPage Medical Group as its CEO, died unexpectedly Saturday at age 46, a spokeswoman said Monday. With Kasper at the helm, DuPage Medical expanded its reach across the suburbs as one of the state's largest independent physician practices, while maintaining its autonomy in an era of mergers between doctors groups and larger hospital systems. DuPage Medical spokeswoman Marianne Geiger released a statement that did not give a cause of death, but said Kasper "passed away tragically" Saturday. "We are shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of our beloved leader and colleague, Mike Kasper," the statement read. "DMG's leadership team, board of directors, physicians, employees, patients and the entire health care community mourn his loss. We extend our deepest sympathies to his wife and children and ask that you respect their privacy during this difficult time." Kasper helped propel DuPage Medical's growth through medical group acquisitions and a $1.45 billion funding boost from a Los Angeles-based private equity group in 2017. DuPage Medical Group has more than 700 practitioners, up from about 290 physicians when Kasper became CEO in 2010. "As an organization, we are strong and thriving because of Mike's vision and leadership," Dr. Paul Merrick, DuPage Medical president, said in the statement. "We are committed to continuing the great work that he so passionately believed in -- striving to make health care better for our patients and community by offering high quality and compassionate care." News of Kasper's death spread quickly throughout the industry. "Mike Kasper made a dramatic and positive impact on Illinois healthcare that will be felt for a long time," Mary Lou Mastro, Edward-Elmhurst Health CEO said. "We in the health industry should make it our mission to push forward in pursuit of Mike's goal of providing high quality and compassionate care to the communities we serve."