Veterinary Innovative Partners Appoints Chris Bishop as New CEO

Bishop to lead organization’s growing network of veterinarian-owned-and-operated hospitals and commitment to exceptional pet care

Chris Bishop, CEO of VIP (Photo: Business Wire)

November 17, 2023 11:55 AM Eastern Standard Time

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Veterinary Innovative Partners (VIP), a network of veterinarian-owned-and-operated hospitals across nine states, today announced the appointment of Chris Bishop as its new Chief Executive Officer.

“We are pleased to welcome Chris to the VIP team,” said Brett Shorenstein, VMD, co-founder of VIP. “He is an accomplished leader with deep healthcare expertise that aligns with VIP’s commitment to bridging the gap between partnership support and hospital-level autonomy, providing a new level of care to pet parents. We look forward to partnering with Chris and ushering in VIP’s next phase of growth.”

John Kuzmishin, outgoing CEO, will transition into a Senior Advisory role at VIP, where he will continue to serve on the board and leverage his expertise for future hospital acquisitions and contribute to the company’s growth goals.

An experienced operator and leader, Bishop brings over two decades of healthcare experience to VIP, including a track record of driving strategic growth, orchestrating successful mergers and acquisitions, and building high-performance teams. In his new role, Bishop leads the development and execution of growth strategies for VIP, focusing on nurturing an environment aligned with the organization’s visionary goals, ensuring veterinarians deliver exceptional care and thrive professionally.

“I am honored to join VIP and to have the opportunity to lead this talented team and champion VIP’s mission to offer pets the highest quality care by providing veterinarians and their teams with the resources, mentorship, and autonomy they need to thrive personally and professionally,” said Bishop. “I look forward to building on VIP’s success and ensuring that every aspect of our organization reflects our commitment to excellence in veterinary care.”

Currently, VIP’s network spans 37 hospitals across Tennessee, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. With a considerable investment in infrastructure to better serve teams and a future-focused vision, VIP is poised for continued expansion in the coming years.

Prior to VIP, Bishop led Regent Surgical Health, the largest private surgery center operator serving the hospital joint venture market. During his tenure, he scaled Regent’s platform to serve 1,000 surgeons while treating 100,000 patients annually across 15 health system partnerships and 35 locations.

Bishop is an active member of the Nashville Leadership Healthcare Council and the C12 Executive Leadership Program, a founding board member of not-for-profit Cul2vate, and currently serves on the Faith Family board in Nashville, Tenn., a nonprofit dedicated to providing healthcare for lower income families.

To learn more about a career and open positions at VIP’s network of hospitals, visit vip-vet.com/careers.

About Veterinary Innovative Partners

Veterinary Innovative Partners (VIP) is a network of veterinarian-owned-and-operated hospitals across nine states. VIP is guided by a mission to provide veterinarians and their teams with all the resources, mentorship, and autonomy they need to thrive personally and professionally while giving pets the best possible care. Join the VIP family, where our team members are our top priority to ensure best-in-class personalized care, ownership and accountability, trust, and an exceptional work environment. Visit our website vip-vet.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook to learn more.