POST FALLS - Vaughn Ward is going from North Idaho hot to Arizona hotter.

CEO for the past four years of Northwest Specialty Hospital, Ward has accepted the position of regional vice president for USPI - United Surgical Partners International - in Scottsdale, Ariz. This coming Friday is Ward's last day at the physicians-owned hospital in Post Falls.

"We've been extremely proud of the way we've grown, from about 8,000 patients a year four years ago to 50,000 patients this year," Ward told The Press. "I think it's helped us establish our hospital as an important part of the community."

Ward recommended and the hospital board unanimously approved naming Rick Rasmussen interim CEO of Northwest Specialty while a national search is launched. Rasmussen has been the hospital's chief financial officer.

For Ward, his new horizons reach into the desert Southwest, where he'll take on more responsibility. USPI is also physician-owned, but its network of hospitals and surgical centers exceeds 220 facilities nationwide. Ward will oversee two hospitals and several surgical centers.

"I really enjoy the physician-advocate relationship," Ward said. "I believe firmly in that model."

Ward said the decision to move wasn't easy. Once a Republican candidate for the representative's seat won by Raul Labrador, Ward said challenging himself is a big motivator.

"I've got a drive to keep pushing myself to see how far I can take something," he said. With a laugh, he added: "Why else would a political unknown run for Congress?"

He also said that his four years with Northwest Specialty have been tremendous, but he needs broader experience to keep advancing in the medical field.

"If I ever want to take a step back to Idaho," he said, "I have to take a step away."

Ward has an MBA in finance and served his country as a Marine in Iraq, then worked for the Central Intelligence Agency before joining Northwest Medical Specialists. He and his wife, Kirsten, have four children. Ward said they'll keep their rural Coeur d'Alene home and its 25 acres, where they'll return each summer.

Rasmussen, whose bariatric procedure and subsequent weight loss are being documented with stories and columns in The Press, is a Coeur d'Alene native well-known throughout the region.