Matt Guthrie 
President & Chief Executive Officer,
Chief Physician Executive,
Physician in Chief of Surgical Services
Southcoast Health System, Inc.
Southcoast Hospitals Group, Inc.
Rayford Kruger, MD, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sistema de Saúde Southcoast, Inc. and Southcoast Hospitals Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Southcoast Health System. The hospital group encompasses Hospital Memorial de Charlton in Fall River, MA, Hospital St. Luke's in New Bedford, MA and Hospital Tobey in Wareham, MA. The Southcoast Visiting Nurses Association, Grupo de médicos de Southcoast, Southcoast Health Network and the Southcoast Accountable Care Organization are also subsidiary corporations of the health system.
Appointed as President & Chief Executive Officer in 2022, Dr. Kruger is an accomplished leader with more than three decades of frontline healthcare experience and a proven commitment to the South Coast community. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Chief Physician Executive and Physician in Chief of Surgical Services, roles he began in 2021 and 2018 respectively, and continues in now. He was also the Medical Director of the Centro de Perda de Peso da Saúde de Southcoast for over 16 years, from 2004 – 2021, and practiced general surgery at Tobey Hospital for more than 32 years.
Dr. Kruger is board certified in general surgery and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He specializes in general, bariatric, and minimally invasive surgery, including anti-reflux surgery and other procedures.
A graduate of Dartmouth College and Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire, Dr. Kruger completed his internship at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. He completed his residency training at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, New Hampshire.
