Francis X. Bossle, a certified public accountant with more than 20 years' experience in conducting and managing internal audits, has been appointed as the first executive director of a new combined Office of Internal Audits for the Johns Hopkins Institutions.

Bossle will begin work Sept. 18, taking as his first priority the merger of the auditing staffs of the university and the Johns Hopkins Health System, a total of about 20 professionals and three support staff.

Francis X. Bossle

Bossle (pronounced BOZZ-lee) has been director of client service in the internal audit practice of the accounting and consulting firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers, based in Baltimore with a national responsibility. Previously, he spent 18 years with U.S. Fidelity & Guarantee Corp. in Baltimore, serving as vice president of internal audit from 1988 to 1998. In his final years with USF&G before it was bought by another company, his office saved the insurer as much as three times as much money as it cost to run his operation.

On Johns Hopkins Medicine matters, Bossle will report jointly to Joanne E. Pollak, vice president and general counsel of the health system, and James T. McGill, senior vice president for finance and administration of the university. He will report to them separately on issues relating only to either the university or JHHS.

"He brings to Hopkins a superb record of professional achievement and personal skills that make him a natural for this key position," McGill and Pollak said in a written message to faculty and staff announcing the appointment. "His expertise will be critical to the leadership of the university and the health system as they focus on ways to improve operations for the benefit of our faculty, staff, students and patients."

McGill and Pollak announced the merger last year, saying it would allow the institutions to more effectively coordinate their internal reviews of Johns Hopkins Medicine matters such as billing and regulatory compliance. They said they also expect to be able, over time, to build a staff with experience in such specialized areas as information technology audits. The consolidated staff will relocate next year to the Johns Hopkins office space being developed at the former Eastern High School building on 33rd Street in Baltimore.