As hospital and health system CEOs evolve alongside their organizations, so do their strategic priorities.
From workforce engagement to social determinants of health, long-serving leaders are focusing more on the performance signals that matter most today.
Becker’s connected with seven presidents and CEOs who have led their organizations for 10 years or more to reflect on the metrics or systems they once undervalued — and now consider central to shaping strategy and resource allocation.
Editor’s note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Madeline Bell. CEO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia since 2015.
Employee engagement scores tell a much more important story than Ms. Bell once realized.
“What we hear from our team helps to guide how we allocate resources to support them,” she told Becker’s. “This has evolved over time, especially as there have been generational shifts in what employees want from their employers. This is important work, because we’ve found that having an engaged staff translates into better outcomes for our patients.”
Kimberly Cripe. President and CEO of Orange, Calif.-based Children’s Hospital of Orange County since 1997 and co-CEO of Rady Children’s Health since January.
Early in her tenure, Ms. Cripe focused largely on financial indicators and clinical outcomes. Today, she places more emphasis on workforce engagement and organizational culture.
“Coming out of the pandemic, all of us have learned an awful lot about the importance of culture and trust,” she told Becker’s. “That plays a key role in improving the patient experience and innovating as a healthcare system. I think it does drive positive clinical outcomes and supports operational efficiency and financial strength.”
Eric Dickson, MD. President and CEO of Worcester, Mass.-based UMass Memorial Health since 2013.
Dr. Dickson once underestimated how critical it is to measure and evaluate management. A strong management system can create better alignment, inform decision-making and improve results, he told Becker’s.
“When I became CEO, I realized that UMass Memorial Health needed a more intentional, systemwide approach to management,” he said. “This led to the creation of the UMass Memorial Management System, a living document that provides a framework for executing strategy, meeting goals and supporting employees.”
The document is updated annually and covers nine standard processes. Employee and customer engagement and success is at the core of the system, ensuring caregivers and patients receive the best experience possible, Dr. Dickson said.
Richard Hart, MD, DrPH. President of Loma Linda (Calif.) University Health since 2008.
Dr. Hart views collective decision-making as an essential strategic tool.
“Though difficult to quantify, the collective decision-making that occurs today is the most significant management tool we have in guiding the allocation of resources and strategic decisions,” he told Becker’s.
Robert Meyer. President and CEO of Phoenix Children’s since 2003.
Under Mr. Meyer’s leadership, the health system created the Phoenix Children’s Medical Group, which has doubled in size in the past five years. It also developed the Phoenix Children’s Care Network, which focuses on population health and utilizes a pediatric-specific care coordination system developed by Phoenix Children’s, he told Becker’s.
“It focuses on quality improvement outcomes such as social determinants of health and adverse childhood experiences to improve health outcomes for the community,” Mr. Meyer said. “The development of such a large, sophisticated physician delivery system in a relatively short time frame has been a challenge. However, the success of this initiative to integrate hospitals, physicians, insurers and the community has been well worth the risk and investment to make it work.”
Jeff Sperring, MD. CEO of Seattle Children’s since 2015.
At the beginning of Dr. Sperring’s tenure, growth was measured by the number of patients and families cared for and the ability to create greater access, he told Becker’s.
“As I approach retirement at the end of this year, I am most proud of our ability to deliver outstanding outcomes during that time of significant growth,” he said. “As CEOs, it’s critical that in our efforts to expand access, we make team and capacity investments in order to maintain the best possible outcomes for children we serve.”
Todd Suntrapak. President and CEO of Madera, Calif.-based Valley Children’s Healthcare since 2012.
A key metric that proved invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic for Valley Children’s was days cash on hand, Mr. Suntrapak told Becker’s. Because of its strong financial reserves, Valley Children’s avoided layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts — even as ER and OR volumes dropped by 50%.
“We wouldn’t have been able to do without a significant financial reserve expressed as days cash on hand,” Mr. Suntrapak said.
