Stacy Bratcher is the vice president and general counsel at Santa Barbara, Cali-based Cottage Health.
Ms. Bratcher will serve on the panel "The Big Priorities and Changing Role of Hospital Boards" at Becker's 10th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference on Nov. 7-10 in Chicago.
To learn more and register, click here.
Becker's Healthcare aims to foster peer-to-peer conversation between healthcare's brightest leaders and thinkers. In that vein, responses to our Speaker Series are published straight from interviewees. Here is what our speakers had to say.
Question: What is the smartest thing you've done in the last year to set your system up for success?
Stacy Bratcher: I've built resilient processes to identify and manage compliance issues involving team members at all levels of the organization. Compliance can be viewed as the department of "no" that stops business. In reality, compliance can identify opportunities to improve processes, patient safety and cost avoidance.
Q: What are you most excited about right now and what makes you nervous?
SB: In many ways, the pandemic opened up opportunities for patients to seek and receive care differently and for those of us working in healthcare to find creative ways to connect with those patients. I'm excited about taking the next step with telehealth and virtual care platforms and continuing to expand access to care. I'm nervous about the challenge of recruiting and retaining talent to serve patients.
Q: How are you thinking about growth and investments for the next year or two?
SB: I'm focusing on investments to make my team more efficient and deliver more value to reduce costs.
Q: What will healthcare executives need to be effective leaders for the next five years?
SB: In the past few years, we've seen a shift in the workplace and society where people want to be "seen" and connect with what they're doing. Healthcare leaders need to lean into this and focus on listening and helping to create an environment that fosters connection — for staff, providers, patients and everyone else.
Q: How are you building resilient and diverse teams?
SB: There is no magic to team building. It comes down to personal values and commitment. I'm invested in each team member's success and growth and am constantly thinking about their needs and how to support them at work or home. I try to listen more to identify what they need and how I can help clear the way for them to succeed.