Tom Vasko, MBA, BSN, serves as CEO of Newman Memorial Hospital, a 25-bed independent critical access hospital in Shattuck, Okla. He took the helm approximately three years ago and quickly set about applying for-profit strategies to the nonprofit organization — a philosophy he describes as a “for-profit approach with a nonprofit mindset” — to build financial resilience and ward off closure. Under his executives, the hospital has expanded its primary care footprint through partnerships and acquisitions, launched additional clinics in contiguous counties, and developed a nationally recognized orthopedics practice that now draws patients from as far away as Oklahoma City. Mr. Vasko also serves as Northwest Oklahoma chair of the Oklahoma Hospital Association, representing hospital care across 25% of the state’s landmass. In addition, he has been named to the Coalition for Health AI, working to guide the responsible development of artificial intelligence in healthcare.
