Stephanie Schnittger, CFO of UVA Health in Charlottesville, Va., might be only four weeks into her new role, but she has already immersed herself in the organization’s mission.
“We have a lot of things going on here, across the university and across the enterprise, lots of challenges, but also major opportunities,” Ms. Schnittger said during a “Becker’s CFO + Revenue Cycle Podcast” episode. “I’m extremely excited about the work ahead. I think there’s a lot of opportunity to add value.”
With more than two decades of healthcare experience, Ms. Schnittger has served in financial leadership roles for systems such as Annapolis, Md.-based Luminis Health, Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Health and Falls Church, Va.-based Inova Health.
UVA Health comprises four hospitals with around 1,000 beds, a spokesperson for the system confirmed with Becker’s.
Some of the trends Ms. Schnittger is monitoring in her new role include potential effects stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the need to expand lower-cost care settings to improve care access and reduce emergency department strain, and ongoing workforce competition.
“Trying to make sure that we are involved with building those pipelines, whether it’s through the education, training programs and so forth … and that we have robust recruiting and retention programs for the clinical workforce I think is going to be a key trend that will define how successful we’re going to be in the future,” she said.
While moving from a community health system background to an academic medical center has presented new learning curves, Ms. Schnittger advised other healthcare finance leaders looking to make similar career shifts to prepare for increased complexity, but use it as a chance to learn.
“With the complexity comes interest in learning and the ability to sort of navigate new ways to be able to deliver the services that we are committed to delivering in a financially viable way,” she said. “That is really exciting.”
Ms. Schnittger’s growth goal for UVA Health is lined with intentionality, mission, vision and values.
“We should grow in areas where we can support the communities in terms of providing or maintaining access to quality healthcare in a financially sustainable way.”
