Becker's 10th Annual Meeting Speaker Series: 3 Questions with Rod Neill, Chief Operating Officer for Mercy Health Physicians - Youngstown

Rod W. Neill, MBA, MS, CMPE, serves as Chief Operating Officer for Mercy Health Physicians – Youngstown.

On April 1st, Rod will speak at Becker's Hospital Review 10th Annual Meeting. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place April 1-4, 2019 in Chicago.

To learn more about the conference and Rod's session, click here.

Question: What do innovators/entrepreneurs from outside healthcare need to better understand about hospital and health system leaders?

Rod Neill: Individuals outside of healthcare, especially innovators, often see healthcare as archaic and its leaders as dinosaurs and oblivious to progress occurring in other industries or the world at large. This has some validity but what they may fail to understand is the role of healthcare. There is arguably no other field or business that has such a profound impact on human lives. We are a vital part of everyone’s life from birth to death and all destinations in between. As healthcare leaders, we must be first and foremost mindful of the individuals we care for and impact we have on their wellbeing. Putting the individual or patient first may be at the detriment of an entrepreneurial venture but as leaders that is choice we are required to make.

Q: Healthcare takes a lot of heat for not innovating quickly. What's your take on this?

RN: I mentioned in my earlier response that we often take a back seat to entrepreneurship for the sake of patient care and treating the individual. Although this is mission critical, healthcare, in general, has lagged in areas where innovation can most enhance patient care. Examples of this is using technology, especially mobile devices, to bring care to the patient at the time and place that is most critical to them. Just within the past couple years do you see healthcare organizations adopting and implementing patient portals where they can view records, schedule appointments, request refills and do e-visits for non-urgent acute issues. This is all based on technology that other industries have adopted many years earlier. Just think, when is the last time you actually called the airline to book a flight or call a hotel to reserve a room. As most healthcare systems have now adopted this technology the key will be to promoting heavy adoption within its existing or potential pool of patients and expanding services to the next level through virtual visits and the like. The convenience of seeing your primary care doctor and during that same visit having a virtual consult with an endocrinologist for the blood sugar that has been consistently increasing is a convenience most patients will not pass up and will leave you for your competitor if they offer it but you do not.

Q: Can you share some praise with us about people you work with? What does greatness look like to you when it comes to your team?

RN: I have been blessed to work for Bon Secours Mercy Health for 14 years. The reason I joined and stayed with the Ministry is largely driven by the people I have been fortunate enough to work with all these years. This is from frontline staff, to leadership to our providers. We are mission and driven and care about our communities and the people it. What is most gratifying is the efforts to reach the most vulnerable and marginalized populations and to provide them the great care they deserve. None of this is possible without a large group of people who believe in the mission and working in unison to forward that undertaking. Greatness comes from collaboration and understanding and respecting differing opinions. As part of the executive leadership team I see greatness on a daily basis as leaders, physicians and other team members come to together to what is needed to better the health of our communities.

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