José Sánchez, LMSW, LCSW, serves as President and Chief Executive Officer at Norwegian American Hospital.
On April 7th, José will serve on the panel "The Impact of D.C. and the Upcoming Elections on Healthcare: Thoughts, Predictions and Strategies" at Becker's Hospital Review 11th 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 on April 6-9, 2020 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and José's session, click here.
Question: What, from your perspective, is the biggest challenge about the future of work for hospitals, and what can they do about it? (i.e. automation, desire for more flexibility, clinician shortages, etc.)
José Sánchez: One of our biggest challenges is addressing the issues of population health management and social determinants of health at the local and national level. Eliminating healthcare disparities to ensure patients from every community have access to high-quality care is an area worthy of focus. Equally, great emphasis remains on traversing the impact of financial unpredictability due to reimbursement policy changes, competition and managed consumerism.
Q: How can hospitals reconcile the need to maintain inpatient volumes with the mission to keep people healthier and out of the hospital?
JS: Regardless of inpatient volume, we must remain focused on providing critical clinical programs and services that will empower residents to stay healthy through preventative care initiatives, health screenings, and related service line offerings. I am a strong proponent of wellness care and proactive planning, as these are proven methods for staying healthy and out of the hospital.
Q: What's one lesson you learned early in your career that has helped you lead in healthcare?
JS: For me, effective healthcare leadership requires fostering a continuous passion vested in providing quality patient care that makes a critical difference in the lives of those we serve, day after day. Early in my career I knew that I had to surround myself with those who felt the same, and also determined it is paramount to continuously articulate and lead from a mission perspective.