Becker's 11th Annual Meeting: 4 Questions with Stephanie Conners, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at Jefferson Health

Stephanie Conners serves as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at Jefferson Health.

On April 7th, Stephanie will give a presentation on "Operational Strategies Following Urban Hospital Closure to Ensure High Quality and Access" 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 Stephanie'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.)

Stephanie Conners: Responding to margin pressures while also making necessary investments to reduce clinical variation and optimize performance. Ultimately, providing the highest safety, service, and quality while enhancing fiscal rigor is paramount in today’s climate. At Jefferson Health, which has perhaps been the fastest-growing health system in the United States over the past five years, we have an interdisciplinary team dedicated to decreasing or eliminating unnecessary variation. Further, our seamless access program enhances the patient experience at any Jefferson location and optimizes growth. We consider seriously innovative approaches to expense reduction and the rationalization and optimization of our resources, clinical or otherwise, never wavering on our mission to improve lives.

Q: What, if anything, should hospitals be doing now given economists' projections of a forthcoming economic downturn?

SC: The faster you move toward enhancing your population health model and pay-for-performance model (even though we live in a fee-for-service world), the better off you will be. You also need to be comfortable with embracing technological innovation and disruption, because consumers have adapted their expectations much faster than health systems have—and we need to catch up. As mentioned, Jefferson has grown tremendously, but we talk less about being a formerly three and now 14-hospital system. We focus much more on the excellent care we provide through any point of contact: at an urgent care, over your tablet or phone, or at home. We think about healthcare with no address.

Q: How can hospitals reconcile the need to maintain inpatient volumes with the mission to keep people healthier and out of the hospital?

SC: We all know that inpatient volumes, at present, are the revenue-generating part of healthcare in the fee-for-service world, but that world is changing. We must be nimble enough to not only react to—but also lead—healthcare into the future, out of our hospital walls and into our communities. Supporting population health, addressing social determinants of health, and piloting hospital-at-home initiatives are some examples.

Q: What's one lesson you learned early in your career that has helped you lead in healthcare?

SC: Early in my career I learned to pay it forward. I was privileged to be the youngest Chief Nursing Officer in the country when I started my executive career. Many lessons come with life in general; however, as a young healthcare leader, my greatest influences were the talented individuals who surrounded and mentored me. For that reason, I find my greatest satisfaction comes from mentoring others, supporting their growth, and watching them succeed. I realized very early that the success of others is my success, and I never take for granted those who choose to join me on this journey.

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