Matt Hanley, MD, serves as Chief Clinical Officer at SSM Health.
On November 11th, Dr. Hanley will give a presentation on "Integrating Clinical and Operations
Teams" at Becker's 8th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place November 11-13, 2019 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Dr. Hanley's session, click here.
Question: What is going on right now? On what are you spending most of your time?
Matt Hanley: My biggest charge these days is building a more clinically-driven organization. Our President and CEO Laura Kaiser took the first step on that front last year by appointing me as SSM Health’s first Chief Clinical Officer. As CCO, I’m helping lead the transformation by working with Steve Smoot, our Chief Operating Officer, to ensure that the clinical care and operational parts of our organization are fully aligned and integrated. Better aligning our clinical care and operations will create better conversations and align around the patients and, ultimately, realize positive changes for those we serve.
Q: What is the single most important thing you need to do in your role? (i.e.: What do you have to be great at?)
MH: Being a leader. The importance of leadership is often underestimated and undervalued. I believe that leadership is more critical and more consequential than it has ever been within our industry. How we lead and the value systems that we bring to the table play a big role in getting it right. Importantly, many of the decisions we make today will have impact and consequences for our patients, organizations, providers, and communities long after our tenures as leaders are finished.
Q: There is a lot to improve upon in healthcare. Of the many issues that hold your attention, what is the one you consider exceptionally imperative and urgent?
MH: I worry about managing the tremendous pace of change required for our organization to be transformational. Given the rate of disruption occurring in the external market, we have to be moving at least as fast as that change, or we risk going the way of the dodo. Incremental improvement is not an option anymore.
Q: We are all pressed for time and attention. Help us sift through the meaningless and the meaningful by sharing the last thing you read, heard or did that shifted your mindset and really made a difference in your personal or professional life.
MH: A book I recently read that offers some valuable insights for medical professionals is “Humble Inquiry,” written by Edgar Schein. Schein emphasizes the “fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building relationships based on curiosity and interest in the other person.” I’ve found it very relevant to being effective in my role as Chief Clinical Officer. In addition, it aligns completely with SSM Health’s belief in the healing power of presence. It’s how we choose to care for our patients and customers: by taking time to listen, to understand, to answer questions, to hold hands, or even to pray.