On October 12th, Donna will serve on the panel “AI and Automation – Key Thoughts and the Relationship to the Healthcare Industry” at Becker’s Annual Health IT + Revenue Cycle Conference. As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place October 9-12, 2019 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and Donna’s session, click here.
Question: What is the No. 1 principle you uphold and practice to effectively lead a team?
Donna Houlne: We made progress in treating the whole patient, but we lag in terms of supporting the whole organization. Patients, money, assets, and liabilities move across our organizations. Continuing to drive decision making within the quadruple aim framework should enhance system thinking. Less of? To attain the quadruple aim, healthcare needs fewer silos. Growing up in a town with more cows than people, I appreciate the storage and protection provided by silos. However, silos in healthcare can promote catastrophic failure.
Q: As a leader, how do you stay connected to the actual work that is being done – and not just by watching others execute, but by executing yourself? If so, how do you balance between leading and executing personally?
DH: Working with the team and contributing to the final products and guide them to a compelling vision. Working toward a common vision is the beginning of progress for any team, and a sure sign that they’re on the road to success. When your team learns to work together and not as a group of individuals pulling in different directions, things start to find meaning. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you work together toward a shared compelling vision.
Q: What does healthcare need more of? Less of?
DH: Currently, there is virtually no transparency in health care and little has been done to change this situation. In fact, there is growing pressure from patients, health care advocates, and government officials to make health care more transparent. In this article, I want to discuss the problem and what to do about it.
What contributes to better conversations between a health system’s financial and clinical leaders?
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.
