Mr. Kurvink will speak on a panel at Becker’s Hospital Review 7th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable titled “Clinical integration, data analytics and more” at 12 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 12. Learn more about the event and register to attend in Chicago.
Question: What keeps you excited and motivated to come to work each day?
John Kurvink: I’m excited by making a tangible difference in our operations through supporting my team to be their best. Being a trusted business advisor to my president/CEO and colleagues on strategic and tactical issues is a huge motivator for me.
Q: What initially piqued your interest in healthcare?
JK: Both my sisters are nurses. Although I dreamed of being a physician and following in their footsteps, I had too much fun my senior year and my grades suffered, so I became a medical technologist instead. Being ambitious, the lab wasn’t enough, so I decided to become a CPA and move into hospital administration and leadership where I could make an impact.
Q: How can hospital executives and physicians ensure they’re aligned around the same strategic goals?
JK: This is critical in my opinion. You have to walk a mile in the doctor’s shoes to truly understand their pain points and motivations. You also need to provide them with robust, high-quality data. Anything less is a recipe for failure. Lastly, you need to involve physicians up front, in a tangible way, when setting those goals. Anything less is just paying lip service.
Q: What is one piece of professional advice you would give to your younger self?
JK: I would tell my younger self to be patient and ride things out. Too often I have moved to another organization rather than wait to see how the situation unfolded. By acting too quickly or forcing the issue you can close yourself off to opportunities that might have otherwise become available naturally.
Q: Describe the most challenging decision you had to make as a healthcare executive. Why was it so challenging?
JK: The most challenging decision I made in healthcare was to protect my team on the corporate side of our operations during a period when new interim leadership was making politically motivated, rash decisions that were not in the best long-term interests of our hospital. I decided not to “drink the Kool-Aid” and not “throw my team under the bus” to save myself, and it cost me my role. Would I do it again? Absolutely!
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.
