Broward Health CEO Gino Santorio officially took over the system in December 2018. During the past two years, the public safety-net hospital system has been plagued by improper staffing, high physician turnover, unpaid bills, legal issues and unsigned vendor contracts, among other problems. In 2016, Broward’s then-CEO died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Under Mr. Santorio’s leadership, several of Broward’s personnel and financial problems have been addressed, bringing stability back to the organization, according to the Sun Sentinel. Mr. Santorio said by controlling legal fees, renegotiating pharmaceutical and vendor contracts, and restructuring bonds, he created $31 million in savings. Broward also received a stable outlook from Standard & Poor’s, up from negative.
Still, Broward faces multiple challenges. Hospital admissions in Florida’s Broward County are down 7.6 percent, and more surgeries are moving to outpatient settings. While other Florida hospitals have issued layoffs to fend off the pressure — Miami-based Jackson Health System laid off an undisclosed number of employees in March — Mr. Santorio said such measures aren’t on Broward’s radar.
“We’ve put a very tight focus around our expenses and flexibility,” he told the Sun Sentinel. “We made sure we structured our labor with part time and full time to flex up and down without having to do a reduction in force.”
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