For Dan Barbee, BSN, CEO of University of Toledo (Ohio) Medical Center, returning to the organization was more familiar than unexpected.
“The biggest surprise is that there was no big surprise,” he said. “The success of any enterprise, be it a car wash or a multibillion-dollar health system, is predicated entirely on culture, and culture is the product of high-integrity, dedicated and committed people leading high-integrity, dedicated and committed people.”
Mr. Barbee returned to the role in November after previously serving as CEO from 2016 to 2020. Between those tenures, he served as president of rural markets at Cincinnati-based Bon Secours Mercy Health.
“Boomerang” CEOs — leaders who rejoin an organization after time away — are not unheard of in healthcare. Becker’s has reported on similar appointments at hospitals and health systems in the past year, and the trend has surfaced across industries, including at Disney and Starbucks.
In August, Lisa Lovelace became the first woman to serve as CEO of Vitruvian Health-Bradley Medical Center in Cleveland, Tenn., where she had previously held roles as COO and assistant CEO. The structure of Vitruvian Health — large enough to provide a full continuum of care, yet small enough to remain nimble — has allowed for a fresh approach to strategic development, Ms. Lovelace said.
“As I returned to Bradley, the leadership team has focused on meeting with community stakeholders, listening to community needs and considering the feedback in our strategic and patient experience plans,” she told Becker’s. “By putting the patient first, which starts with community awareness and input, strategic direction and implementation becomes much clearer.”
Since rejoining, Vitruvian Health’s core values and culture of compassion, integrity and professionalism have influenced how she approaches leadership, she added.
Mr. Barbee said during his time away from University of Toledo Medical Center, he learned a key lesson about competition.
“As healthcare leaders, we need to understand that the competition and the greater threats to our ability to provide access to affordable high-quality care is not the hospital across town,” he said. “It’s third-party payers, big pharma and our own state and federal healthcare policies. We need to work collaboratively and prioritize the people we serve, not the pursuit of market share.”
