Hospital and health system CEOs are planning their strategies to build a strong C-suite over the next five years to meet today’s healthcare needs.
Becker’s connected with four CEOs to learn the steps they are taking now for long-term leadership strength.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Michael Backus. President and CEO of Oswego (N.Y.) Health: Our strategy to build a strong C-suite over the next five years is to recruit and develop leaders who are nimble, connected and authentic. With HR1 changing healthcare dramatically in the next five years, AI disruption, cost pressures and rising consumer expectations, we need leaders who can make decisions quickly and confidently. We are data-driven operators, strategic thinkers and emotionally engaged culture builders. This C-suite — and others like them that are successful — is embedded with front-line teams, not cloistered in the boardroom. This ensures decisions reflect realities of patient care. In short, our leadership team is fast, relational and real to the people who matter most: our patients and our caregivers.
Aimee Brewer. President and CEO Sturdy Health (Attleboro, Mass.): At Sturdy Health, we have been and will be focused on developing a C-suite that is intensely focused on strategy and execution, leaders who can see the system as a whole and translate vision into measurable outcomes. We spend a significant amount of time planning for a different model of care that prioritizes innovation, integration and sustainability.
We’re also committed to continuous learning, focused on leading change, responsible risk taking, and exploring how technology and AI should be thoughtfully incorporated to enhance patient experience and outcomes, and support our physicians, clinicians and team members.
Mentorship between senior executives and directors ensures our next generation of leaders understand system-level decision making and can carry forward our mission with confidence and creativity.
Ultimately, we’re shaping a team that balances strategic transformation with disciplined follow-through, a leadership group that not only drives performance today but designs the healthcare system we’ll need tomorrow.
Hector Hernandez, MD. CEO of East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital and Community Hospital of Huntington Park (Calif.): To build a resilient C-suite over the next five years, we must embrace flexibility, connect with emerging generations — who will make up over 75% of the workforce by 2030 — and embed AI into our strategic and operational decisions, especially as AI adoption in healthcare is projected to grow by over 40% annually.
My leadership approach is rooted in presence: walking the halls, listening to staff and patients, and translating cultural insights into executive action. This hands-on engagement ensures our leadership remains adaptive, empathetic and aligned with the evolving demands of healthcare delivery.
Aaron Rogers. CEO of Mountain Communities Healthcare District (Weaverville, Calif.): My strategy to build a strong C-suite over the next five years is to retain the strong team we currently have. Our current C-suite has been 100% consistent for the past seven years. We get along, trust each other, respect each other, form a unified front that all care for our entire staff, and have all made it through many challenging times (even COVID) together as a team. Retaining great people is the key to a consistently strong and successful organization.
