As 2016 approaches, Becker's Hospital Review asked 20 CEOs to tell us their New Year's resolution.
Below are their responses.
David Bailey, MD, President and CEO of Nemours Children's Health System (Jacksonville, Fla.)
It's really one of personal balance. I'd like to balance my physical, spiritual, emotional and mental needs. So it isn't a matter of losing weight or working less. It really is a balance.
Patrick Board, President and CEO of Union Health System (Terre Haute, Ind.)
For me, it's to continue to retool my skill set. In light of new dialogue, I can continue my reshaping of how I view the world of healthcare and what my role in that is.
Ruth Brinkley, President and CEO of KentuckyOne Health (Louisville)
My resolutions are to: Build a strong, collaborative relationship with the new governor of Kentucky and his administration, continue to integrate and grow KentuckyOne Health clinical service and product offerings to more fully advance our goal of improving the health of the persons and communities we serve, and take more time to celebrate the successes individuals and teams are making at all levels across KentuckyOne Health. From continued systemwide financial improvements to individual acts of compassion and care at the bedside, there is a lot to celebrate.
Kenneth Davis, MD, President and CEO of Mount Sinai Health System (New York City)
My resolution is to have 500,000 patients cared for under value-based contracts at Mount Sinai.
Howard Drenth, President and CEO of Presence Medical Group (Chicago)
I usually don't make New Year's resolutions, but if I had to make one, it would be to work harder at a life balance. My kids are growing into young adults and I want to spend more time with them while they are in this stage. On a personal basis, I would also love to run a half marathon as a personal goal.
Larry Kaiser, MD, President and CEO of Temple Health University Health System (Philadelphia)
For us, it is to maintain the highest quality in the care we provide to the underserved community, but also to continue to deploy technology to better allow us to care for patients in all settings. I also want to continue to be the best leader I can be, and continue to create an environment where people can reach their full potential.
Margo Karsten, PhD, CEO of Cheyenne (Wyo.) Regional Medical Center and Cheyenne Regional Medical Group
I would say to stay focused on my priorities, which are my faith, my family and my career.
Mike Kasper, CEO of DuPage Medical Group (Downers Grove, Ill.)
[DuPage's] New Year's resolution is to become the industry leader in virtual healthcare. That means not just telehealth visits, but how we communicate with our patients about test results. The industry has been slow to embrace technology and interfacing with patients in a digital manner. This doesn't replace the physician-patient relationship, but we think it has the opportunity to augment it. We're committed to not only getting into that space, but we also want to be the industry leader.
John (Jack) Lynch III, President and CEO of Main Line Health (Bryn Mawr, Pa.)
My personal one is I've lost 45 pounds over the last three months and I intend to keep them off. My New Year's resolution is to maintain my commitment to my own personal health for my benefit, my family's benefit and my institution's benefit. My institutional New Year's resolution is to lead and collaborate with my colleagues to best understand how we can further improve the quality, increase the safety and lower the cost of what is best described as exceptional care provided in this country. But it needs to be even better, even safer and less expensive. It's going to require all of us — payers, providers, pharmaceutical companies, suppliers and patients — all working together to figure out how to do that.
Mary Lou Mastro, President and CEO of Elmhurst (Ill.) Memorial Healthcare
More sleep, more exercise, less Fritos!
Joseph Mullany, CEO of Detroit Medical Center
I'd like to continue to contribute to Detroit's revitalization in lasting and meaningful ways including continuing to invest in DMC initiatives to ensure access to care for all, community outreach that creates a healthier Detroit and southeast Michigan, and collaborations in groundbreaking research with the DMC's research partners.
Lynn Nicholas, President and CEO of Massachusetts Hospital Association (Burlington)
I will be visiting six countries surrounding the Baltic Sea in June and I want to read a substantial book about each to better understand their culture before I get there. So I better get started now!
Mike Robertson, CEO of Piedmont Newnan (Ga.) Hospital
Walk or run a 5K and spend more time with my children.
Richard Roodman, CEO of Valley Medical Center (Renton, Wash.)
I have five kids, I'm married and I have a host of extended family. My New Year's resolution is to finally realize that when someone in my family says, "Hey, Dad, what do you think?" (or "Hey, hun," if it's my wife), I need to remember that they really don't want to know what I think. They want me to listen and agree with whatever they say or want.
Tomi Ryba, President and CEO of El Camino Hospital (Mountain View, Calif.)
My New Year's Resolution is to always model the way through my own life-work balance and more frequently honor the remarkable talent at El Camino Hospital in service to our community.
Cherie Sibley, CEO of Clark Regional Medical Center (Winchester, Ky.)
At Clark Regional Medical Center, our goal is to be the safest hospital in Kentucky. We were fortunate to achieve that designation by Consumer Reports this year and it is my goal to achieve it every year. To continue to provide the safest, high-quality care to our patients is very important to me and our staff. On a personal note, I strive to a) Keep the patient first in my decisions; b) To remember the golden rule — treat others as you would want to be treated, and instill that in our organization; c) Be in the moment. There are many priorities for leaders; however, it's very important to focus on the people, to listen and to be engaged.
Earl Steinberg, MD, CEO of xG Health Solutions (Columbia, Mo.)
My New Year's resolution is to get [xG Health's] first EHR software app sold and implemented in a provider site. We'd like to do it by the end of the first quarter.
Susan Turney, MD, CEO of Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic Health System
It transcends my personal and professional work. We need to stay the course during these times and stay focused on the big picture. In my mind, this is being able to do what's right to ensure the patients and communities we serve are at the center. The challenge is not being able to put our patients first.
Chris Van Gorder, President and CEO of Scripps Health (San Diego)
At the end of every day of work, I sit in my car for a few seconds before I drive home to ask myself a simple question, "Would our organization's founders — Ellen Browning Scripps and Mother Mary Michael Cummings — be proud of what I did today?" So my resolution this next year will be the same as it has been every year and every day for years. At a time of great change in healthcare — at a time when we are designing and building the future healthcare delivery system — would our founders be proud of what we are doing? And I believe that if we truly keep the patient in the center of that new model of care, they will be.
Kate Walsh, President and CEO of Boston Medical Center
Wellness is a pretty traditional New Year's resolution for all of us, but this year I'm making the resolution not just for myself but for all our staff at BMC and for the community we serve. In 2015, we launched a number of new wellness initiatives for BMC employees, because staff wellness and well-being is central to making sure we can in turn provide the best possible care for our patients. That's work we're going to continue in the year ahead. Similarly, patient wellness — and by that I mean not just treating patients when they're sick, but preventing them from getting sick in the first place. BMC has a long history of this approach. Whether a doctor writes a prescription to our in-hospital food pantry for nutritious meals, or for a bike to get exercise, or if we help patients deal with the asthma triggers in their homes, BMC caregivers work to treat the whole patient, not just the specific condition that's brought them to our hospital.