For Greenville, N.C.-based ECU Health CFO Andy Zukowski, working in healthcare isn't just a job, it's personal.
"I got into healthcare because my mother had a chronic illness, and I grew up as a patient and family member looking to help others," Mr. Zukowski said during a recent Becker's Healthcare podcast.
Mr. Zukowski has carried this passion with him throughout his career, and has been with ECU Health for around two years.
The health system was created in January 2022 by combining East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Health. It currently serves 29 counties and comprises around 10 hospitals and 18,000 employees. It also saw a 12% growth across the region it serves in 2024.
As ECU Health continues to grow, Mr. Zukowski said he's focused on three main healthcare trends in 2025: workforce, reimbursement models and technology.
From innovative compensation models, benefit packages and creating a solid culture, ECU Health has brought its turnover rate to below national averages and recently saw record-high recruitment of physicians.
"People first, caring culture and a winning component of continuous improvement and pursuit of excellence, that has been the secret to our success for the last two years, and we're going to continue to build upon that as we move forward," Mr. Zukowski said.
For reimbursement, Mr. Zukowski said around 70% of ECU Health's payer mix is Medicaid and Medicare population. He emphasized the importance of a value-based approach, developing strong relationships and focusing on the future to ensure people, particularly in rural areas, receive access to care.
He also stressed the need to leverage and invest in technologies like AI or EHR to maintain and improve patient care.
"It's going to change the way we run our business, and more importantly, it's going to change the makeup of our teams. It's really going to push us and how we develop our team members today to be successful in the future," he said.