Steven Mohr brings more than 20 years of healthcare leadership experience to Pasadena, Calif.-based Huntington Hospital, where he serves as senior vice president and CFO.
He joined the 619-bed nonprofit, community-focused regional medical center in February.
Before that, he was CFO of the Providence St. Joseph Health Los Angeles market — a $2.7 billion region of a large, multistate, nonprofit health system — a position he took in 2014.
Mr. Mohr also is the former CFO of Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center.
He earned his MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Loma Linda University.
Here, Mr. Mohr shares his goals for 2019, discusses the hospital's community engagement strategy and offers advice for other hospital finance chiefs.
Note: The following responses were lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: You joined Huntington in February. What has your experience been like so far?
Steven Mohr: Everyone at Huntington Hospital has been so warm and welcoming. The organization truly embodies the compassionate community care we are known for. One of the areas I admire the most is our volunteer services. They really make such a big difference in patient and family experience.
Q: What is the greatest challenge hospital CFOs face today, and how will you address it at Huntington?
SM: One of our greatest challenges, specifically, is managing the pivot from inpatient to outpatient services. It is vital that we understand how we can expand ambulatory services into the communities we service that are patient-friendly, convenient, high quality and economically sustainable.
Another challenge, or goal, we have is to build strategy around our partnerships with local and national organizations. Our compassionate community care goes beyond the hospital walls. We have broadened our partnerships with primary and specialty care, as well as outpatient surgery, imaging and cancer treatment — all to provide our community with the highest level of care, under one Huntington umbrella.
Q: What philosophies, events or people influence your leadership style?
SM: I’ve been blessed with tremendous mentorship by excellent leaders throughout my 20 years in healthcare management. I like to deal with issues head-on but with a very even-keeled approach. I have a positive outlook on the people I work with. I firmly believe that positivity helps people see possibility. I also think it's important to actively solicit feedback from peers at all levels.
Q: Huntington is the largest level 2 trauma center in the area. How does this affect your financial strategy?
SM: I see our trauma services as less of a financial strategy and more of a community engagement strategy. We are home to the largest emergency department and only level 2 trauma center in the San Gabriel Valley. This makes us the preferred and primary access point for the community, which we take seriously. Over 70,000 patients seek emergency care here every year, the majority of whom suffer medical problems or injuries requiring swift and effective treatment. With this responsibility, we invest in our state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment technologies to provide our community with the highest level of care when they need it most.
Q: What is your top goal for 2019?
SM: Being new to Huntington Hospital, my goal has been to understand the organization and dive into strategy and development by integrating financial strategy within organizational goals.
Q: If you could pass along a piece of advice to another hospital CFO, what would it be?
SM: A piece of advice I would give is to not to take yourself too seriously and stay grounded. Hospital CFOs have an important function, but it doesn’t outweigh the hard work and dedication of our employees, nurses, physicians and volunteers.
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