Mark R. Laret has led UCSF Medical Center as CEO since April 2000. One of the world's most renowned healthcare facilities, UCSF Medical Center is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 10 hospitals in the nation. In June, Mr. Laret was ranked by Becker's Hospital Review as one of "60 Leaders of the Best Hospitals in America."
In a February interview with Becker's Hospital Review, Mr. Laret discussed his tenure with UCSF Medical Center and the hospital's rise from near financial ruin to recent success. When Mr. Laret was brought in to lead the hospital in 2000, UCSF was recovering from a brief and disastrous merger with Stanford Hospitals & Clinics. The hospital was losing $1.5 million a week and employees were angry with the administration. But despite those problems, Mr. Laret saw the hospital had the fundamentals to become great — a strong physician faculty, an excellent nursing staff and a status as the dominant provider of complex organ transplants in the area.
In order to start the hospital's turnaround, Mr. Laret selected a management team to lead the organization. "After management was selected, the challenge is getting the entire organization, not just the staff, but the medical staff and academic leadership, all on the same page in terms of what it is we're trying to do here."
He also appointed a non-fiduciary advisory board that included senior leaders in the San Francisco community, which helped him focus the hospital's priorities and make difficult decisions when necessary. Ten years later, the hospital enjoys an excellent reputation and financial success. Mr. Laret says he attributes this success not only to the successful turnaround but to the hospital's "relentless" dedication to quality and safety. "Most gratifying, beyond hospital rankings, is the difference that our organization can make in an individual's life — a death that is dignified, saving someone who otherwise would not have made it or being able to introduce a new medical technology," he said.
Prior to joining UCSF, Mr. Laret served in a variety of leadership position sat UCLA Medical Center from 1980 to 1995. From 1995 to 2000, he was CEO of UC Irvine Medical Center, where he led a business turnaround that resulted in improvements in quality of care, patient satisfaction and financial performance.
In addition to his work with UCSF, Mr. Laret sits on the board of trustees of the California Hospital Association and is a former chair of the Hospital Council of North and Central California. He also co-chairs the San Francisco African American Health Disparity Project, which works to improve the health status and access to care of African Americans.
Mr. Laret earned his master's degree in political science from the University of Southern California.
Read more about notable hospital leaders:
-Hospital Leader to Know: Dr. Elliot Sussman of Lehigh Valley Health Network
-Hospital Leader to Know: George Halvorson of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan
In a February interview with Becker's Hospital Review, Mr. Laret discussed his tenure with UCSF Medical Center and the hospital's rise from near financial ruin to recent success. When Mr. Laret was brought in to lead the hospital in 2000, UCSF was recovering from a brief and disastrous merger with Stanford Hospitals & Clinics. The hospital was losing $1.5 million a week and employees were angry with the administration. But despite those problems, Mr. Laret saw the hospital had the fundamentals to become great — a strong physician faculty, an excellent nursing staff and a status as the dominant provider of complex organ transplants in the area.
In order to start the hospital's turnaround, Mr. Laret selected a management team to lead the organization. "After management was selected, the challenge is getting the entire organization, not just the staff, but the medical staff and academic leadership, all on the same page in terms of what it is we're trying to do here."
He also appointed a non-fiduciary advisory board that included senior leaders in the San Francisco community, which helped him focus the hospital's priorities and make difficult decisions when necessary. Ten years later, the hospital enjoys an excellent reputation and financial success. Mr. Laret says he attributes this success not only to the successful turnaround but to the hospital's "relentless" dedication to quality and safety. "Most gratifying, beyond hospital rankings, is the difference that our organization can make in an individual's life — a death that is dignified, saving someone who otherwise would not have made it or being able to introduce a new medical technology," he said.
Prior to joining UCSF, Mr. Laret served in a variety of leadership position sat UCLA Medical Center from 1980 to 1995. From 1995 to 2000, he was CEO of UC Irvine Medical Center, where he led a business turnaround that resulted in improvements in quality of care, patient satisfaction and financial performance.
In addition to his work with UCSF, Mr. Laret sits on the board of trustees of the California Hospital Association and is a former chair of the Hospital Council of North and Central California. He also co-chairs the San Francisco African American Health Disparity Project, which works to improve the health status and access to care of African Americans.
Mr. Laret earned his master's degree in political science from the University of Southern California.
Read more about notable hospital leaders:
-Hospital Leader to Know: Dr. Elliot Sussman of Lehigh Valley Health Network
-Hospital Leader to Know: George Halvorson of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan