Workforce strategies and healthcare disruptors are just a couple things Sarah Poncelet, chair of the strategy and enterprise portfolio management office and strategic consulting services at Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, is paying attention to in 2024.

Becker's asked C-suite executives from hospitals and health systems across the U.S. to share their organization's areas of growth for the next few years. 

At the top of a recent LinkedIn article is a cartoon: An ominous T-rex in a white coat looms over two physicians. "We're from the C-suite," the title reads, "and we're here to help." 

Across the United States, healthcare systems and hospitals face extraordinary pressure to provide affordable care.  As 2022 and 2023 progressed after the pandemic, hospital leaders faced an opaque climate around the sustainability of care delivery because of healthcare inflation, staffing challenges and salary increases, all of which continued to pressure operating margins.  Despite these headwinds the demand for hospital services continues to increase, although the staffing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic linger—exacerbated by healthcare workers burnout and departures, hospital closures, hospital acquisitions by private equity firms, and consolidations.  

Executives' use of corporate jets for personal travel has skyrocketed since the pandemic's onset, The Wall Street Journal reported Jan. 16.

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to managing teams, and managers may take different approaches based on team size, organization size, organizational needs and other factors. However, one approach has risen to the surface recently: "quiet management." 

Prathibha Varkey, MBBS, is excited about the future of healthcare.

Cliff Megerian, MD, CEO of Cleveland-based University Hospitals, launched a book club for employees in 2022. Today, Cliff's Notes: A UH Book Club, which is named after Dr. Megerian, continues to evolve and grow.

With hospital margins on the rise and financial position slowly improving for many organizations, top executives are mulling near- and long-term growth strategies.

President John F. Kennedy once said, "I'm an idealist without illusions." His philosophy — striving for greatness within the margins of reality — could benefit health system leaders today, one executive told Becker's. 

Between the demands of the C-suite and the realities of the front lines, middle managers are relentlessly squeezed. 

This year, CEOs in the U.S. and globally are most worried about a recession and inflation, according to a survey from The Conference Board.

A number of hospitals and health systems appointed new CEOs early last year. Though these CEOs were new to the role and maybe even to the organization, they brought with them past experiences and lessons learned from others, which they were able to use to be a part of meaningful change during their first months on the job. 

HHS issued a final rule Jan. 9 that partially rescinds a 2019 rule that bolstered rights of healthcare workers to refuse to provide services such as abortions, gender-affirming care and contraception based on moral or religious beliefs. 

A featured panel discussion at the Becker's 11th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable revolved around the implementation of automation in healthcare to drive clinical efficiencies and help improve patient care.

The end of the year brought an exodus of board members from several hospitals. While each situation involves varying factors, they all come at a time when governing bodies are increasingly feeling burnout and the strain involved in their responsibilities.

I began my career at the University of Vermont Medical Center as an emergency department physician over 30 years ago, and I now serve as the President and Chief Operating Officer. Over my three decades here, I have seen the hospital, the practice of medicine, and the world in which we provide care continually evolve. I can say it has never been more challenging or more dangerous for caregivers to do their jobs than it is right now — and this is especially true for my emergency department colleagues. 

Hennepin (Minn.) Healthcare lost two board members last month after county commissioners placed more oversight on the health system's budget and management decisions, according to a Jan. 9 report from the StarTribune.

Tim Wentworth, CEO of Walgreens, acknowledged the company's recent store closures in a Jan. 8 interview with CNBC. But he said the company has a "leverageable asset" that will set the foundation for its health services business, well beyond its brick-and-mortar storefronts: consumer trust. 

With CEO exits at an all-time high, succession planning is top-of-mind for many hospital C-suites.