At the Becker's Hospital Review CEO Strategy Roundtable in Chicago on Nov. 5, Thomas Royer, MD, former president and CEO of Irving, Texas-based CHRISTUS Health, discussed transformational strategies executives should use to be successful in the new healthcare environment.
According to Dr. Royer, there are six major drivers of change in the healthcare industry, including high healthcare costs, poor quality, physician dissatisfaction, clinical technological advancements that drive inpatient volumes to outpatient, information technology and analytics, and misaligned visions between physicians of different ages, compensation levels and gender.
Despite facing these many changes, Dr. Royer believes there are steps to finding success.
"I am very comfortable in telling you that transformational strategies can be learned and transformational leadership can be developed to build on the great qualities leaders already have," said Dr. Royer.
The three transformational strategies include:
- Maximizing collaboration while minimizing competitiveness
- Aligning incentives while eradicating a win/lose mentality
- Demanding accountability for outcomes instead of measureless responsibility defined by a job description
To achieve these three transformational strategies and be successful in the new healthcare environment, individuals in the healthcare industry need to be competent, committed and passionate, according to Dr. Royer
"Healthcare leaders are working in an industry where it is very, very important to have passion and understand that they work in a sacred ministry," said Dr. Royer. "Why? Because people come into your facilities every day and turn their most precious gift over to you, the gift of their life or the lives of their children."