Three healthcare executives discussed signs of leading health systems (and how to remain as such) at the Becker's Hospital Review 5th Annual Meeting in Chicago.
The panel discussion featured Bill Leaver, president and CEO of West Des Moines, Iowa-based UnityPoint Health, Diane Appleyard, president and CEO of the Healthcare Institute, a national think tank of health system executives, and Deborah Proctor, president and CEO of St. Joseph Health in Irvine, Calif., and chairperson of the Catholic Health Association. The panel was moderated by Chuck Lauer, former publisher of Modern Healthcare.
Below are four thoughts and themes that emerged throughout the panel discussion.
1. Great systems have crystal clear visions and missions. Ms. Proctor leads St. Joseph Health, a 16-hospital system that was founded in 1912. She said the single biggest thing for about her organization is its incredible focus on mission: "We are clear on what the mission is and why we exist. The mission has never changed." This is something supported by the health system's affiliation with the Sisters of St. Joseph Orange, a Catholic congregation that was formed nearly 400 years ago. Ms. Proctor says her organization "ties" itself to that history.
Mr. Leaver said UnityPoint, formerly known as Iowa Health System, decided in 2009 to shift its strategy from that of a hospital-centric system to a patient-centered and physician-driven integrated delivery network.
"We changed our vision statement maybe a year before that," said Mr. Leaver. "The vision [before] was 10 sentences. I couldn't tell you what it meant or what it was supposed to inspire. We changed the vision, believing [that in the] longterm, we would not get paid for bad outcomes. We had to create reliability." That revamped vision is: "Best outcome for every patient, every time."
2. Great systems have engaged, energetic leaders who are comfortable with ambiguity. Ms. Appleyard said every time a health system executive raises an idea he or she believes to be brand new, they only discover two or three people have done it before and have ideas and advice to share. "The overall thing I'd say is that I see in our leadership great energy and great enthusiasm," she said. "There are many challenges, but underneath that is opportunity. We are now about the much broader picture, beyond the walls of the hospital."
Ms. Proctor said healthcare used to have a lot of leaders who wanted to know exactly what to expect. "They wanted to see a straight line," she said. "I don't know about you, but I haven't seen a straight line in a long time. Leaders [now must] live in ambiguity and live in it comfortably." She said rather than defining oneself as an optimist or pessimist, leaders should focus on how they perform in uncertainty. "It's a very healthy place to be," she said.
3. Great systems bring a wide lens when defining who they serve. When Mr. Lauer asked Ms. Proctor if St. Joseph is patient centered, she said she didn't see that as the most accurate description. "The reason I didn't jump on that is we have defined ourselves as community-centered. A lot of people may not be our patients, but they are still in our community," she said. "We are no longer thinking about running hospitals. We are an integrated network of care in the communities we serve."
4. Great systems have board members and executives who aren't hospital-centric. Mr. Leaver said health system boards now have responsibility for sites they can't see. "I tell executives, 'Quite frankly, get out of the hospital. I don't even want you in the hospital,'" he said. "That's a very different view, and I grew up running hospitals, so I understand that [traditional] perspective." Mr. Leaver emphasized that health system's senior leaders and board members cannot sit in their offices or walk the halls and see everything for which they're responsible.
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