A poll late last year found nearly two-thirds of hospital CEOs hired this year will have little to no healthcare experience. More and more, experts say outside hires with acumen in other fields could prove beneficial to healthcare, as these leaders can buck the status quo and bring a fresh perspective to challenges facing hospitals.
The following executives share one thing in common: They did not start out on the healthcare track. Rather, they began their careers in law, banking, public service, hospitality and finance. Some have held their positions with hospitals or health systems for several years, whereas others were recently appointed. Each has an interesting story.
1. Dan Evans, JD, president and CEO of Indiana University Health (Indianapolis). Mr. Evans has led IU Health since 2002, when it was known as Clarian Health. IU Health includes more than 20 partner hospitals throughout the state. Before his appointment, served on IU Health's board of directors and as chairman from 2000 through 2002. Mr. Evans was previously a partner with Indianapolis-based law firm Baker & Daniels. The firm included more than 300 professionals, and it merged with Minneapolis-based Faegre & Benson in 2012 to form Faegre Baker Daniels. Mr. Evans, an Indianapolis native, earned his JD from Indiana University School of Law in 1976.
2. Mike Keating, JD, president and CEO of Christ Hospital Health Network (Cincinnati). Mr. Keating was selected to lead Christ Hospital Health Network, the parent company to 555-bed Christ Hospital, in March 2013. Upon his appointment, the network's board described this life-long Cincinnati resident as a "respected business and civic leader." He served as a board member of The Christ Hospital for more than 21 years in addition to his role as co-founder and managing partner of a private investment firm. Before that, he was executive vice president of Fifth Third Bancorp, overseeing the bank's investment management business and other administrative functions. Mr. Keating began his career as an attorney with the Cincinnati-based firm Graydon Head, where he became partner and focused on mergers and acquisitions, federal and state securities laws and general corporate business.
3. Carlos Migoya, president and CEO of Jackson Health System (Miami). When Mr. Migoya began his tenure as president and CEO of Jackson Health System in May 2011, he had no prior healthcare experience. Instead, the longtime Miami resident brought more than 35 years of banking expertise to the public health system, which was experiencing severe financial trouble at the time of his appointment to the C-suite: It lost $419 million over the prior three years. But after Mr. Migoya's first full year, Jackson turned out an $8.2 million surplus in the fiscal year.
Before his work with the health system, Mr. Migoya previously served as city manager in Miami, tackling the city's budget issues. Before this, he rose through the ranks of Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia, the financial services company acquired by Wells Fargo in 2008. He worked as a bank teller, then as a regional president and CEO, overseeing the company's banking in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. "I see a lot of similarities between the two industries," he told Becker's Hospital Review in 2012. "I think what the banking business has done, and what healthcare is doing more of, is making sure we're more accessible to our customers. I'm going to use the word 'customer' instead of patient, because at the end of the day, they're the same thing."
4. Anthony Spezia, president and CEO of Covenant Health (Knoxville, Tenn.). Mr. Spezia has led based nonprofit Covenant Health as president and CEO since 2000, four years after the system formed from the consolidation of two local networks. Covenant Health includes nine acute-care hospitals, along with numerous outpatient clinics and specialty services, and affiliated physician practices. But Mr. Spezia wasn't always on the healthcare track: He began his career as an auditor and consultant for Arthur Andersen & Co. The St. Louis native also served for nine years as a senior executive with a major coal and energy company headquartered in Detroit. Immediately prior to joining Covenant Health, he owned and operated a consulting business specializing in business start-ups and turnarounds.
"I've had essentially four different business careers," he told Becker's Hospital Review. "For the first 20 years, I wasn't in healthcare at all, and I may be the only health system CEO in the country that has never run an acute-care hospital. One thing you learn from diverse business experiences is that the larger the organization you work for, the more you need to be able to balance interests, take input, build a strong staff and delegate, and finally, develop and implement a sound strategy. Success is built around that and around the culture you set, as opposed to the technical knowledge you might have."
5. Gerard van Grinsven, president and CEO of Cancer Treatment Centers of America (Tulsa, Okla.). Mr. van Grinsven joined CTCA in his current role in July 2013. Before then, he was president and CEO of Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital in Detroit for seven years. Mr. van Grinsven has more than 25 years of experience in the luxury hospitality industry. Before he began work with Henry Ford, he served as vice president and area general manager for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Dearborn, Mich., and as vice president and area general manager of Ritz-Carlton hotels in Cleveland, St. Louis and Philadelphia. Throughout his career, Mr. van Grinsven has opened 20 Ritz-Carlton properties worldwide.
When he was with Henry Ford, Mr. van Grinsven told Becker's Hospital Review the healthcare and hospitality industries are about developing relationships and creating memorable experiences for customers. "We want all our guests to feel like they want to come here, instead of feeling like they have to come here. To achieve this, we have offerings to enliven the senses and provide a healing environment, creating a community center for well-being."
6. Chris Van Gorder, CEO of Scripps Health (San Diego). Mr. Van Gorder's career began as a police officer. He was injured in a car accident while responding to a domestic disturbance call in 1978 and spent about a year as a patient in Orthopaedic Hospital in Los Angeles. The police department retired Mr. Van Gorder, so he switched tracks and started work as the department director of safety and security at Orthopaedic Hospital, the very place in which he'd recovered. In 1986, he earned a master's in hospital services administration from the University of Southern California and later grew into an executive role at Anaheim (Calif.) Memorial Medical Center. He became CEO of five-hospital Scripps in 2000. Throughout his tenure, he's led the system through a $150 million financial turnaround and has served as chairman of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
"Honestly, I thought I'd like healthcare — that's one thing that drew me into this position. The other is that I needed a job," he told Becker's Hospital Review in 2011. "As a former policeman, I've always been interested in public service, so I applied for a job at the same hospital that had cared for me. The CEO said to me, 'You really haven't done that much in healthcare,' and I asked him to give me a shot. Give me minimum wage and 90 days and I'll prove to you that you have not made a mistake. After 90 days he said, 'You're right. You're good at this.' I realized shortly thereafter that I had found my calling."
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