David Rahija, PT, MPT, MBA, FACHE, serves as President of Skokie Hospital for North Shore University Health System.
On April 3rd, David will speak at Becker's Hospital Review 10th Annual Meeting. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference, which will take place April 1-4, 2019 in Chicago.
To learn more about the conference and David's session, click here.
Question: What do innovators/entrepreneurs from outside healthcare need to better understand about hospital and health system leaders?
David Rahija: Hospital and Health System leaders are looking for partners to meet the Mission of serving members of the community. Most health system leaders understand that we need new, and innovative, models to deliver care to the communities we serve. We are open to partnering with innovators/entrepreneurs if we can find a synergistic way to advance the Mission of the organization and deliver care that improves quality and decreases cost in an innovative way.
Q: What one strategic initiative will demand the most of your time and energy in 2019?
DR: Finding new care models that deliver on the value equation—improving quality while decreasing costs—across the entire care continuum. This focus on managing patients across the entire care continuum will necessitate looking at specialized care models that are specific for a patient population using data analytics and more longitudinal care plans to achieve results. Being able to deliver on specialized care models that continue to improve quality and decrease costs across the care continuum will be our top strategic focus in 2019.
Q: Can you share some praise with us about people you work with? What does greatness look like to you when it comes to your team?
DR: I work with an incredible, engaged team. We are looking for new and innovative ways to meet the healthcare needs of the communities we serve. Despite all of the external pressures and a rapidly changing environment, I am inspired by the people I am privileged to work with and their ability to keep our patients at the center of what we do. It is easy to get distracted by the amount and speed of change, but our team continues to innovate while ensuring we do not forget what our top priority is—providing the highest quality care and experiences to our patients.