Laura Kaiser serves as President and Chief Executive Officer for SSM Health.
On April 3rd, Laura 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 Laura's session, click here.
Question: What do innovators/entrepreneurs from outside healthcare need to better understand about hospital and health system leaders?
Laura Kaiser: They need to understand that we all agree the system is flawed. If any one of us had the solution, it would have been fixed by now. We need to stop viewing each other as competitors and begin working together. At SSM Health, we believe success lies in collaboration with our communities, partner organizations, federal and state governments, investors, and our patients. We are committed to being a rallying point – a place where fruitful relationships are embraced and nurtured. Only by working together can we ensure everyone has equal access to safe, high-quality and affordable care that is sustainable for future generations.
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?
LK: Success happens through people, and I am humbled to work alongside the 40,000 talented employees, physicians and volunteers who are fully committed to our Mission. As every CEO knows, an organization’s culture isn’t just defined by what you do, but how you do it – and that starts at the top. My senior leadership team includes a diverse group of individuals who are not only experts in their field, but also servant leaders. They are purposeful, supportive, collaborative and hold each other accountable to excellence. That is how I define a great team. Beyond that, they genuinely care about each other and strive to see the person behind every patient, customer, employee, physician, or partner. That is what we at SSM Health call The Healing Power of Presence.
Q: Healthcare takes a lot of heat for not innovating quickly. What's your take on this?
LK: While we all want innovation in health care to move faster, many factors slow it down –resistance to change, a complicated industry where the stakes are literally life and death, complex regulations and misaligned payment models that reward the status quo. It’s very difficult to innovate and deliver within the same space, which is why one often finds R&D functioning in a separate division or organization. We need to do both – provide excellent care and reinvent the current model. I predict continued acceleration in health care innovation through new market entrants and existing providers – both independently and in partnership.