It is not often that a hospital president gets their start in an outside industry. For Marty Boryszak, the logistics of transporting packages proved to be beneficial experience for healthcare operations.
Mr. Boryszak worked at UPS for 12 years in various finance and operations positions. He joined Buffalo, N.Y.-based Catholic Health in 2009 as director of finance before being named CEO of Sisters of Charity Hospital, also in Buffalo. Today, he is the system's senior vice president of acute care and president of Mercy Hospital of Buffalo.
Cross-industry roles
Michelle Johnson, a senior partner at executive search firm WittKieffer, told Becker's that while there are relatively few examples of executives being hired from outside healthcare, it is not unprecedented.
The trend has been most prevalent in roles such as finance, IT and information security, legal and human resources because the skills translate well across industries, she said.
Some new-to-healthcare leaders have found success in operational roles with organizations that are seeking a different perspective on how to run hospitals and health systems more efficiently, Ms. Johnson said.
"This is still more the exception than the rule, but it's indicative of healthcare organizations getting creative around leadership and hiring to ensure success in a more challenging environment," she said.
Connections between industries
As UPS' regional finance and operations director, Mr. Boryszak determined the most efficient ways to transport packages to customers. There are a lot of similarities between this work and logistical concerns for coordinating patient care, he told Becker's.
His previous logistical experience has proved beneficial in tackling issues such as the most efficient ways to get patients to their appointments or from the hospital to a nursing home, for example.
The most difficult aspect of his transition to healthcare was revenue, Mr. Boryszak said, given that half of that revenue is determined through government payers.
"Trying to figure out where your dollar is coming from and your inability to set your own prices makes it hard for you to keep up with inflationary expenses," he said. "We don't have the ability to flip a switch and just raise our prices."
An attraction to healthcare
Many people are drawn to healthcare because it aligns with their values and sense of purpose. This trend has risen in recent years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Johnson said.
"Many capable executives with transferable skills may lack industry experience but understandably see healthcare leadership as a way to do good for individuals, communities, and society as a whole," she said.
For Mr. Boryszak, part of his curiosity in healthcare stemmed from an interest in figuring out a better way to take care of people. Another part came from his mother's 42-year career as a nurse at Catholic Health, he said.
The industry itself also fascinated him, especially with respect to economic and political issues.
"Healthcare is one of the more pervasive industries that, regardless of whether you're in the private or the public sector, it is going to impact everything that we do," Mr. Boryszak said.