Health systems are appointing and elevating chief transformation officers to lead growth strategies and change management efforts.
"Healthcare is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by technological advancements, regulatory changes and evolving expectations," Ebrahim Barkoudah, MD, system chief and regional chief medical officer of Baystate Health in Springfield, Mass., told Becker's. "To navigate this dynamic environment successfully, we need team members skilled in leading organizational change, managing resistance and fostering a culture of adaptability and innovation."
Baystate Health recently created the chief transformation officer role "to drive short-term improvement and sustainably embed change/transition management into the organization," said Peter Banko, president and CEO of Baystate Health.
The health system's senior leadership team spent two months optimizing the operating model to best position it for the next two years and beyond. The CTO, along with the health system's inaugural chief administrative officer, will ensure their structure is successful.
"Our design principles align on building a high-performing, consumer obsessed, clinically-driving and physician-led health system and aligning on caregiver engagement, streamlined decision-making and cost effectiveness," said Mr. Banko. "To move in that direction, we created a senior dyad partnership between the COO and chief physician executive to drive discipline and excellence in acute, ambulatory and academic operations."
Bill Pack, CFO of Conway (Ark.) Regional Health System, also sees transformation as a big area of focus in the next few years. The health system aims to add a chief digital transformation officer with a background in IT strategy, digital healthcare technology integration and process automation.
"My leadership team will likely evolve to adapt to the fast-changing healthcare environment over the next two years," said Mr. Pack. "This evolution will focus on key areas such as data-driven decision-making, technology integration, value-based care and workforce efficiency."
He is also promoting flexibility in leadership and decision-making, elevating leaders who can adapt quickly to reimbursement and regulatory changes as well as the evolving market pressures.
Debra Fields, chief transformation officer at City of Hope in Duarte, Calif., is keeping her team at the cutting edge of shifts in policy, technology and clinical advancement. Her team includes leaders from the legal, marketing, communications, human resources, diversity, equity and inclusion departments as well as program management and change enablement.
"Over the next two years, we will continue to transform how we work, collaborating more closely and continuing to integrate core capabilities so that we will position our national cancer organization to deliver on its vision: expanding access and accelerating impactful innovation," she said.
She is also focused on building strong partnerships with operational leaders to make progress toward strategic priorities and strengthening the culture of compassion, integrity and trailblazing.
"By fostering an environment that brings out the best in the exceptional people working to conquer cancer, we will most effectively serve our patients and families, especially in a world that is changing so rapidly," said Ms. Fields.