Bryan Rogers, CEO, of the Southern California hospital group for Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare, spoke with Becker's Hospital Review about the impending clinician shortage, his goals for 2020 and the leadership advice he swears by.
As group CEO, Mr. Rogers oversees Lakewood (Calif.) Regional Medical Center, Los Alamitos (Calif.) Medical Center, Fountain Valley (Calif.) Regional Medical Center and Hospital and Placentia-Linda Hospital in Placentia, Calif.
Editor's note: The following responses were lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: What is one healthcare-related issue that needs to be addressed right away?
Bryan Rogers: One of the areas I see that needs to be addressed is the shortage of clinical staff across all levels, including physicians, nurses and ancillary services. This will continue to increase as the population continues to age. Expanding training programs and allowing physician extenders to work the full scope of their license can help with this as well. This is an issue many hospitals are experiencing, and addressing this is critical to our ability to continuously provide the best patient care.
Q: As a leader, what will your professional focus be for group of hospitals you oversee in the coming year?
BR: We are always looking for ways to improve our services, and for 2020, our objective is to continue to focus on providing the highest quality of care and evaluating that based on our quality metrics. Investing in new technology and incorporating this into our systems will ensure patients are getting great care. We're also going to be looking into expanding our tertiary services lines at our hospitals, including at Lakewood Regional Medical Center, Los Alamitos Medical Center, Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center and Placentia-Linda Hospital.
Q: If you could do away with one healthcare regulation in 2020, which would it be and why?
BR: I'd like to see the state of California offer more resources to its Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development staff so approvals and turnaround time can be more swift and efficient. I believe this will allow hospitals to expand their services and address patient needs in a timely way.
Q: What is the best leadership advice you've ever gotten and how do you apply it to your professional life?
BR: My favorite quote is 'execution is the chariot of genius' by William Blake. I use it often with my management teams to remind them a great idea or concept without execution is a lost opportunity.