A few health system presidents and CEOs have brought their leadership philosophies, prescriptions for healthcare reform and industry analyses to the page. Here are three healthcare leaders who have also authored books considered "must-reads" for anyone working in healthcare.
The Front-Line Leader: Building a High-Performance Organization from the Ground Up
By Chris Van Gorder, president and CEO of Scripps Health
Mr. Van Gorder begins his book by reflecting on an important lesson he's learned throughout his career: "That you can't be a distant boss and hope to be an effective leader," he wrote. "You have to connect with people. You have to put time and energy into getting to know them and their work. Not just once. Or twice. Or three times. But regularly, month after month."
In fewer than 200 pages, Mr. Van Gorder shares his leadership philosophy that motivates each of his decisions and actions. Here is someone who leads from the frontlines, prioritizes relationships with employees at every level, as well as those with patients. Published in 2015, the book shares anecdotes and advice for leaders to build more organic and authentic relationships with the people who work in their organizations. ("Make no mistake: rounding alone won't cut it," he writes.)
"I manage a $2 billion company; it's pretty easy to get distant from what you actually do if you don't work to observe the front-lines of your organization," Mr. Van Gorder told Becker's Hospital Review. "That's front-line leadership. I feel a real connection with the staff at Scripps and the doctors at Scripps; I've been to plenty of organizations where the CEO didn't have that connection. When you don't have that connection, you don't make good decisions."
All proceeds from book sales go to charity.
The Cleveland Clinic Way
By Toby Cosgrove, MD, president and CEO of Cleveland Clinic
"The Cleveland Clinic Way," published by McGraw-Hill Education, is divided into eight chapters and covers Cleveland Clinic's group practice model, use of EHRs to track patient outcomes and its focus on wellness rather than sick care. There is only mention of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the book, as Dr. Cosgrove says the impact of the healthcare legislation is still largely an unknown, and that hospitals will continue to have to do more than less.
Dr. Cosgrove's book is written in a detailed and informative style. In 200 pages, he discusses Cleveland Clinic's group practice model, preventive medicine and patient-centered care. Readers have called the book a must-read for physicians, hospital administrators and students in medical school students.
Dr. Cosgrove has worked at Cleveland Clinic for 40 years, and he's spearheaded several of the system's signature initiatives in that time. He helped emphasize the system's focus on patients: Today, anybody calling the health system is offered the opportunity to see a physician the very same day. He also developed Cleveland Clinic's Outcomes Book concept, a publicly available set of reports on individual service lines detailing clinical performance measures of the health system. And under his leadership, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine — a partnership between Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland — became the first virtually tuition-free medical school in the country.
Health Care Will Not Reform Itself
By George Halvorson, former CEO of Kaiser Permanente
Mr. Halvorson beings his book with a simple question: "Why would healthcare reform itself?" When it was published in 2009, the industry was generating $2.5 trillion in revenue. "We need to recognize the fact that if any other segment of the American economy were producing those kinds of revenue numbers, that industry would be considered a massive success."
Mr. Halvorson's 184-page book has stood the test of time with its straightforward and clear writing. The book offers sage advice to policymakers and healthcare leaders, but it also written simply enough for readers who are less familiar with the intricacies of the American healthcare system. Mr. Halvorson tackles the big ideas and stubborn problems that still very much exist in the industry, and then touches on what worked to make Kaiser Permanente an integrated system.
Mr. Halvorson retired from his role at Kaiser Permanente in December 2013. When he left, the system employed more than 17,000, operated 35 hospitals, served more than 9 million customers and had nearly $50 billion in annual revenue. Mr. Halvorson also led the development of the system's EMR.