On May 1, Michael Ugwueke, assumed the duties of president and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Memphis (Tenn.) Hospitals in addition to his role as president and COO of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare.
Here are five things to know about Mr. Ugwueke.
1. As newly appointed president and CEO of MHMH, Mr. Ugwueke oversees five hospitals and more than $790 million in assets. Methodist Germantown Hospital, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Methodist North Hospital, Methodist South Hospital, and Methodist University Hospital are licensed as one MHMH entity. In 2012, MHMH posted nearly $791 million in net assets, according to its 2012 Form 990.
2. Mr. Ugwueke was born in Nigeria and immigrated to the United States in 1980 to complete his undergraduate coursework, earning a bachelor's degree in biology from Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C. He completed his master's of public health from Emory University in Atlanta and a doctorate in health administration and leadership from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
3. Mr. Ugwueke originally had dreams of becoming a physician. "I was born in Nigeria and grew up at a time when there was much turmoil in the country. I saw a lot of death, illnesses and things of that nature, and I always was drawn to trying to do something to help. I wanted to be a doctor," he said in an interview with Memphis Medical News. However, he said there were few medical schools in Nigeria, so he started looking overseas to the United States.
After immigrating to the United States for higher education, Mr. Ugwueke received his bachelor's degree in biology and was on a pre-med track, but a shortage of funds prevented him from studying to be a physician. It was a professor, he said, that encouraged him to consider a master's degree in public health or health administration. Now, years later, Mr. Ugwueke oversees the second largest private employer in Memphis.
4. Instead of just saying patients are the priority, Mr. Ugwueke implements policies to prove it, which is how the 30-Minute Guarantee was born. When he was CEO at Methodist South Hospital, Mr. Ugwueke oversaw an emergency department renovation, which included creating a policy guaranteeing patients who come into the ED will be seen by a clinician within 30 minutes of registering. If the patient is not seen in a half hour, they receive a personal letter of apology and a gift card. The policy launched in 2007. In 2010, the same 30-Minute Guarantee was extended to Methodist North Hospital.
"Our patients deserve the best care in emergency service, because every minute is important," he said in a hospital newsletter.
5. Mr. Ugwueke emphasizes the importance of hospital-physician relationships, and he helped develop Methodist Le Bonheur's system-wide Physician Leadership Academy to help strengthen those relationships. The Physician Leadership Academy offers physicians the opportunity to develop and enhance their leadership skills. The monthly class offerings include topics such as "Building a High Performance Culture" and "Effective Physician Leadership." Mr. Ugwueke worked with the University of Tennessee Center for Executive Education in Knoxville and the American College of Physician Executives in Tampa, Fla., to develop the program with the dual goal of developing tomorrow's physician leaders and providing top-quality care. Not only did Mr. Ugwueke help develop the program, but he conducts it as well. The inaugural class consists of 24 physicians who will graduate in August. The new class begins in September.
"We work closely with our physician partners, and the Physician Leadership Academy will allow us to strengthen that partnership," Mr. Ugwueke said in a hospital news release. "As we expand our collaboration with our doctors, it will enhance our ability to provide the family-and-patient-centered care we are committed to affording each and every patient and family."
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