Q&A: OU Health Inaugural CEO

Richard Lofgren, MD, MPH, FACP, will lead as the academic health system's first CEO and will draw on his extensive experience as a physician and academic health system leader.

The OU Health board of directors have announced the first CEO of the newly integrated, academic health system.

Richard Lofgren, MD, MPH, FACP, will lead the health system's strategic vision and growth, clinical and operational direction, quality and safety, financial performance, and ongoing system integration, according to a press release. He will report directly to the board of directors.

The Oklahoma health system, which was created by the merging of the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine faculty practice, University Hospitals Authority and Trust, and OU Medicine Inc., was first announced in March 2021, and anticipated a new CEO following a national search in mid-2021.

"We are very excited to announce Dr. Lofgren as the CEO of OU Health. He is uniquely qualified to lead our health system as we create a seamless experience for our patients and provide the highest-quality, research-driven healthcare," sG. Rainey Williams, Jr., board chair of the OU Health board of directors, said in a statement. "Dr. Lofgren’s experience is perfectly suited to advance our newly integrated health system as we transform health for all Oklahomans. He brings incredible experience and vision to OU Health as we transform into a single entity with leading clinical programs for the citizens of our state."

Lofgren is joining OU Health from UC Health, where he led the affiliated academic health system of the University of Cincinnati, as president and CEO. Previously, he served in physician leadership roles, focusing on strategy, healthcare redesign, and quality outcomes.

Lofgren recently spoke with HealthLeaders about his new role through an email interview. This transcript has been lightly edited.

HealthLeaders: How will your background as a physician leader help you lead as a CEO?

Richard Lofgren: Throughout my career, I’ve been guided by my passion to build a better healthcare system. Transformation and redesign where systems are created to surround the patient and care team is both challenging and rewarding work. One of the things I realized a long time ago is that the greatest challenge facing the health of the country isn’t that we don’t have great technology and great delivery systems, but we have a healthcare system that’s clumsy, difficult to navigate, increasingly not affordable, and still fails many of our citizens. So that’s always been a driver for me. 

My experiences to date are very similar to what OU Health is embarking upon. We have an incredible opportunity to bring ourselves forward as a major referral center for the region.

Being a healthcare leader provides the opportunity to create a legacy of sustainable and affordable healthcare for generations to come. Being the inaugural CEO of OU Health is an incredible opportunity to be a part of creating that legacy for Oklahoma.

HL: What are you looking forward to accomplishing in your first year as the inaugural CEO of OU Health?

Lofgren: I think the first thing I need to do is to take time to ensure that I listen and learn, to understand the organization and an appreciation of what’s there. 

That being said, it’s going to be important to start quickly in developing what is the OU Health culture. We know that we’re building a health system where we’re putting the patient at the center. (We) recognize that health care is a team sport, and we really need to fulfill this academic promise to our community and build what I think is the OU Health way: how we work and how we treat people. 

The next thing I want to focus on is the experience—the wow factor— that when people come and receive care here … they’re wowed by the experience. 

The final thing we’ll need to focus on is talent: it’s all about people. It’s all about individuals, so understanding the level of engagement that we have, how we’re going to recruit and retain, particularly in this environment, [and] develop our leaders and managers. 

HL: Do you have any additional statements you'd like to share about your new role or about OU Health?

Lofgren: I think this is an opportunity, if you will, to set the table — to really set the foundation of what it means to have an integrated system, which by definition is going to be a significant transformation. 

At OU Health, we’re going to have the opportunity to develop highly efficient systems. And I’m a firm believer that … the most efficient systems are going to produce the best outcomes in terms of quality, satisfaction, and cost to keep the burden out of the system. 

On a personal note, I am excited to come to Oklahoma City. I can’t tell you how much I think the move to create an integrated clinical enterprise is going to be wildly successful. As I told the university president, I’m confident about the success — it’s just how far and how fast.