Sarah Criger, David Joos, and Kelly Spratt will all serve in new roles within the health system.
Minneapolis-based Allina Health has announced new leadership appointments for the health system and its flagship hospital, Abbott Northwestern Hospital.
Sara Criger, who has served as the vice president of operations for Allina Health since 2012, has been promoted to lead the health system's acute care services. In her new role as senior vice president of operations and acute care services, she will provide executive leadership to 11 Allina Health system hospitals, including Allina Health Emergency Medical Services, Allina's Mental Health and Addiction Services, and Cardiovascular Clinical Service Lines.
"Sara is an experienced connector, influencer, and innovator who has dedicated her career to improving the health of the communities we serve," Allina Health CEO, Lisa Shannon, said in a statement. "The leadership and vision Sara brings to this new role will help us accelerate Allina Health’s transformation journey to deliver seamlessly connected care for the most complex patients across our system and region."
Previously, Criger served in other leadership roles in Allina Health, including serving as president of Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, and president of United Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Over her three-decade career, she also served as vice president of HealthEast Care System (now M Health Fairview) and CEO of St. Joseph's Hospital (now M Health Fairview St. Joseph's Hospital), both located in St. Paul, Minnesota.
"I am honored to lead Allina Health’s Acute Care Services at this transformational time," Criger said in a statement. "I have spent my career building programs and systems to improve care and make it more equitable and accessible. I am excited to continue our innovative work to increase integrated care and transform care delivery throughout our system, so we can continue providing excellent care to our communities and our region for generations to come."
David Joos, who currently serves as vice president of operations of Abbott Northwestern Hospital, has been promoted to president of Abbott Northwestern Hospital. He will succeed Ann Madden Rice who announced at the beginning of the year that she will retire as president in May.
"We are grateful to have David take on this new position. He came to Allina Health with a strong record of consistently delivering excellence in healthcare business development, change management, and leadership development," Criger said in a statement. "While at Abbott Northwestern, he’s navigated an exceedingly difficult time in healthcare by working in partnership with leaders, staff, and physicians to provide a new level of support so our teams can continue to focus on delivering the best care for our patients and supporting the community we serve."
Joos has more than two decades of experience serving in healthcare administration. Before joining Allina Health in 2018, he served as vice president of operations at KentuckyOne Health in Louisville, Kentucky. Prior to that, he led patient access, outpatient services, and operations at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and OhioHealth in Columbus, Ohio.
"It is a great honor to begin this new role with Allina Health at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. It is an outstanding team, and it’s clear why the work of the medical staff at Abbott Northwestern Hospital is recognized among the top in the nation. The commitment to realizing all the connected needs of a patient and the focus on delivering seamless whole-person care are consistently carried out at Abbott Northwestern Hospital," Joos said in a statement. "I’m excited to be part of a transformative time for Abbott Northwestern Hospital as we revitalize the campus to better care for patients and strengthen our commitment to the community we serve."
Kelly Spratt, current president of Allina Health's Buffalo Hospital in Buffalo, Minnesota, and Cambridge Medical Center in Cambridge, Minnesota, will serve as the new vice president of operations at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, succeeding Joos on Monday, April 25.
In his new role, he will oversee the hospital's perioperative services, ancillary services, and support services and facilities. He will also oversee the design and commissioning of the hospital's new critical care and surgical tower, which will be constructed over the next several years.
"Kelly has provided exceptional leadership to the teams at Buffalo Hospital and Cambridge Medical Center the past three years. Additionally, the support he has provided to Allina Health Corporate Security and Emergency Management has had a positive impact across the entire organization," Criger said in a statement. "We are so pleased that his leadership will further benefit our teams and those we serve through our advanced programs at Abbott Northwestern Hospital."
Following Spratt's departure from Buffalo Hospital and Cambridge Medical Center, Josh Shepard, the director of operations at the two hospitals, will serve as the interim president while a permanent search is conducted.
"I am honored to have been selected to help provide leadership at Allina Health’s flagship hospital," Spratt said in a statement. "Abbott Northwestern Hospital has embarked on a major growth and modernization project that includes the new Central Utilities Plant and the coming Critical Care and Surgical Pavilion. I am excited to continue being part of our organizational commitment to redefine health care and working with the team to transform Abbott Northwestern’s patient facilities to provide care for the next 50 years—in a neighborhood we’ve called home for more than 140 years."
Adam Burns shares insights on using interim executive leadership for hospitals and health systems during the current talent pool shortage.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and an article from WittKieffer, 11,000 people in the United States retire each day. Additionally, the Pew Research Center found in 2020 there was an increase in Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) leaving the workforce and retiring. Turnover rates are also seeing a rise; it's estimated that people will change jobs more than a dozen times during their careers.
Those numbers are all increasing, which is creating challenges in filling hospital and health system leadership roles. Add a pandemic to the already dicey mix, which has caused increased burnout and has caused some CEOs to temporarily put off their retirement until now, and the landscape for hiring and maintaining C-suite roles is changing.
While succession planning for C-suite and upper management positions in hospitals and health systems is an important strategy that should constantly be refreshed, what if things don't go according to plan? With the candidate pool dwindling for CEO spots, there's another plan of action that organizations can take to secure temporary leadership if their succession plan falls through: interim leadership.
The Changing Landscape
Over the past 5 to 10 years, interim leadership has grown, Adam Burns, a principal in WittKieffer's Interim Leadership Practice, recently told HealthLeaders. In the past, it was primarily used at the director level and manager positions, but there has been a change in the landscape.
"Over the last three years, the demand for interim C-suite leaders has been increasing, that's a direct result as a lot of those folks who are baby boomers are exiting the workforce. And so, they're leaving, there's not an internal successor in place, they will typically look to us or another company or even maybe an independent consultant to fill that position on an interim basis," he said.
The healthcare industry is feeling the effect of the great resignation, Burns said. "For a lot of organizations, it is daunting that they're seeing so many leaders leave. Especially if you have a CEO leave, there's always a trickledown effect. But what we've tried to encourage our hospital and health system clients to see is while there's going to be change, and the access to leaders on a permanent basis might be a little bit more difficult, you also have the opportunity [to tap into] probably the biggest talent pool in history on an interim basis when you need it."
In the past, there was a slight stigma around interim leadership, he explained. But that also has changed. What the industry is seeing now is that experienced executives will retire, but then will be available for interim leadership work.
Interim work has given a lot more flexibility to retired executives who are not ready to fully leave the workforce and enables experienced CEOs to work on limited-term engagements while also freeing up time during the rest of the year.
Being an interim leader is also a new challenge, Burns said.
"There are also aspects, politically, in an organization that is different than when you come in as an interim," he said. "As an interim, you're a little bit more free to look at things objectively, and make recommendations without fear. The freedom to be able to contribute freely, serve as a change agent, is also something that is exciting to people who have spent the prior three decades of their career in a position long-term, where usually you're not given the same freedom to work like you would in an interim role."
Opportunities and Risks
Interim leadership gives organizations a leg up if there's a gap in their succession plan, and if there is a critical leadership position that they can't fill with in-house talent.
"Interim leaders offer a ready-now solution to come in and help, usually in less than two weeks' notice. It's an on-demand solution," Burns said.
Using interim leadership also allows organizations to tap into a larger talent pool to find someone who has experiences that they may not be able to get on a permanent basis, he added. This allows the organization to utilize a leader's experience or particular skillset for a finite period of time.
"If they have a specific project challenge or something that they need help with, it's a lot more feasible and can make more economic sense to bring someone in on an interim basis, instead of going out to market and spending many months trying to fill a permanent role," he added.
There are also risks associated with bringing in interim leadership to a hospital and health system. Burns suggests that organizations should be mindful if there will be any organizational resistance from staff. If there is, organizations "have to have a very particular interim leader with a specific leadership style and personality that can come in and make that work," Burns said.
"In summary, the main risk to be aware of is what's the internal reaction of the staff going to be. Also, just be mindful of how they are going to feel that there's someone who believes that they should be considered for that role, and they're getting passed up for someone outside of the organization," he said.
While it's typical that interim leadership stays a short-term solution, interim CEOs have also been made permanent leaders in the past. Just this past month, Flagler Health+ appointed their interim president and CEO, Carlton DeVooght, as their permanent leader only 20 days after naming him as a temporary leader.
"What I attribute to the increase in this conversion from interim to permanent happening is just the shortage of leaders right now in the market," Burns said. "[Then the organizations] bring in an interim to plug the gap, but when they find someone great, and they have that option there, they're making aggressive offers to keep them even if they know it might be a two-year employment stint because it's so difficult to find talent in the market right now."
This at least gives the organization a reasonable, short-term solution instead of having to wait and conduct a six-month search for a permanent leader.
Interim leadership as Plan "B"
Interim leadership should be a secondary option to succession planning, Burns said.
"In doing succession planning the right way, [organizations] should have candidates identified for their most critical roles. Maybe that's five, maybe that's six at the senior level that they've identified as the most critical. Ideally, they'll have folks internally that they're developing and they have targeted to fill one of those critical roles," he said.
"Often, that's not the case, or things change unexpectedly. Those leaders who are being prepared go elsewhere when they have an opportunity," he added.
This is where interim leadership comes in. If there is a gap in your organization's succession plan, or things don't go according to plan, it's a great way to access a talent pool that is able to temporarily fill in.
"Know who to call, know what your options are, and what the timeline would be to fill that position in the event that you need it and that your internal options have not worked out," he said.
Transactions in this year's first quarter are continuing on trend, but there's been a decline in "mega mergers."
There were 12 announced M&A transactions during the first quarter of 2022, according to a recent Kaufman Hall report.
This is on trend with fewer M&A transactions happening each quarter during the pandemic, but this is also a departure from the high percentage of "mega" transactions seen during the pandemic, according to the M&A Quarterly Activity Report: Q1 2022.
"The pandemic has affirmed the imperatives of scale and we expect that this quarter's results will prove to be an anomaly as we (hopefully) move beyond the COVID-related distractions that health systems have faced over the past two years," the report authors write.
M&A activity in Q1 of this year is similar to Q1 of 2021, which had 13 announced transactions. This is much smaller in comparison to 2016 through 2020, where there were between 25 and 30 announced transactions in the first quarter.
Additionally, the report found:
Seven (58%) of the transactions had for-profit sellers, which is an all-time high, according to Kaufman Hall.
Only one transaction during the quarter had a for-profit acquirer.
The remaining 11 acquirers were nonprofit health systems (two of them being academic or university affiliated, and three of them being religiously affiliated).
California-based Prospect Medical Holdings is selling seven hospitals, exiting two out of the three states it currently has hospitals in. In one transaction, Prospect is selling four hospitals from Pennsylvania-based Crozer Health to ChristianaCare. Additionally, it is selling Connecticut-based Waterbury Health and Eastern Connecticut Health Network, three hospitals total, to Yale New Haven Health. Both transactions will return the seven hospitals back to nonprofit status following the close of the transactions.
Additionally, LifePoint Health, Community Health System, and Pipeline Health also announced transactions in Q1.
There were no "mega" M&A transactions announced this quarter, and in fact, the report found that transactions this quarter were all smaller than other quarterly transactions we've seen during the pandemic.
The report found that:
In four of the transactions, the smaller party's revenue, on average, were below $100 million.
Six of the involved parties have revenues between $100 million and$500 million.
Two had revenues between $500 million and $1 billion.
The average seller size was $246 million in Q1 2022, a significant decrease from the historic high of mega transactions in 2021 which was $619 million for the first quarter.
Here are steps that healthcare executives can take to mitigate the impacts the healthcare industry has on climate change.
The healthcare industry has had an intense focus on the current, ongoing pandemic, but there is a larger calamity that the industry can no longer ignore: the climate crisis.
The industry has a heavy impact on global and national climate change, according to a collaborative report published by Deloitte Insights, and put together by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and the Deloitte Center for Integrated Research.
The report, released in April, shares the impacts the industry has on the climate crisis, and offers advice that healthcare organizations can implement right now to help mitigate the current climate crisis.
Climate change can affect SDOH, health equity, and wellbeing
Climate risks such as wildfires, rising sea levels, extreme heat, severe weather, air pollution, and drought wreak havoc on the planet's ecosystems, and create negative health impacts. Afflictions such as respiratory illness, infectious diseases, neurological conditions, gastrointestinal conditions, and multisystem ailments can be caused by the repercussions of climate change.
These repercussions can also affect social, environmental, and economic systems, which in turn, affect social determinants of health, sometimes called social drivers of health (SDOH).
Climate change can mean rising costs with limited return
The total cost of health services is expected to rise along with the effects of climate change.
Currently, health costs due to air pollution and climate change generate more than $800 billion a year, according to the National Resources Defense Council. The report notes that this can raise operation costs for healthcare organizations due to a damaged infrastructure, supply-chain disruptions, and an increase in complex care.
Additionally, the report says "as the industry increasingly moves toward value-based care revenue models, the financial cost of climate-related health conditions and illnesses will drive up the total cost of care, thereby dragging down the bottom lines of both health systems and health plans alike."
Taking a proactive stance against, and solving, the climate crisis
Healthcare organizations have a big impact on the current climate crisis. According to the report, if the global healthcare industry was a country, it would be responsible for 4.5% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. In the United States, the healthcare industry adds 8% to 9.8% to the total greenhouse gas emissions for the country.
It's important for healthcare organizations to mitigate these impacts, which includes investing in new technology and business models.
STEPS HEALTHCARE ORGANIZAITONS CAN TAKE RIGHT NOW
1. Update your organization's strategy to include climate resiliency.
2. Create a role within your C-suite to focus on, and be committed, to leading actions around climate resiliency.
3. Create an understanding of your organization's carbon footprint, climate-related health challenges in your communities, and associated vulnerabilities.
4. Assess your organization's operations, suppliers, and partners, and how all of those affect the health of the communities you serve.
5. Be aware of the future, and how your organization's risk will evolve over time.
HEALTHCARE EXECUTIVE LEADERS COMMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Lloyd H. Dean, CEO, CommonSpirit Health
"No longer can we ignore the unbreakable connection between the health of our planet and the health of our people. As health care leaders, we have a responsibility to protect our patients and the communities we serve from the health impacts of climate change. This is a moral and business imperative, and at its core, climate change is a health equity issue. Caring for Earth is part of caring for the people who rely on us."
Seema Wadhwa, executive director of environmental stewardship, Kaiser Permanente
"As a sustainability leader, it’s critical to understand that you’re speaking to multiple audiences across an organization and to determine the best approach to engaging with each of those audiences. Beyond the overarching objective that we all share of being a responsible environmental steward for our communities and patients, the “why” for sustainability that leaders and stakeholders prioritize varies across functions.
"For a CFO, it might be cost savings; for an HR leader, it might be talent retention—it’s up to sustainability leaders to understand those different perspectives to generate enthusiasm and momentum around sustainability efforts."
Paulette Frank, chief sustainability officer, Johnson & Johnson
"Johnson & Johnson’s current climate goals are our most ambitious yet, including our 100% renewable electricity goal. To date, we have built over 50 on-site renewable energy systems on properties in 14 countries and have executed 15 deals for off-site renewable electricity procurement. We are wasting no time making progress because we know there is no time to waste—the world needs bold climate action to advance both human and planetary health."
"[The organization] has a new name and a new look, one that reflects the significant growth and interdependence of our health system and sets the stage for future," CEO Joanne Conroy, MD, said.
The health organization, previously known as Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, based out of Lebanon, New Hampshire, has a new name and logo.
Following a three-year strategic plan to integrate the growing system, president and CEO, Joanne Conroy, MD, introduced the organization's new branding in a video released to the media this afternoon. Moving forward, the health system will be Dartmouth Health
"[The organization] has a new name and a new look, one that reflects the significant growth and interdependence of our health system and sets the stage for our future," CEO Joanne Conroy, MD, said in a statement.
Additionally, she said that the organization wants "our patients, our communities, and the broader medical community to know that no matter where they connect with the Dartmouth Health system, they'll have access to the full power and resources of New Hampshire's only academic health system, right here, close to home with people they know and trust."
Dartmouth Health is the Granite State's only academic health system and has ongoing academic relationships with Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and Dartmouth. The organization serves communities in New Hampshire, Vermont, and across New England, and is based out of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
The health system also includes:
Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital, located in Lebanon, New Hampshire
Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, New Hampshire
Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor, Vermont
New London Hospital in New London, New Hampshire
Dartmouth Health Clinics, 24 locations across New Hampshire, including the newly renamed Dartmouth Cancer Center and Dartmouth Health Children's
Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire, offering in-home care for 140 communities across both states
Jennifer E. Gilkie, system vice president of communications and marketing, shared a statement expressing that this is the perfect time for the health system to unveil its new branding.
"Spring is the season of rebirth and renewal, and is an ideal time to introduce Dartmouth Health. This evolution is long overdue and it positions our system for the future. We are grateful for our creative partners and our communications colleagues across Dartmouth Health for their committed and collaborative efforts on this dynamic rebranding initiative over the past nearly three years," she said.
The brand identity, which will phase in over the next two to three years, has already begun, first with the health system's website. The health system will continue to update branding on collateral materials, digital assets, and publicly visible elements including facility signage and employee badges. To reduce costs and minimize waste, the organization will update the majority of branded assets during a normal replacement cycle or when inventory levels are low.
Eric Steinberger shares how his background in marketing in other industries will help him in his new role, what strategic marketing initiatives he will lead during his first year, and how marketing in the healthcare sector is both similar and different to other industries.
Marketing to communicate with and meet the needs of consumers transcends industries, and learnings from other industries can be applied to the healthcare sector.
Eric Steinberger, who has experience in building brands and meeting consumer expectations in the finance, media, and retail industries, is proving just that in his new role as chief marketing officer for Atlantic Health System.
He joined the nonprofit health system, based in Morristown, New Jersey, in November, and has completed his onboarding, part of which happened during the COVID-19 omicron surge in December.
"It's been busy but very rewarding along the way," Steinberger recently told HealthLeaders during an interview about the first four months in his new role.
During his interview, Steinberger also shared what he focused on during his first 90 days, what strategic initiatives he will drive in his first year, and how marketing in the healthcare sector is similar and different to other industries.
This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
HealthLeaders: How will your background in marketing and leadership in the finance, media, and retail sectors help you in your new role as chief marketing officer for Atlantic Health System?
Eric Steinberger: The way I look at it is all of these industries are going through change that is driven by the customer and their expectations about customer experience. When consumer expectations are raised, or they see the kind of experience that they can have in a certain industry, those expectations are going to translate into every other industry. Certainly, we hear from customers or prospective patients that the way that they want to experience healthcare should change and adapt, and it has been a sequential effect that's happening across all these industries, but it's happening a little bit later in healthcare.
I have worked through some of the things that are in front of Atlantic Health System over the next five to 10 years, and they can benefit from all the mistakes that I've made in the past and hopefully get through this quicker because it is complicated, but meaningful work, to elevate the consumer experience across the board.
HL: What did you primarily focus on during your first 90 days?
Steinberger: I would say it's typical for an onboarding process, with maybe with a few differences.
The biggest one being, and I think Atlantic Health has done a great job in supporting me on this, is needing to immerse myself in the business of healthcare and the industry. Having worked across a number of industries, as well as working in professional services for a decent chunk of my career, I've prided myself as being someone who can jump into a situation and get my arms around a business in 90 days to six months. That's the easy part. The complex part is the processes, tools, and approaches that you take to drive change in an organization.
With all that being said, I've been humbled by the complexity of the healthcare space, from all of the different treatments and care programs that are needed to service an entire population in the region of northern New Jersey, to the different payer-provider models, the movement in the industry of all the different players, and where they're getting into the space with access points. That is a monumental task to unpack, but critically important to understand what drives behaviors in the industry, and then ultimately, what drives consumer choice in the space. That has been a rewarding but intense process.
The other things I've been focused on are digging into the marketing team, deeply understanding the work that they're doing today. My bias as a leader coming in is that people are smart, that they're doing things for reasons, and you need to first understand things that are happening, and why they're happening, before you seek to challenge or change anything.
I'm also focused on building relationships across the organization. One of the things about healthcare is there are so many different stakeholders in the organization. Building those relationships and building trust, as someone who wants to push change through the organization, is critically important.
The last thing is setting a clear vision for the marketing team so that they understand and can communicate with the larger organization about what we want to accomplish over the next two to three years, because I view my role as the CMO is to set that clear vision to inspire the organization to get behind that vision and be excited about it. Then I need to be a resource to help remove any roadblocks or challenges to keep moving forward along the way.
HL: What will your first year continue to look like?
Steinberger: There are three areas that I'm focused on:
1. Branding and naming strategy
Atlantic Health is a system with many different access points of care with the hospitals, physician offices, urgent care facilities, and rehab centers—what I see is a great opportunity to differentiate in the marketplace and have the benefit of being able to serve a consumer in all aspects of their care. Making sure that we have a brand promise, that the organization, our employees, consumers, and other stakeholders in the marketplace clearly understand that differentiating benefit, is going to be critically important to define and implement across the system.
2. Amplifying how we communicate to consumers in an integrated way
This includes all of our aspects of care and how we can be there for a consumer to support their health, both when they're sick and when they're feeling well. And combining all of those strengths versus talking about any one, individually.
3.Drive the business through increased use of data, analytics, and technology
This includes measuring performance and making sure that our investments are in the areas that are going to drive the highest return and have the most impact with consumers in our marketplace. It also includes understanding what messaging and relevant content is going to be the most engaging to them and building out personalized experiences. At the end of the day, data, technology, and business processes are part of the strategic assets that we bring to the table to provide a differentiating experience for consumers in a market that is now a highly competitive space.
HL: What steps have Atlantic Health taken to keep the patient at the forefront, and how will you continue those strategies?
Steinberger: One of the things that really attracted me to join Atlantic Health is that it's a well-run healthcare system. It is financially strong, driving great clinical excellence, and has a strong and impressive leadership team.
Where I thrive and what I enjoy most is taking an organization that's doing well today and being a catalyst to accelerate that growth even further. With the foundation that we have here, I can draft off of other industries and see how we can provide differentiation and elevate that consumer experience.
Then, what we call the digital front door—all the digital tools that are out there with online scheduling and personal care appointments—I see that as an amazing foundation that I can help, from a marketing standpoint, to continue to expand communication.
HL: How is healthcare marketing similar and different from other industries?
Steinberger: My perspective, at least 90 to 120 days in, is that there are more things similar than different. At the end of the day, it's a product and a service that we're trying to get consumers to engage in in a highly competitive marketplace where they have choices. Bringing all the data and technology together to be able to talk to a customer in the way they want to be spoken to, that shows that we understand them. It makes a lot of sense in theory, but it's difficult to operationalize that at scale. And that's true in all of the other industries that I've been a part of. It will be a challenge, but one that is able to be surmounted in the world of healthcare.
The other things that are similar is we're all communicating through the same channels. Consumers want to engage in healthcare through digital channels, just like they are in other industries. In healthcare, just like in other large organizations, there's a complex set of stakeholders and decision processes to drive through change.
The mission-based focus of healthcare is certainly one way that's different. Healthcare is more about serving and making sure that we provide equity of care across the entire community, and so that mission changes the lens slightly.
The product is a bit more unique in the sense that, a bath towel is a bath towel. But when you're sick or are getting preventative care, the treatment and experience that you get is going to be highly personalized in the world of healthcare.
For a lot of products and services, people are excited, it's a delightful experience that people are looking forward to. Most of the time, people aren't necessarily looking forward to a visit to the doctor or aren't wanting to be sick. So, it poses an additional challenge from a communication standpoint to help drive that behavior change.
The last thing that is slightly different is around regulatory and compliance hurdles. There are certainly more of them in the world of healthcare. I say that it is an added challenge, but it's by no means an excuse to say that change isn't possible.
The 2022 Healthcare Reputation Report found that consumers are increasingly using digital means, such as reviews and ratings on the internet, to shop for the best care.
Consumer review volume and star ratings are up, according to a recent analysis by Reputation.
The 2022 Healthcare Reputation Report found that review volumes increased 50% for hospitals and 58% for physicians compares to 2020.
Consumers are continuing to evolve and are increasingly using digital means, such as reviews and ratings on the internet, to find the best care for themselves. Google was found to be the most popular internet source, with more popularity than provider and physician websites, healthcare-specific websites, or social media.
The report also found that:
75% of adults read online patient reviews as part of their health facility or physician decision
72% of healthcare consumers look for a rating of at least 4 out of 5 stars when deciding on a health facility or physician
Facilities saw an average star rating of 4.4 in 2021, a .05 point increase over 2020
Physicians saw an average star rating of 4.7 in 2021, a .03 point drop from 2020
65% of adults expect providers to respond to reviews
Reputation's Four Tips for Health Systems
1. Improve your reputation scores
Providers should request reviews as well as respond to them
Use patient feedback to improve the patient experience
By increasing review volume, sentiment, and recency, you can increase your Reputation Score
2. Establish a feedback hub and analyze patient sentiment
Collect feedback through an array of channels including structured and unstructured. This includes using surveys and social media.
Bring all feedback data to a single hub to see the complete picture, then prioritize based on the data
3. Optimize your Google Business Profiles
Make sure all physician and facility information is up to date
Enable communication from consumers to physicians through the profile
Physicians should monitor and respond to patient feedback
4. Create an employee experience program
Improve retention by collecting and listening to employee feedback
Communicate with transparency with your employees
Patient experience can be affected by unhappy staff
Top 15 health systems based on Reputation Score
Reputation analyzed the 25 largest health systems in the country and ranked the top 15 using a Reputation Score, looking at the following elements:
Kim Mikes, MBA, BSN, RN, CNOR, CEO of Hoag Orthopedic Institute, shares the history of the organization, the benefits of physician-owned models, how her background has helped her become a fluid leader, and offers advice for future leaders.
Editor's note: This conversation is a transcript from an episode of the HealthLeaders Women in Healthcare Leadership Podcast. Audio of the full interview can be found here.
Kim Mikes, MBA, BSN, RN, CNOR, serves as the CEO of Hoag Orthopedic Institute (HOI), an orthopedic specialty hospital in Irvine, California, with a deep focus on orthopedic and spine patients.
Prior to advancing into her role in 2021 to become the third consecutive woman to lead the organization, Mikes served as COO and CNO for the organization beginning in 2016. Mikes' career journey has gone full circle, as she started in the operating room as a nurse for spine and orthopedic procedures.
In the latest Women in Healthcare Leadership Podcast episode, Mikes shares the history of HOI, the benefits of physician-owned models, how her background has helped her become a fluid leader, and advice for future leaders.
This transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.
HealthLeaders: Would you mind sharing a little bit about your healthcare background and how you became CEO of Hoag Orthopedic Institute?
Kim Mikes: I am an OR nurse at heart and started my career in the operating room. Now being the CEO of an orthopedic and spine specialty surgical hospital is extremely beneficial. I understand the business to its core. I know everything that goes on in this organization, clear down to the sterile processing.
I started my career in the operating room, doing primarily spine and orthopedic procedures at a level two trauma center. I later went on to a couple of other positions where I was the OR director, overseeing the entire perioperative phase of care for patients including the pre-op and recovery phases. Within a year of my becoming an OR nurse, I started overseeing the neuro service and the orthopedic service at the hospital I was at.
After that, I also worked for the largest neuro surgical and neuro clinic physician group in the country for just a year. That also helps me in my current position, because I'm in a physician-owned facility, to understand what happens in the clinic as well.
After coming to Hoag Hospital in 2008, I oversaw departments like the same-day surgery department, GI lab, and then for five years in women's health. I was the executive director for Women's Health for Hoag Hospital prior to coming to HOI. That role actually rounded out my career because women's health is almost like its own small hospital at Hoag Hospital. You have an emergency department and critical care, and procedural things, as well as inpatient units.
In 2016, I came to HOI as the CNO and COO. Then when our prior CEO elected to leave last year, I was moved into that role. I feel like in many ways that my career has been tailored to be right where I am right now, and I couldn't feel more fortunate [and prepared] to be in this role.
HL: HOI was developed in 2010 through a joint venture between Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian and a group of orthopedic and spine doctors in Orange County. Could you talk about how HOI came to be and how it operates under this joint venture?
Mikes: We had two large orthopedic groups here in Orange County, both of whom had already ventured into the ambulatory surgery center arena. They both had successful surgery centers that they were operating independently. One was associated with St. Joseph Hospital, part of the Providence system, and one was with Hoag Hospital. These physician leaders —they were competitors at the time—came together because they believed in this specialty model, because they saw the outcomes, the efficiencies, and the value.
They went to the CEO of Hoag Hospital at the time, Richard Afable, MD, MPHA, and proposed this joint venture. He was enough of a visionary to realize that this made sense for all of the reasons that the surgeons brought to them. He was willing to embark on that journey with them.
The way that it works is we have an independent board, but we are a separately licensed orthopedic and spine specialty hospital. That is one of the things that I'm so passionate about here because the advantages and benefits to patients in coming to a specialty hospital are amass. Every single individual who works here is an expert because they focus exclusively on orthopedics and spine.
We're the only hospital in the region that can make the statement that we are solely focused on orthopedics and spine. We have specialized protocols for different procedures, we have navigators who take people through the process, we have not only a hospital with 70 beds and nine operating rooms, but we also have four ambulatory surgery centers, three of them in Orange County and one in LA County.
The other thing is that it has allowed us to develop what we call our signature experience. For us, the patient is always at the center of our care. Our mantra is, "we get you back to you." No one goes to have their hip replaced, or their knee replaced, or their back worked on, unless the pain that they have is impeding what they love to do, and what they want to do in their personal lives.
We also have our Hoag Orthopedics Education Research Institute. Everything that we do is data-driven. When we make changes to clinical protocols, it's based on data that we've collected.
Even though we're only 10 years old, we have a wonderful reputation in the orthopedic world. We do more total joint procedures than any other organization west of the Mississippi. We do more spine procedures than anyone in Orange County. And our spine patient base is growing.
We are currently working on adding capabilities to take care of higher acuity patients. It used to be that our criteria were somewhat limited because we don't have an ICU, but we're putting protocols in place to make sure that we can take care of virtually any spine or orthopedic patient.
HL: What are the benefits of physician-owned models when it comes to ambulatory surgery centers and specialty hospitals, and how has this model worked in favor for HOI?
Mikes: I am a firm believer in the specialty part of the hospital where patients get expertise across the board. The physician-owned part adds another level of quality, because when physicians are owners, like any small business owner, they are invested in the highest possible quality and value that they can provide. When decisions are made here at this hospital, they are multidisciplinary in nature. The physicians participate in all our committees. Anytime major decisions are made, they are part of the process. And quality and value are always first and foremost; the patient is at the center of every single decision we make.
Some people think that perhaps a physician-owned facility lends itself to decisions being made only about money. That has not been my experience having worked in two of these facilities, because of the physicians who enter into these sorts of arrangements understand that if you provide high quality patient care and value to the payers and the patients, you will always come out on top. It always is about what's the best thing for the patient, how are they going to have the best outcomes. That's the way we do things and that's the way decisions are made. And when you have a physician-owned facility, you also have the ability to make changes quickly and to get everyone on board quickly. Not every physician who works at HOI is an owner, but the pure accountability among the physicians is phenomenal.
The other thing that is extraordinary about HOI is the great respect that the physicians have for the entire team. They value and respect every single team member. We have a flat organizational structure and everyone on the team has a say and feels empowered to speak up when they see opportunities for improvement. And their opinion matters.
HL:How would you describe your leadership style? How does your background as an OR nurse, a COO, and CNO help define it?
Mikes: I did neglect to mention one thing about my background that I think is an important piece of it. Seven years ago, I went back to UCI to get my MBA. I think there's value in being able to look at a situation or an issue from both a clinical standpoint as well as a financial standpoint; there's great benefit in having both of those perspectives when you're making decisions. Quality always comes first, but you have to make sure that value is part of the equation.
I would say that the nursing part of me always keeps the patient at the focus of every single decision that we're making. From a leadership perspective, we always ask, what's best for the patient? What do we need to do for the patient?
As far as leadership style goes, I tend to try to involve the leaders and the staff in the decisions, primarily by making sure they understand where we're going. I change my leadership style based on the situation and the individuals that I'm dealing with. But primarily, I would say it might be transformational in that I try to talk about where we're going and then open it up to how are we going to get there.
HL:What advice do you have for women and others who want to serve in leadership roles in the healthcare sector?
Mikes: Many women who end up in a leadership position in the healthcare sector came up through the clinical path. It was an important step for me to get that business background and add the business to my background to be able to look at things in a more holistic way. I believe that it helps you to get credibility from the CFOs in the world, and the other people who sometimes don't want to listen to the clinical people, because they think they may know better. If you can talk about things from both sides of the table, the financial as well as the clinical, then you get credibility on both sides.
It's important to try to round out your background. It is important to understand that it's hard work. If you're going to get to a position of high accountability, you have to be accountable for everything that happens under your direction.
The new CEO previously served as chief administrative officer and general counsel for the nonprofit healthcare organization.
St. Augustine, Florida-based Flagler Health+ has appointed a permanent president and CEO, only 20 days after naming an interim leader, according to a recent press release.
Carlton DeVooght was appointed as interim president and CEO on March 8 to succeed Jason Barrett, who resigned to "pursue other opportunities," according to a previous press release.
"It has been my honor to lead Flagler Health+ during a time of unprecedented growth, serving our community, meeting the challenges of the pandemic, and attaining excellence in care, highlighted with the recent designation of Health Grades Top 50 Best Hospitals in the country," Barrett said in a statement.
The Flagler Health+ board of directors decided to forgo an external search and moved forward with naming DeVooght as the permanent president and CEO of the health system during a regular board session.
"Carlton is a trusted leader who has played an integral role in setting the organization’s strategic direction and ensuring the highest level of care is delivered to our patients and the broader community throughout his time at Flagler Health+," Todd Neville, Chair of the Flagler Health+ board of directors, said in a statement. "In addition to Carlton’s impressive career achievements and education, he most importantly embodies the organization’s core values of quality, integrity, innovation and service. Our board is looking forward to seeing Flagler Health+ flourish even more under Carlton’s leadership."
DeVooght joined the nonprofit healthcare organization in 2018 where he served as senior executive vice president, chief administrative officer, and general counsel. His focus was on enterprise-wide strategy and operations, with a focus on growth and partnerships.
Prior to joining Flagler Health+, he served as senior vice president of operations for Coastal Community Health and vice president and general counsel for Southeast Georgia Health System, where he led legal matters.
"This is a pivotal time in Flagler Health+’s history and I am honored that the Board of Directors has placed their trust in me to lead us through it. I do not take this responsibility lightly," DeVooght said in a statement. "I am equally committed to our health enterprise goal to become the best place to work and practice medicine in Northeast Florida. In doing so, we will better serve our team members, make even greater clinical achievements, deliver more care in new places and in new ways and achieve our vision to advance the physical, social and economic health of the communities we serve."
After seeing a large increase for the first two months of the year, the sector only gained 8,000 jobs at the close of the first quarter.
The newest U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report found that the healthcare sector saw little change in job growth for the month of March.
After experiencing a large increase in jobs in January (+18,000) and February (+64,000), healthcare employment only gained 8,000 jobs in March.
The ambulatory sector added 7,000 jobs and hospitals added 5,000, but the struggling nursing and residential care sector offset the gain with a loss of 4,000 jobs.
Healthcare organizations are continuing to combat workforce shortages due to the Great Resignation, pre-COVID-19 pandemic burnout, and exacerbated burnout due to the ongoing pandemic.
Compared to pre-pandemic numbers, healthcare employment is down by 298,000, or 1.8% since February 2020.
In contrast, total nonfarm payroll employment added 431,000 jobs in March, according to BLS, which brough the unemployment rate down .2% to 3.6%. The number of unemployed persons decreased by 318,000 during the month, bringing the total number of unemployed persons to 6 million.
Unemployment numbers continue to creep closer to pre-pandemic levels. In February 2020, unemployment was at 3.5%, with 5.7 million persons unemployed.