Becker's Hospital Review

June 2019 Becker's Hospital Review

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60 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP Corner Office: How Dartmouth-Hitchcock CEO Dr. Joanne Conroy leads differently By Alia Paavola J oanne Conroy, MD, CEO and president of Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, sends a weekly newsletter to staff titled "Joanne's Journal." It commonly features blurbs about timely issues, the latest news from the health system and some insights into Dr. Conroy's life. Aer one edition of the journal included excerpts about gender equity, the impact of tragedy and even a story about Dr. Conroy's cats, one young catheterization lab technician said, "I just don't understand." e new employee went home and thought about the journal in more detail. He returned to the hospital the next day with an 'a-ha' moment: "Women lead differently. She leads differently. And I'm pretty happy with that," he said. And, the rest of the team agrees. Dr. Conroy is a steadfast female healthcare leader who works every day to improve employee engagement, build a respectful culture and ensure patient safety at all the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health facilities. Prior to joining Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health as chief executive in 2017, she served as CEO of Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Bur- lington, Mass.; chief healthcare officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington, D.C.; and CMO, executive vice presi- dent and COO of Atlantic Health System in Florham Park, N.J. Dr. Conroy is also board certified in anesthesiology and has a certifi- cate of added qualifications in pain management. Recently, Dr. Conroy spoke with Becker's Hospital Review and an- swered our seven "Corner Office" questions. Editor's Note: Responses have been edited lightly for length and clarity. Question: What is one thing that piqued your interest in healthcare? Dr. Joanne Conroy: I considered multiple career paths growing up, including law, medicine and even science. I was a chemistry major at Dartmouth College. roughout my academic career, I thought a lot about what my strengths were and felt that healthcare would be the right first step. In all honesty, as probably many 22- or 23-year-old people would say, I was about 51 percent sure it was the right step. But once I started medical school and really dug into the science behind healthcare, I knew it was a great fit. Aer taking a physiology and a pharmacology class, I began to under- stand how medications work and how they keep people healthy. I just found learning the science fascinating. I was so intrigued. But beyond the science, I became incredibly engaged when I started my clinical rotations. During my rotations, I quickly learned about the incredible trust that patients have in their providers. ey will trust that you're going to respect their privacy and help them find the path back to be- ing healthy. It's a privilege we have in healthcare to participate in those important times of life. Whenever anybody says, healthcare is too dif- ficult or the payment system is unfair, I like to remind them that when you deliver a baby or hold a dying person's hand, you quickly realize that it is not about how you get paid — it's really about participating, being present and helping people in vulnerable points in their lives. Q: What do you enjoy most about New Hampshire? JC: New Hampshire is a state that carries an incredible rural charm. Once you get north of Concord it is just beautiful wilderness, and I love that. I also like the fact that people come here for a specific reason. ey come here because of various opportunities or to have access to outdoor activities. I don't think I've met a New Hampshire resident yet who doesn't ski, snowboard, hike, road bike, off-road bike, fish, hunt or skate. It's just one of those states where people really enjoy being in the outdoors. I love that. Q: If you could eliminate one of the healthcare industry's problems overnight, what would it be? JC: e healthcare problem that keeps me up at night is workforce. We are going to need more people taking care of more patients. Although we will likely be able to take advantage of new technology to address some of those needs, there are so many aspects in healthcare where you need a patient and a provider face-to-face. I worry about the sup- ply of nurses, social workers, physicians, housekeepers and technical personnel required to run a healthcare enterprise. At Dartmouth-Hitchcock, we began thinking of apprenticeship pro- grams to pull people into the workforce, and we've had some tre- mendous successes doing that, where we actually pay people to go to school. ey work toward their certification aer completion of the program within our facility. We have been able to bring some single moms back into the workforce who were trying to figure out how to re-enter. We are also now looking at transportation and housing, which are barriers for our workers. Q: What do you consider your greatest talent or skill outside of the C-suite? JC: I love golf. I consider it one of my greatest skills because I play from the men's tees. I drive, usually about 180 yards. My second shot is usually about 140 to 150 yards. I can play with male colleagues and not have to go up to the ladies' tee, and I found that is helpful in setting the balance. Almost every time I've gone golfing with male colleagues, I go up to the first tee and somebody says, "Well the ladies' tee is up there." And I just say, "You know what, I play from the whites" and I drive off the tee and then that's it. End of conversation. I started playing in 2003, when I was working in a hospital in New Jersey and everybody golfed between April and October. It seemed like I was the only one working on Monday aernoon. At one point I said, "Forget this. I'm going to learn to play golf." So, I took lessons for an entire year, 8 a.m. every single Sunday, even if there was rain, sleet or snow. I went to this 9-hole course, with a fabulous instructor, who was also Sergio Garcia's swing coach. I was very deliberate then, and I've been deliberate since. I now go to golf school every year with a bunch of women in South Car- olina. It's four days, with six hours of drill and then we play 18 holes. We shower, eat, we go to bed, get up and do the same thing again.

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