Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1169964
115 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT THOUGHT LEADERSHIP Henry Ford Allegiance Health CEO Paula Autry on the importance of strengthening community health By Anuja Vaidya I n July, Paula Autry stepped into the president and CEO role at Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jack- son, Mich. She is also senior vice president and CEO of the central market for Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System. Here, she discusses her plan for lead- ing Henry Ford Allegiance Health, the need to focus on community health and the three words that translate to leadership results. Editor's Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Question: What are some key challenges your facility faces today? Paula Autry: The primary challenge facing Henry Ford Health System, and Henry Ford Allegiance Health specif- ically, is to continue our growth within our region, which is comprised of eight counties in South Central Michigan. Our hospital's home base of Jackson, along with its sur- rounding communities, are at the region's center. Our vision is to be the trusted partner in healthcare in every community we serve. Further, we challenge ourselves to continue to grow in reputation as a nationally recognized leader in superior care and value. Our patients deserve our absolute best. Q: What are the strategies you are implementing to en- sure your facility continues to thrive? PA: Henry Ford Allegiance Health is in the early stag- es of navigating its second century of community-cen- tered care. We have a wealth of opportunities before us, making it critical to be strategic as we implement plans for growth and sustainability. We will continue to seek partnership projects that improve value to the commu- nity and ensure the right level of care is provided with quality and convenience. These plans also include a continuation of our focus on IT solutions that will elevate decision-making and communication. Overall, we aim to energize systems for efficiency and effectiveness in or- der to achieve strong results. As for me personally, one of my strategies in my new role is to follow the example of strong leadership demonstrat- ed by Henry Ford Allegiance Health's prior president and CEO, Georgia Fojtasek. Over her 30-year tenure, Georgia solidified a cohesive team and made remarkable strides in transforming our organization and its culture. I greatly re- spect Georgia's enduring legacy and am excited to work alongside my new team to build on the momentum previ- ous successes have set in motion. Q: What excites you most about healthcare today? PA: I'm most excited about improving the health status of the communities we serve. My interest in healthcare grew out of my early experiences with an older sister who had neurofibromas, a type of nerve tumor. Through the teach- ings of my parents, my siblings and I were raised with an appreciation for the need to improve the health of our neighbors, friends and family because it is as an important aspect of strengthening our community overall. As a result, I feel a deep, personal sense of responsibility to communi- ty. I understand the needs of my new hometown are great, and to me, that means there are significant opportunities for us to make an impact. Q: What is the best piece of leadership advice ever giv- en to you? PA: The best advice I received as a leader can be encap- sulated in three common words that, when put into prac- tice, can bring uncommon results: persistence, preparation and prayer. n I would also say I think it's important if we're going to talk about transparency in this are- na, that it needs to apply to everyone. Not just hospitals, but it should also apply to pharma- ceutical companies, insurance companies and all providers. Q: What can you tell us about your strategic focus moving forward? JI: To accelerate our advanced strategic di- rection, we launched our mission-inspired transformation work, which has three prongs. One is, it's a reorganization of our structure. Wwe've flattened the organization and dis- persed decision-making. We're promoting a culture of more empowered leaders. We've also created eight design teams to ad- vance this work — We have a design team focused on health and healing in the home. We have a team focused on redesigning our front doors and looking at increasing our ac- cess. We have others focused on the caregiver model, on integrated systems of human flour- ishing, redesigning surgery, growing covered lives through strategic purchasing contracts, the consumer engagement platform and re-imagining our acute care footprint. e teams are led by an executive sponsor, which would be one of our senior leaders, and they're comprised of associates across our ministries. ey are multidisciplinary teams, with folks from various backgrounds working together in very new ways. at work is going well. Q: Healthcare is a top issue among voters this election season. What healthcare issue do you feel is most important for candidates to address? JI: is country is obviously in a robust de- bate around healthcare delivery and health- care financing. But I feel like as a country we've skipped over the real question, and that is whether healthcare is a right. We firmly believe it is. We are very committed to 100 percent coverage, 100 percent access for ev- ery American. at's something we feel ought to be addressed by this country as part of the 2020 election. n