Becker's Hospital Review

Sign up for the COMPLIMENTARY Becker's Hospital Review CEO Report & CFO Report E-Weeklies at www.BeckersHospitalReview.com or call (800) 417-2035 23 A Need for Flexibility and Agility in Healthcare Leadership: Q&A with CEO Robert Garrett of Hackensack University Medical Center By Anuja Vaidya B eing at the helm of one of the top hospitals in the nation is no easy task. It takes knowledge, skill and perseverance to lead an already prestigious institution to greater heights. That is exactly what Robert C. Garrett, president and CEO of Hackensack (N.J.) University Health Network, has done since he began his tenure in 2009. Under his leadership, Hackensack University Medical Center has received numerous awards. It was ranked as the number one hospital in New Jersey and one of the top four New York metro area hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in 2012. It has received 19 gold seals of approval from The Joint Commission. It has also been named on the 2013 list of 100 Great Hospitals in America by Becker's Hospital Review. Here, Mr. Garrett shares some of his experiences as president and CEO as well as some of the challenges he had to overcome. He also offers advice to healthcare leaders looking to weather the current climate of change in the healthcare industry. Question: What are some of the initiatives you championed when you became president and CEO of Hackensack University Health Network? Robert C. Garrett: There have been many strategic, clinical and academic affiliations that I have seen through. Hackensack entered a clinical affiliation with Hackettstown Regional Medical Center and Palisades Medical Center during my tenure as president and CEO. We also formed a strategic partnership with Northshore-LIJ. We entered into a joint venture with United Surgical Partners International, and under that affiliation, we operate two ambulatory surgery centers in New Jersey. We also partnered with LHP Hospital Group on two hospital joint ventures. One was to open Pascack Valley Hospital as HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley, and the other was to open Mountainside Hospital, which is now called HackensackUMC Mountainside. As for clinical accomplishments, we opened the Heart & Vascular Hospital in 2011, which is a "hospital within a hospital" and brings all cardiac care offered by the organization together under one roof. We also opened a cancer center, which has transformed the way cancer care is delivered in an ambulatory care setting. As an example, at our John Theurer Cancer Center, in addition to the treatment that patients receive, there are exercise classes, a library, a business center and an organic garden. We are also slated to be the official medical services provider of Superbowl 2014. We were recognized by both U.S. News & World Report and Healthgrades as a top performing hospital. Q: What has been the biggest challenge you faced as a president and CEO? How did you overcome it? RCG: One of the challenges that I faced was to reopen Pascack Valley Hospital. There was some opposition from some of the local hospitals because they were afraid of competition. It was a long process to obtain the certificate of need approval. It took four years. The good news is that, at the end of the day, the need for the hospital was established and the community really supported it. Patience and perseverance is the way I overcame it. It would have been tempting to throw up my hands. But I believed in the cause and in the fact that the hospital was very much needed by the community. And I was so gratified that the New Jersey Department of Health granted the CON. It was the right thing to do. Q: Is there something you wish you had known when you started out as president and CEO? RCG: They should have told me that I would have to get by on three or four hours of sleep a night. But I tell my team that sleep is overrated. Seriously though, it's been a great experience and there is no doubt that it takes a great deal of time, but it also results in a great reward. Q: What advice do you have for presidents and CEOs in the current, volatile healthcare climate? RCG: I think the biggest thing is to keep an open mind and to be willing to change. Flexibility and agility are very important right now because there is so much change in the marketplace. Presidents and CEOs don't just need to be Robert Garrett strategic but also flexible and agile in terms of strategies, in terms of programs and in terms of how healthcare will be delivered. Q: Going forward, what initiatives or developments will you be focusing on at Hackensack? RCG: At Hackensack University Health Network, we are looking to making sure that we can respond to the changes of the Affordable Care Act as it rolls out. Our ACO was one of the first 27 ACOs to be approved. It currently covers just under 12,000 patients, and we expect to expand significantly over the next year. The ACO will help us to improve outcomes and provide more efficient healthcare. We are also planning to expand our ambulatory care network, and we hope to expand our partnership with the CVS MinuteClinic. And we will be creating a regional shared services company in partnership with other health systems. Finally, we are looking to expand our newly formed partnership with Georgetown University as Hackensack expands its academic and research profile. n

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