Becker's Hospital Review

30 CEO / STRATEGY Hospitals turn to external CEO hires By Kristin Kuchno It is not unusual for hospitals and health systems to hire external candidates as CEOs, particularly in recent years. One reason an external candidate might have a competitive advantage over an internal candidate is previous CEO experience, Michelle Johnson, senior partner at executive search firm WittKieffer's healthcare practice, told Becker's. "I think when there is less of a margin for error, organizations sometimes put a premium on that 'been there, done that' level of expertise and experience," Ms. Johnson said. Sometimes an organization is in need of a fresh perspective or there is a mandate for change, which naturally lends itself toward external consideration, she said. A potential concern when hiring outside CEOs is that stakeholders might not know exactly how a new hire will lead. Internal candidates can have the advantage of already understanding the constituencies, communities and local market dynamics, Ms. Johnson said. However, internal candidates also tend to need more leadership development through mentorship and support, she added. Phil Wright, CEO of Memorial Regional Hospital South in Hollywood, Fla., stepped into the role in October. He brought more than 25 years of leadership experience to the role, previously having served as chief business development officer and COO of AdventHealth Ocala (Fla.), formerly Munroe Regional Medical Center. Building relationships and gaining trust with staff and stakeholders were the most important factors in guiding a smooth transition to the new organization, Mr. Wright told Becker's. Listening — done through town halls and meet and greets — was the best way to achieve those goals, as it provides a greater understanding of concerns, strengths and weaknesses to inform future decision-making, he said. Mr. Wright prioritized this for the first three to six months, then developed strategic ideas and a vision for where the organization should go based on those previous conversations. It is a formula that has worked for him in the past, he said. "And hopefully along the way, there are a few quick wins that you can obtain while you're in the new position that help with trust-building, so people see that you're engaged and really tuned into what's happening with the organization," Mr. Wright said. He also noted that it is necessary for new CEOs to understand their unique situation, given that CEOs are brought in externally for various reasons. "Knowing the assignment, knowing the culture of the organization, the history of the organization, and having a clear understanding of what it is that the organization wants from you as a CEO is pretty important," Mr. Wright said. n This CEO runs healthcare and the skies By Madeline Ashley F rom spending nearly 20 years as an emergency physician to becoming a licensed pilot, it's fair to say that Patrick O'Shaughnessy, DO, has worn many hats. While no longer providing patient care, it's the skills acquired in his previous roles that helped secure for him the role of president and CEO of Rockville Centre, N.Y.-based Catholic Health. Dr. O'Shaughnessy started at Catholic Health as an emergency physician nearly 18 years ago running one of the system's emergency rooms before migrating into the president and CEO role, which he's held for around four years. He also still flies. "Pun intended, time flies when you're having fun," Dr. O'Shaughnessy told Becker's. "It allowed me to really develop a skill set that has served me well throughout the entirety of my career, and allowed me to also really appreciate the importance of working in teams, and I'm a big believer in that." One particular passion of Dr. O'Shaughnessy's is making healthcare a better place by working to prevent harmful events while ensuring safe and positive healthcare outcomes for patients and healthcare workers. The system was one of the early adopters of high reliability science in principles and practice, which has resulted in a more than 94% reduction in safety events across the organization with many events of harm being reduced to zero. Another challenge Dr. O'Shaughnessy highlighted is the need to pivot care delivery from sick care service to healthcare service. "We always need to be there to care for those who are sick, whether they're having a heart attack, a stroke, major trauma, those things are going to continue to plague us, and we need to do it better and safer," he said. "The only way to bend the cost curve is to bend the disease curve. We have to catch disease earlier. We have to institute more preventative screens. We have to institute earlier mechanisms to catch disease in its earliest state." To tackle this issue, Catholic Health has invested in population health-management services and optimized its electronic health record. The health system has also worked to introduce and advance AI to help improve patient screenings and disease detection for more at-risk populations. Should disease be detected, the system then puts them in contact with the proper specialist. While Dr. O'Shaughnessy still considers himself new to the CEO field, he shared advice for incoming healthcare leaders, and it starts with surrounding yourself with strong team members. "You can't do it alone," he said. "I think it's imperative that the CEO continues to speak to the strategy, vision and mission of the organization, and it takes a village." n

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