Becker's Hospital Review

WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 45 Women's representation in 7 hospital C-suite roles, per 1 firm By Kelly Gooch Gender parity in workplaces remains a key issue, with progress made over the past 10 years but more work lies ahead. Becker's contacted WittKieffer, an executive search and leadership advisory firm in the healthcare, life sciences and education sectors, to examine the representation of women in hospital and health system C-suites. In the firm's sample of more than 10,000 C-suite executives, 42% were women. Here are the individual percentages for each role. Each position group comprised well over 1,000 executives, except for CIO (400+) and chief human resources officer (800+). CEO: 30% COO: 38% CFO: 34% CNO: 86% CMO (chief medical officer): 22% CIO: 22% CHRO: 67% n "You cannot delegate the championing of these initiatives," Ms. Veliz said. "It has to be a visible priority — both behind closed doors and publicly — and you have to lead by example. If it's not a priority to you, it won't be to anyone else. You have to lean into the execution of these strategies, measure the results, and ensure they're driving the desired outcomes." Cayuga Health, which includes a 204-bed acute-care hospital in Ithaca, a smaller hospital in Montour Falls, N.Y., and a physician- hospital organization, as well as other services, is in the process of completing an affiliation with Elmira, N.Y.-based Arnot Health, a three-hospital system. Cayuga also recently conducted an employee engagement survey and is intentionally working toward creating an Employer of Choice environment to attract and retain working parents, people of color, veterans and others, Ms. Veliz said. "We're excited about what's to come in the new year, especially aer our affiliation with Arnot Health," she said. n 3 female CFOs driving outcomes at their organizations By Madeline Ashley A s many hospitals and health systems continue to struggle with financial and operational challenges, three female CFOs are working to enhance healthcare delivery, implement innovative solutions and optimize financial performance at their organizations to ensure long-term sustainability. At Libby, Mont.-based Cabinet Peaks Medical Center, CFO Julie Leonard has driven significant financial improvement. e 25-bed critical access hospital projected a 2.5% margin by the end of its fiscal year in March but is now on track for an approximate 10% margin. Revenue has also increased at the hospital since Ms. Leonard started in January, from a static $63 million average over the last 10 years to around $83 million in 2024. Ms. Leonard touted the hospital's improved finances and growth to efficient collaboration, a strong working relationship with the hospital's CEO, Tadd Greenfield, a solid revenue cycle, and an emphasis on culture and employee communication. "We don't always agree, but we always collaborate," Ms. Leonard told Becker's on Sept. 25. "I work super hard to make sure that we're doing every single thing that we need to do to capitalize on every single dime that we can get." Cheryl Sadro, senior vice president and CFO of Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Medicine and executive vice president and CFO of Johns Hopkins Health System, is also working to get the health system back to pre-COVID-19 margins. "We need to get to a place where we have margins that can sustain capital growth, as well as help us move forward with other initiatives," Ms. Sadro told Becker's on Aug. 21. To accomplish this goal, Ms. Sadro said the health system put together a long process initiatives list to help dissect labor and supply cost areas. "We also want to make sure that from the outpatient side, we're being as efficient as we can at providing care. Our physicians and faculty are working with us on that; they really are supportive," she said. In Louisiana, Opelousas General Health System CFO Shelly Soileau hit the ground running when she started her new role in June to tackle a major industry challenge: patient transportation. Many community members in the health system's rural service area are oen part of a low-income or elderly population and are without a vehicle. "It creates challenges," Ms. Soileau told Becker's on Aug. 22. "We constantly try to call them, check in on them, even if it's a resort to a televisit just to check in on them. We're even looking at the potential of patient monitoring with devices at home in order to check their vital signs to make sure everything is OK." e health system is also exploring avenues such as developing a patient transportation service or applying for grants to ensure that patients are seen on time and not missing critical care appointments. n

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