Becker's Hospital Review

30 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP How 4 female hospital leaders are driving change By Kristin Kuchno W omen in healthcare leadership roles across the U.S. drove significant improvements within their organizations in 2024. From reducing patient length of stay to boosting employee engagement, these leaders achieved measurable growth through percentage changes and other key metrics. Here are four women who recently shared their success stories with Becker's. 1. A mindset shi for lowered infection rates: Susan Carroll, president of Inova Loudoun Hospital in Leesburg, Va., met with her senior nursing team in March 2022 to tackle rising hospital-acquired infections, which had reached six in the first two months of the year. Ms. Carroll implemented a "stop the line" program, encouraging medical staff to evaluate whether a line was truly needed. Over two years, the hospital's ICU reduced the number of lines from 245 per month to 42. e hospital had reported six confirmed infections in 2024, Ms. Carroll told Becker's in November. is includes two central line-associated bloodstream infections, matching the total from just the first two months of 2022. 2. Transparency to increase engagement: Dana Weston Graves, president of Virginia Beach, Va.-based Sentara Princess Anne Hospital, told Becker's in October that her hospital's employee engagement scores increased from the 60th percentile to the 81st in one year. To drive these improvements, all leaders developed customized action plans based on team feedback. Ms. Graves also implemented an initiative where QR codes allowed staff to submit questions directly to her, which she would answer publicly at town halls. e transparency and following through to address concerns has led to greater trust. 3. ree keys to reduced length of stay: Lee Ann Liska, president of Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., has led the facility to a sustained reduction in patient length of stay over the past few years. e mean length of stay in 2024 is 5.86, Ms. Liska told Becker's in November. is is compared to 6.08 days in 2023. Executive physician leadership, bedside care provider engagement, and accurate documentation of patient acuity and comorbidities contributed to this improvement, Ms. Liska said. 4. Boosting employee engagement as a new leader: Debbie Streier set out to improve employee engagement scores aer becoming regional president and CEO of Avera Marshall (Minn.) Regional Medical Center in 2021. Between 2021 and 2024, employee engagement scores increased by 43%, Ms. Streier told Becker's in October. e belief that staff are the best experts influenced her prioritization of employee feedback, holding listening sessions with each department to understand what needed improvement and whether staff had the necessary tools for their jobs. n Judy Faulkner makes Forbes' 'most powerful women' list By Giles Bruce E pic founder and CEO Judy Faulkner has been named to Forbes' "2024 Power Women" list. Ms. Faulkner, 81, ranked 54th on the Dec. 11 list. She has built Epic into a healthcare software powerhouse, from humble beginnings in a basement apartment in Madison, Wis., in the late 1970s to the country's largest EHR vendor, now covering more than half of U.S. hospital beds. She is worth $7.7 billion, according to Forbes. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, led the rankings, while General Motors CEO Mary Barra (No. 5) was the top U.S. representative. n What female physicians value in a workplace By Mariah Taylor Female physicians said that work-life balance and autonomy over patient care were their top priorities, according to a Medscape report. The publication's "Fighting Glass Ceilings: Medscape Female Physician Career Tracks Report 2024" surveyed 1,240 respondents across more than 29 specialties between Jan. 8 and March 6. Here are what female physicians value in the workplace: Commitment to work-life balance for physicians and staff — 61% Physician autonomy over patient care — 51% Positive atmosphere — 43% Consultations of physicians for organization and policy decisions — 37% Management's treatment of staff — 37% Teamwork — 31% Personal alignment with core organizational values — 13% Ample promotional opportunities — 8% Physician mentors/leadership programs — 7% Other — 3% Access to mental health programs — 2% n

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