Becker's Hospital Review

16 COO what organic optimization can accomplish. "Rising costs, increasing regulatory oversight, and persistent administrative burden on providers demand more than continuous operational improvement — they demand structural change," Mr. Vara said. "To truly deliver the right care, at the right place, at the right time, we can't just optimize around the edges. We must better align the system itself." e proposed partnership could lead to huge financial results to better serve the community. "rough vertical integration of a leading provider and Hawai'i's Blue Cross Blue Shield health plan, we can unlock an estimated $2 billion in value over 10 years — not by cutting corners, but by fundamentally changing how care is delivered and funded," Mr. Vara said. n New Children's Minnesota COO lays out priority list By Kelly Gooch J ohn Harding, EdD, began his role as executive vice president and COO of Minneapolis-based Children's Minnesota on April 27 and told Becker's the opportunity marks a progression in his career. "Having come from Children's healthcare most of my career, I'm looking forward to stepping in and learning from all these folks here in such a great organization and to see how I contribute," Dr. Harding said. In his role, he will provide enterprisewide operational leadership across the system's hospitals, specialty centers and clinics, according to an April 29 system news release shared with Becker's. Dr. Harding joins Children's Minnesota from Indianapolis- based Riley Children's Health, where he served as COO. He previously served as COO of Norfolk, Va.-based Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters Health System and held leadership roles at St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital and Washington, D.C.-based Children's National Medical Center. At Children's Minnesota, he said his initial focus is on learning the organization's priorities and operations. "My first priority as the new administrator is going to be to learn and really understand what the organization's priorities are, understand how leaders and teams work to provide great care and services for families and learn the operational management system to understand how I can add value to the work that's already going on here," Dr. Harding said. He said his second priority is evaluating the continuum of care, from primary care through post-acute care, and improving care experiences for patients, families and team members. "I like to focus on patient access and [patient] flow, because if patients get good access to care — the right care at the right time and in the right place — that helps outcomes," Dr. Harding said. "If we're efficient in our operations, it helps with quality, safety and financial measures." Children's Minnesota is also preparing to implement a new Epic EHR, which Dr. Harding said he will focus on supporting as he steps into the role. n Idaho hospital creates COO-CNO role By Kelly Gooch S t. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston, Idaho, appointed Angela Green, BSN, to the newly created chief nursing officer and chief operating officer role, the hospital said in an April 21 Facebook post. Ms. Green brings more than 15 years of senior healthcare leadership experience and has served in the dual role on an interim basis for the past six months. She was initially transferred to the hospital from ScionHealth, a Louisville, Ky.-based health system, to fill the COO role on an interim basis, according to the Lewiston Tribune. She later applied for the permanent position after "falling in love with the community, city and staff," she told the publication. In her new role, Ms. Green will oversee pharmacy, respiratory services, laboratory, and quality and learning, as well as a newly created assistant chief nursing officer position, the Tribune reported. St. Joseph Regional Medical Center is the largest full- service hospital between Boise, Idaho, and Spokane, Wash., with more than 100 board-certified physicians and providers, according to its website. The Catholic hospital is a founding member of ScionHealth. n

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