Roundtables

on the task at hand was quite an accomplishment during the wave of mergers, expansions and con- solidations in the industry. And there are new competitors in the marketplace and new payment models. Being able to achieve what we achieved among all of the changes in the greater marketplace is remarkable. Q: If you had to choose one event from 2014 that had the biggest effect on your hospital/health system, what would it be and why? AEG: I think it would be our continued success in making the hospital fully compatible on an EMR. We went to a full EMR in 2013 and have seen tremendous challenges and opportunities since. We're improving patient safety in many ways and have been address- ing other issues that going to a full EMR brings for more than a year. We accomplished meaningful use and are now dealing now with second stage, which brings major changes in the way the hospital functions. We have a team of ex- tremely dedicated managers who are pushing the agenda down to the individual staff member level. e staff is the biggest advocate of doing it right. ey are engaged and offer suggestions and ideas to improve our hospital and share best practices across the system. So, the EMR has probably had one of the biggest effects on the hospi- tal. KP: e launch of the healthcare exchange was a shot across the bow for healthcare costs and pric- ing. In our market, we experienced an insurance product price war, with pricing driving significant market share movements. Aggres- sive pricing was tied to narrow network products which are grow- ing rapidly. MY: Our biggest event in 2014 was the opening of the new West Shore Hospital on May 19. Our system is the rare health system, opening a new hospital, which allows us to coordinate our care in the western portion of our service area. Patients west of Harrisburg were diffusing into many differ- ent providers, so it was difficult to keep them in our continuum model without the West Shore Hospital. e hospital incorpo- rates patient-centered technology, including a cutting-edge IT sys- tem connected to ID badges, so when a nurse or physician walks into the room, it displays his/her name on an in-room monitor. e community acceptance has been tremendous. About 75 percent of the hospital's employees are new employees; we have extraordinary new talent blended with strong existing talent. On day one, it had a tremendously positive culture. And the new hospital is an eco- nomic hub for the county, attract- ing more business to the area. Q: What was one lesson you learned this year that other healthcare executives could bene- fit from hearing? AEG: It would be to try to lis- ten very hard to what my staff is thinking and feeling. Like with planning for Ebola — I listened to their concerns. Listening to phy- sicians, staff and patients provides the best education you can get. While I may ultimately not be able to always agree with them, I try very hard to understand their position and find ways to address their concerns or issues. ere is always a learning curve for me, and I think for most people in a senior leadership position, and the single best tool we have are our ears. KP: Managing change, accelerat- ing the pace of decision making, and focus on the "vital few" have become important learnings for us. at, combined with the need to lead with two perspectives in mind — short-term performance improvement and long-term strategic investment and position- ing. One without the other will be inadequate. MY: Never underestimate how much your team can accomplish. So many great things happened in our system this year, and while all those things were underway, we still hit our targets for growth, finances, patient satisfaction and quality. People are generally nervous about getting out of their comfort zones, and it's the CEO's job to help them through that until they have a good handle on how much they can achieve. n Accomplishments, Challenges of 2014 3

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