Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/610563
74 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP The Corner Office: Dr. Rod Hochman of Providence Health on Preserving Humility in Leadership W hen it comes to exceptional leadership, there are a few key ingredients. In healthcare, business savvy and administrative experi- ence combined with clinical expertise lends people the capacity to lead with influence and intelligence. Rod Hochman, MD, president and CEO of Providence Health & Services, notes that humility is a fourth and indispensable leadership trait. At the helm of the Renton, Wash.-based system since 2013, Dr. Hochman oversees more than 64,000 employees and 3,000 physicians serving communities across five states — Alaska, Cal- ifornia, Oregon, Montana and Washington. e system includes 34 hospitals, roughly 475 physician clinics, 19 home health and hospice programs, 22 assisted living and long-term care facilities and 14 sites of supportive housing. Despite the large size of Prov- idence Health & Services, Dr. Hochman emphasizes the impor- tance of getting out of the office and being a familiar face to as many employees as possible. A champion of innovation, Dr. Hochman continually en- courages employees to think creatively and refine and optimize what they do on a daily basis. In 2014, Providence Health & Ser- vices rolled out a plan to invest $150 million over 5-7 years in innovative companies that aim to improve patient care. e health system's funds target mid-stage companies focused on online primary care access, care coordination and patient alignment, chronic disease management, clinician experience, data analyt- ics or consumer health wellness. Dr. Hochman and his team also brought in former executives from Amazon to lead the venture fund and oversee digital innovation. He says their skill sets and backgrounds have energized the system to think differently. Dr. Hochman has worked in the healthcare industry — both as a clinician and an administrator — for more than 30 years. Pri- or to his current role, Dr. Hochman was president and CEO of Swedish Health Services in Seattle when the system finalized an affiliation agreement with Providence. He previously held admin- istrative positions with Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Healthcare, the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati and Guthrie Healthcare System in Sayre, Pa. His medical background is in rheumatolo- gy and internal medicine, and he has served as a clinical fellow in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School and Dartmouth Medical School. Here, Dr. Hochman took the time to answer Becker's Hospital Review's seven questions. Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. What's one thing that really piqued your interest in health- care? Dr. Rod Hochman: When I was 16, I entered a program called Doctors of Tomorrow in Suffolk on Long Island, where I grew up. I spent a summer with an orthopedic surgeon and that sealed my fate forever. I knew I was going into medical school af- ter that. ere was nothing else I wanted to do. Aer high school, I was accepted to a six-year medical program at Boston Universi- ty. I never took the MCATs. irty-six years aer I graduated, I'm as enthusiastic about healthcare as I've ever been. What do you enjoy most about Renton, Wash.? RH: I love the Puget Sound region because it's an area of in- novation. If you think about the Seattle area and Puget Sound and the organizations there — like Amazon, Nordstrom, Starbucks, Costco and Expedia — they have all taken a bit of a different an- gle on their industries. It's an incredible place to live and work in that environment. e technological explosion occurred in Sili- con Valley, but Puget Sound matches it in a lot of ways in terms of technology and digital services. It's wonderful living in an en- vironment like that. It's also one of the most beautiful places in the U.S. If you could eliminate one of the healthcare industry's prob- lems overnight, which would it be? RH: Most of us would start with the complexity of the payer system that we have to work with. I think, universally, it's a big frustration for all of us healthcare leaders to manage payer sys- tems instead of patients and families. at's a big one for all of us. I would love to simplify that, because it gets in the way of what we do every day. Also, I would simplify the regulatory process. It's very complicated to understand. Healthcare is probably one of the most regulated industries in the country, which makes it hard for us to do the work we want to do for the patients and their families so we can do the best for them. What do you consider your greatest talent or skill outside of the C-suite? RH: Outside of the C-suite, it's my ability to establish inter- personal relationships, work with people and understand how to get things done when you have to work with and for people. at's what I enjoy and what makes me a better leader. I spend a lot of time trying to understand what our people's issues are — we have 77,000 people working with us — and spend time being sensitive to them. You're a much more valuable leader if you spend time out in the field, not just in the office.