Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/821337
111 PRACTICE MANAGEMENT THOUGHT LEADERSHIP Corner Office: Former TMC CEO on Being a Patient Advocate By Tamara Rosin T o Robert Rob- bins, MD, for- mer president and CEO of Hous- ton-based Texas Med- ical Center, increasing access to healthcare is about more than just providing high-qual- ity treatment to the patients who come through the door — it's about establishing and nurturing the connections between providers and patients that empower individuals to live healthier lives. It was announced in March that Dr. Robbins is leaving Texas Medical Center to become the new president of the University of Arizona in Tucson. At the helm of TMC, Dr. Robbins oversaw the largest medical complex in the world, with a campus that encompasses 50 million square feet. e health system, which includes Texas Children's Hospital and e University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, among numerous other members, employs 106,000 people. It has 10 million patient encounters per year and hosts more than 180,000 annual surgeries. In his four and a half years at the Texas Medical Cen- ter, Dr. Robbins was instrumental in the enhance- ment of the system's commitment to collaboration, introducing five cross-institutional research initia- tives centered on innovation, genomics, regener- ative medicine, health policy and clinical research. His clinical efforts focus on acquired cardiac diseas- es with expertise in the surgical treatment of conges- tive heart failure and cardiothoracic transplantation. His research centers on the investigation of stem cells for cardiac regeneration, cardiac transplant allogra vasculopathy, bioengineered blood vessels and automated vascular anastomotic devices. Previously, Dr. Robbins served as professor and chairman of the department of cardiothoracic surgery at Stanford (Calif.) School of Medicine, founding director of the Stanford Cardiovascu- lar Institute, president of the International Soci- ety of Heart and Lung Transplantation, president of the Western oracic Surgical Association and president of the American Heart Associa- tion Western States Affiliate, among other roles. He earned his medical degree from the Univer- sity of Mississippi in Oxford and his bachelor's degree from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss. Here, Dr. Robbins took the time to answer Beck- er's seven questions. Note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity. Question: What's one thing that really piqued your interest in healthcare? Robert Robbins: All of this is about trying to improve the humanity and health of individuals and populations at the same time. For me, figur- ing out how to do this was the only reason I got into healthcare. It's all about helping people. I was drawn to heart surgery in particular because it offers immediate gratification — if someone's heart is failing or they need a new valve, we can go in and change the valve. e person's heart will immediately get better, unlike treatment plans that involve giving someone a pill and following them for years. I like the ability to do something that's transformational for someone's health. e most remarkable thing is taking someone's heart and lungs out and replacing them with someone else's. at's pretty dramatic — someone is liter- ally dying and you give them a new lease on life. When I changed over to the administrative side of healthcare, having a clinical perspective as I was trying to make decisions gave me a great advantage. Q: What do you enjoy most about Hous- ton? RR: e incredible diversity of the people. at's for sure the most important and enjoyable part of Houston. e people are kind and entrepreneurial. ey're willing to take risks and put their trust in people who don't come from Houston or Texas. ey're some of the most hard working and wel- coming people who will support you without judg- ment. at's truly refreshing. Q: If you could eliminate one of the healthcare industry's problems over- night, which would it be? RR: I'd like to eliminate the access and afford- ability issue. Everyone deserves to have access to high-quality treatment. Parenthetically I would add everyone does have the opportunity to get treatment, but not in the most efficient and ef- ficacious way. Anyone can go to the emergency room whenever they want, but that's not the best way to deliver healthcare. A primary care physician is the one who knows you best. People need a physician who knows them across the continuum of care. e need to provide healthcare coverage encompasses mor- al, ethical and financial issues, but it's ultimately less expensive to cover people in the long-run than to provide a lot of episodic care in the ER. Q: What do you consider your greatest talent or skill outside of the C-suite? RR: My ability to listen to patients. I always ask them, 'What would you like to do that you can't do now?' I'm grateful to be able to connect with pa- tients and learn what their hopes and dreams are. ey usually talk about their children or grandchil- dren and other loved ones. It's having the ability to build that personal interaction. Every time I do a heart operation, I know there is a risk the patient could die. at's why I'm al- ways dedicated to being the patient's advocate. Part of that role is really knowing who they are. During the surgical 'time out,' I don't just say, 'is is Jane Smith, age 46…' I say, 'is is Jane Smith, who has three kids, loves to hike and is dedicated to her job serving others.' at's what it means to be a patient's champion. Listening is translatable in every aspect of health- care. It helps enhance my ability to get people working together — whether it's cardiologists working with pulmonologists, heart surgeons or ICU nurses, all of these stakeholders must come together to help the patient. Building and leading multidisciplinary teams is something I really en- joy doing and am effective at. Q: How do you revitalize yourself? RR: I like to exercise. I used to run marathons and play pickup basketball and tennis, but then I rup- tured my Achilles tendon. Now I've caught the golf bug. Anytime I have free time I love to play golf. I also like to read about things other than medi- cine. I'm very interested in politics, government and world issues. I'm also a hopeless pathologi- cal sports fan. Q: What's one piece of advice you re- member most clearly? RR: Have a passion for something and dedicate yourself to it. Also, work hard. You don't have to be the brightest person in the room, but you can overcome a lot of inability by working hard. And finally, connect with others. If you work hard and are trusted and respected by your colleagues, you only have to be bright enough to do your work. Connecting to and caring about people is all everyone wants from each other. It's all about service to others. In my research of the existential meaning of life, service to others is right there at the top. At the end of the day, that's what I want to do. I'm going to perform a heart surgery even if the patient can't pay. Q: What do you consider your greatest achievement at Texas Medical Center so far? RR: I think it's that the institutions the Texas Med- ical Center includes — Texas Children's Hospital and MD Anderson Cancer Center — work to- gether in a collaborative fashion for a common purpose: research, education and improving the health of patients, not just in Houston but through- out Texas, the U.S. and around the world. It's get- ting those institutions to really come together and be dedicated to the strategic plan, especially as they pursue big issues like genomics, regenerative med- icine and big data, and really execute. at's what's most important, as well as raising awareness about what TMC does. It was our goal to be a global lead- er for clinical care, translational research, innova- tion and commercialization. n