Leaders sculpting the modern healthcare landscape

At the top of every healthcare organization is the C-suite: The CEO, CFO, CIO…you get the idea. And thanks to their elevated positions, they have the power to make real, impactful change on the healthcare environment. Through their leadership, skill sets, and unique vision, the healthcare c-suite is helping move this industry in new directions.

Coming from Outside

What’s interesting about the healthcare C-suite is that recent data shows many of them are being selected from external sources–about 60% percent, in fact. However, it also found that most internal COOs were the likely candidate to advance to position of CEO. But the fact that most healthcare leaders are hired from within the industry remains the same. Because of the complex inner-workings of healthcare, many candidates from external environments find it difficult to transition into the healthcare industry.

CEOs at the Top

At the top of the pyramid is the CEO–the one who acts more as an overseer rather than being assigned specific tasks. In today’s world, a few of the CEO’s goals are as follows:

• Build relationships with a variety of stakeholders
• Select and lead teams
• Guarantee accountability
• Guide the organization into new territories

But aside from these big picture goals, C-suite leaders also have to stay focused on other important areas, such as learning and innovation, introspection and performance, and maintaining their personal drive.

When a CEO can create a thoughtful blend of all of these goals, healthcare systems and hospitals flourish. They grow. They reach new heights.

Making Change from the Healthcare C-suite

The healthcare C-suite makes change happen in a variety of ways. Let’s take a look at some of those different arenas.

1. Information gathering

Buy studying hospital data, the C-suite works to produce progress reports which serve as benchmarks for goal achievement. This information is shared with the Board, and can help define the organization’s key mission.

2. Making a Strategic Plan

This plan sets clear goals with timelines, and the C-suite is in charge of making sure everyone is held accountable to work toward those goals. “It’s an ongoing, living strategic plan,” says Robert L. Meyer, president and CEO of Phoenix Children’s Hospital to Becker’s Hospital Review on the subject of making a strategic plan. “You don’t do it and just set it on the shelf; it’s very much a living document.”

3. Measuring success

When certain teams fall short of reaching goals, the C-suite steps in to identify what obstacles hindered the goal. They then adjust the strategic plan so it can be more effective, and possibly call for further education for team members to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Teamwork

The C-suite is powerful, but it takes a whole network of team players for any healthcare system to work efficiently and to accomplish new goals.

What is your C-suite known for?