Focus on the Patient – Insights from 4 Senior Leaders

Healthcare Leadership

 

with Dan Nielsen dan@americashealthcareleaders.com

 

Focus on the Patient – Insights from 4 Senior Leaders

 

Healthcare is a remarkable field to be working in today. The healthcare field is rapidly evolving and with this comes the need for a distinct focus on the one thing that stays constant and true: the need to have an unrelenting focus on the importance of the patient.

 

In many of the interviews I have conducted through America’s Healthcare Leaders, there is a resounding theme to what drives the truly successful leaders, and that is to focus on the care of the patient. Everyone in healthcare—from the top executive to the janitor—is there for one reason, and how you define this will determine how successful you are in your field.

 

Here are some insights on this critical issue from four leading healthcare executives:

 

“I was waiting for them to start talking about patients but it never happened.” – Chris Van Gorder, president & CEO of Scripps Health, commenting on his search for a new CFO. He continued the search until he found someone who openly expressed his passion for people and the patients the hospital would be serving.

 

“From the very beginning of your career, think about what it is you can do for others. How can you make a contribution to the industry, to your colleagues, to those that you are serving? And if in fact you do that, not only will you be affirmed and satisfied, the opportunities for success will come.” – Mike Williams, president & CEO of Community Hospital Corporation, on how to be truly successful in healthcare.

 

“Focus more on wellness and getting people to understand that taking care of yourself is the key to lifelong happiness… Realizing what you do today indicates how you are going to be into the future so focusing on population health and wellness and getting people to take a personal interest in their own wellness is key.” – Tony Bohn, System Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer at Norton Healthcare, on investing in your patients in order to change the way healthcare currently works.

 

“If you don’t learn about one another, how can you provide service to that community that has a different perception of health, a different perception of authority, and different religious beliefs about what you should do and not do in different circumstances?” – Michael Dowling, president & CEO of New York’s Northwell Health, on learning from each other in order to better serve your patients.

 

Learn from these leaders. In order to truly be a great leader in healthcare, you must acknowledge the importance of focusing on the patient. Your entire organization needs to be built around this core philosophy. As soon as you lose this focus, you are hindering your ability to be successful.

 

What is your key focus? Have you walked the halls of your organization recently and actually seen who it is you are serving? Take the time to evaluate your priorities and align yourself for success by focusing on the people that matter: your patients.

 

 

Copyright © 2016 by Dan Nielsen – www.americashealthcareleaders.com