Chief Healthcare Executive

Rural healthcare is at a crossroads. As reimbursement cuts, staffing shortages, and regulatory pressures intensify, many hospitals are being forced to rethink how they sustain care delivery while serving their communities. This sponsored article explores the technology and community-centered strategies helping rural health systems preserve independence and drive better outcomes: https://hubs.li/Q04gcHZ30

With aims of improving patient care, Sentara Health has launched virtual nursing and other AI initiatives. Amber Price, senior vice president and enterprise chief nursing officer, says the efforts are aimed at improving safety, quality and the patient experience. She says they are also aimed at helping nurses, and she stresses the importance of nurses being heavily involved in the development of those efforts. "We decided to start with our nurses," she says. "I went straight to the front lines and included them and pulled them in. And I think creating transparency with nurses helps them be the problem solvers." https://lnkd.in/eNZgt5eT

How do you bring AI into healthcare without repeating the mistakes of the past? SSM Health's Seth Lovell, VP of Nursing Transformation and Innovation, has a clear answer: put nurses at the center of the conversation. In this interview from Becker's Healthcare Annual Meeting, Seth shares how SSM Health is approaching AI through a safety-first lens and why frontline nurses need to be co-designers, not afterthoughts, in the process. He also reflects on how much the nursing role has evolved from task-based care to serving as the "central nervous system" of the care team and why reducing workload burden has never been more critical. Watch the interview: https://lnkd.in/e9zHzv4W

The St. Charles Health System has named its next CEO. Michael Hartke will serve as the next chief executive officer, succeeding Dr. Steve Gordon, who plans to retire. The system operates four hospitals in central Oregon. “I am honored the Board is confident in my leadership abilities to step into Steve’s shoes, which will be very hard to fill,” Hartke says. https://lnkd.in/e8agTyZ6

A nurse at DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was shot and killed in the hospital's parking lot. Ada Doss was only 27 years old. DCH Health System officials say they're taking steps to improve security measures, and they've also enlisted suggestions from employees. This week, a hospital employee in Houston was stabbed in the parking lot. Thankfully, that employee was treated and released that day. Hospital security leaders have repeatedly stressed that one of the best ways health systems can improve their security is by talking to staff across the organization. Staff can share trouble spots that may not be easily apparent. It's also a smart way to let teams know that safety is the highest priority. https://lnkd.in/eE2CGhki

More nurses are victims of assaults or aggressive behavior as they try to do their job. Dr. M. Dustin Bass, president of the Emergency Nurses Association, says he is glad that violence in nursing is getting more attention. But he fears that too many see it as part of the job. "It's still a major problem," Bass says. "I think that we're talking about it more, which is great, but … violence can't be normalized as part of the job, and the more we talk about it, the more awareness we bring to it. But also I think that we have to be careful to not normalize it." Nursing leaders are urging hospitals and health systems to take steps to offer more protection for nurses. They also would like to see changes in federal law to offer tougher penalties for assaults on nurses and other healthcare workers. https://lnkd.in/eDHppy2e

Since becoming president and CEO of the Mayo Clinic in 2019, Gianrico Farrugia, M.D. has led sweeping changes of the renowned health system. The system is investing billions of dollars in transforming its main campus in Rochester, Minnesota and its campus in Phoenix. The Mayo Clinic Platform is spurring research and innovation. And fundraising continues to rise. Now, he says the time is right to step away. He's planning to step down at the end of the year. "Serving as president and CEO has been a true privilege, and I am certain that our momentum will continue," he says. https://lnkd.in/ebX4Ycqp

Drug shortages aren’t just a supply issue; they’re a governance problem. If your team is relying on vendor portals and after-the-fact reporting, you may already be losing margin, missing contract compliance, and exposing your system to unnecessary risk. This on-demand session from SureCost explores how to: ⚠️ Eliminate reactive procurement decisions ⚠️ Close visibility gaps across multiple vendors ⚠️ Standardize purchasing behavior without disrupting workflows It’s time to move from reacting to shortages → to controlling outcomes in real time. Watch now: https://hubs.li/Q049JLpM0

"The standard of care is not good enough." That's Dr. Richard R. Barakat MD, MBA, Executive Director of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute and he means it. In this conversation with Chief Healthcare Executive®, Dr. Barakat shares how Northwell is bringing novel therapies, clinical trials, and world-class cancer care to patients who have historically been left out of the equation. Watch the interview here: https://lnkd.in/eTJdzgME

The North Memorial Health system is planning to join Sanford Health. The two organizations announced plans to come together and hope to finalize the partnership later this year. Sanford Health already serves some patients in Minnesota, but the partnership would give the health system a presence in the Twin Cities area. Sanford has also pledged to invest $600 million in North Memorial's facilities. Bill Gassen, president and CEO of Sanford Health, says, "By coming together as one nonprofit health care organization, with shared Midwest values and a deep commitment to the communities we serve, we will deliver more coordinated, regionally connected care." https://lnkd.in/edFtCB8v