Newsletter

June 28, 2021

 

 

Leadership Spotlight:

Hospital CEO Turnover Rate Shows Small Decrease

Hospital CEO positions turned over at a rate of 16% in 2020, according to a recent report by the American College of Healthcare Executives. Down from 17% in 2019, this is the lowest rate calculated since 2011.

“The year 2020 was an unprecedented year and strong leadership teams were essential to taking care of patients. Our recent data suggests that turnover remains relatively stable,” says Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, ACHE's president/CEO. “While we do not collect data on why CEOs depart, we do know there are a variety of reasons driving turnover, including leaders moving to other roles or departing organizations. To ensure the strength and viability of the organizations in advancing health for patients and communities, boards and senior leaders need to remain vigilant in ensuring their succession plans and their development practices are relevant and up to date.”

The CEO turnover rates in this report are based on changes in an organization's CEO, as reported to the American Hospital Association and confirmed from ACHE data and public sources.   

Join Us in Recognizing National Safety Month

Ensuring workplace safety is always of the utmost importance, and since June is National Safety Month, we’d like to call special attention to this critical topic. We recognize that creating and strengthening a culture of safety in healthcare organizations can be daunting. That’s why we collaborated with leaders of exemplar healthcare organizations and renowned experts in leadership, safety and culture to develop resources such as Safer Together: A National Action Plan to Advance Safety. Experts and contributors to the National Action Plan highlight four foundational focus areas deliberately chosen because of their widespread impact on safety across the continuum of care. You can learn more about this resource here, where you can also take the Leading for Safety Pledge and assess your organization’s safety culture.

Additionally, the ACHE Blog offers a trove of thought leadership on the topic of safety. For example, this recent blog post from our new safety collaborator, the ABIM Foundation, addresses the topic of building trustworthiness in the healthcare system. You’ll also find our six-part blog series that focuses on each of the six leadership domains in Leading a Culture of Safety: A Blueprint for Success—a resource developed by ACHE and the IHI’s Lucian Leape Institute:

Visit ache.org/Safety to access the blueprint and additional safety resources and thought leadership.

Podcast: Driving Culture From the Top

In the latest episode of the Healthcare Executive Podcast, Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE, regional president, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, and 2021 Chair of the ACHE Board of Governors, discusses how executive leaders drive organizational culture. For example, to keep patients at the center of everything her organization does, Owen Plietz makes site visits to the health system’s 21 medical centers a regular part of her schedule. On these visits, she meets with front-line teams that provide her with insights into the work they’re doing to care for patients, and what they might do differently to ensure an exceptional patient experience. Listen as she highlights Kaiser Permanente’s work on patient-centered care; diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and her vision for the successful future of ACHE.

Visit HealthcareExecutive.org/Podcast to listen and browse through more episodes. The podcasts are also available by searching for “Healthcare Executive” in Apple Podcasts, iTunes or your podcast app of choice.

Your June Gift: Providing Culturally Competent and Patient-Centered Care 

A healthcare leader’s responsibility to the communities they serve is multifaceted. Part of that responsibility includes providing training to help healthcare providers deliver culturally competent care, according to ACHE’s Policy Statement on “Healthcare Executives’ Responsibility to Their Communities.” This month, we are offering two free resources to help healthcare leaders navigate the nuances of providing their patients and communities with patient-centered and culturally sensitive care.

Leading Ancillary and Support Departments to Higher Performance: The New Service Imperative for Patient Care, edited by Frank R. Tortorella, JD, FACHE, delves into the key principles for effectively and efficiently leading ancillary and support teams throughout a healthcare system. Chapter 11 of this book addresses what leaders need to know about language assistance departments such as key metrics to monitor: people, services, quality/safety and financial. “Monitoring these four areas keeps leadership informed of changes and allows the necessary modifications to more adequately control operations and stay within institutional parameters,” writes César Palacio, the author of this chapter. 

Then, in an article originally published in the May/June 2019 issue of the Journal of Healthcare Management, author Rev. Kathie Bender Schwich, FACHE, highlights efforts at Advocate Aurora Health to respect spiritual beliefs, which she says is an “essential part of what it means to provide the best whole-person care.” For example, Schwich explains that board-certified chaplains at the health system often take the lead in recognizing a patient’s spiritual beliefs and practices and then communicating them and their implications to others on the care team. “However, each of our caregivers is also encouraged to ask clarifying questions of the patient and family and to avoid assumptions,” she says.

Deadline Extended for 2021 IHF Awards

Entries for the 2021 International Hospital Federation Awards are now due July 31. The awards recognize excellence and outstanding achievements of healthcare providers around the globe.

This year, the IHF Awards include the American College of Healthcare Executives Excellence Award for Leadership and Management. This award is open to IHF Full Members and their member hospitals or health service providers and IHF Associate Members who demonstrate excellence or outstanding achievements in leadership and management. Such achievements can include activities that clearly demonstrate strong leadership and management in leading a hospital or health service provider. As ACHE is an IHF Premier Associate Member, this award is open to all ACHE members.

Hospitals and healthcare organizations are invited to submit their entries by July 31 for a chance to be recognized internationally. Entries can be submitted for the following awards:

  • Dr. Kwang Tae Kim Grand Hospital Award.
  • Excellence Award for Corporate Social Responsibility.
  • Austco Excellence Award for Quality and Patient Safety.
  • American College of Healthcare Executives Excellence Award for Leadership and Management.
  • Ashikaga-Nikken Excellence Award for Green Hospitals.
  • Sultanate of Oman Excellence Award for Health Services During Crisis.

The award winners will be recognized during a special awards ceremony at the 44th IHF World Hospital Congress, Nov. 8–11, in Barcelona, Spain. If you haven’t already registered for the World Hospital Congress, early bird rates are available until July 31. For more information about the IHF Awards, please visit the awards website or email awards@ihf-fih.org.

Correctional Mental Health Care Conference in July

Join the National Commission of Correctional Health Care July 20–21 for its Virtual Correctional Mental Health Care Conference. The pandemic represented not only a physical health crisis, but also a mental health crisis, especially for those in correctional institutions. Despite the challenges of providing mental healthcare in prisons and jails last year, institutions innovated to find new ways to support patients and staff, treat chronic problems of suicide and substance use disorder, and overcome resource limitations. NCCHC’s flagship conference, which will be held live July 20–21 and available on-demand through Aug. 31, will benefit clinicians and administrators with a variety of backgrounds and a focus on mental healthcare. Register today to discover innovations, best practices and new solutions for mental health treatment.