Newsmaker Interview: Tom Siemers
Tom Siemers
Q: What will be your first priority in your new role as CEO of Dosher Memorial Hospital?
A: My first priority is to meet as many key stakeholders (physicians, employees, hospital and community leaders) as I can. I like to listen and get their take on what the hospital is doing well, hospital priorities, and their perspective on the challenges ahead. I especially enjoy meeting and forging relationships with frontline employees on all three shifts.
At the same time I'll deepen my knowledge of the organization's fundamentals by examining data. I like to see key outcomes in the areas of people, service, finance, quality and growth graphed over three to five years. This allows the senior team and I to see trends, not just compare quarterly results to budget. By integrating feedback from key stakeholders with performance data over time, a picture begins to emerge on how to strategically position the organization for further success.
Q: What is the biggest challenge currently facing hospitals and health systems?
A: To me it all comes down to leadership. I think this is the most exciting time to be a healthcare leader since the introduction of Medicare. The Affordable Care Act has turned upside down the traditional model of increasing volume without accountability for quality as the primary strategy for success. With new penalties by CMS, increased regulatory oversight, the advent of accountable care organizations and declining reimbursement by states and other payers, leaders are being challenged like never before to step outside their comfort zones. To meet these challenges and the competitive pressure from other providers, leaders must develop a compelling vision with clear strategies that also integrates new hospital and physician relationships.
Q: What can providers do to address the need to decrease healthcare costs while simultaneously improving outcomes?
A: It's been said that, "Culture trumps strategy, every time." Never has that axiom been truer as organizations desperately try to find the magic formula (Lean, Six Sigma, right consultants, etc.) for reducing costs and improving quality.
My perspective is it's the organization's culture and leadership that ultimately determine success. The successful leader is one who can connect the dots with the employee's individual purpose for work to the broader goals of the organization. That can only occur in a culturally healthy environment. You can require employees to use Lean or Six Sigma methodologies, but you can't force them to be creative or use innovative thinking to solve problems. Values-centered leadership is the key ingredient that will inspire and build an engaged workforce that delivers results.
