Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Gerald J. "Gerry" Vicenzi, President, Synernet Inc.



Today’s guest is Gerald “Gerry” Vicenzi, the President of Synernet, Inc. Synernet is a for-profit provider of a broad portfolio of administrative and management services to healthcare organizations including workers compensation administration, clinical engineering, credentialing, coding, and transcription. Gerry has been the President of Synernet since 1999, and under his leadership, Synernet has grown from 25 to more than 270 employees. Gerry brought a wealth of experience with him when he moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Portland, Maine where Synernet is headquartered. Starting out his his career as an industrial engineer and it is fascinating to hear how his engineering background influenced his management approach. He shares his successes and struggles over his forty three year career. We discuss organizational leadership and mentorship, and close on the importance of networking through professional organizations such as ACHE.


I was particularly interested in interviewing Gerry because Synernet represents a very different kind of organization than we have had on the podcast so far. It was fascinating to listen to how he made strategic decisions to adjust the portfolio of services over the years in response to changes in the marketplace, changes in technology, and changes in the competitive environment for his clients.



Links to the Podcast:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/gerald-gerry-vicenzi-president-of-synernet-inc
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/health-leader-forge/the-health-leader-forge/e/gerald-gerry-vicenzi-president-of-synernet-inc-43177697
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Transcript is available here.

Podcast Outline


Time         Topic
0:02:13 training in industrial engineering
0:06:35 Rhode Island Hospital Administration
0:09:35 joining Health Information Management Society
0:10:04 consulting with Medicus Systems in Chicago
0:11:23 Medicus moves Gerry to Cleveland, begins relationship with Mt. Sinai
0:13:36 Saudi Arabia
0:15:21 transition to employment at Mt. Sinai
0:15:57 trying out recruiting
0:17:44 back to Mt. Sinai - rising to Vice President
0:19:36 resiliency - dealing with being layed off
0:22:11 creating a consulting practice
0:23:16 VP for Material Management Services, Greater Cleveland Hospital
                        Association
0:29:24 leadership roles with the Health Industry Group Purchasing Association
0:30:43 recruited to lead Synernet, coming to Maine
0:37:23 revitalizing Synernet - refocused vision and mission
0:44:27 acquisition by Maine Health
0:51:30 expanding the Synernet portfolio, adding credentialing
0:57:13 expanding the Synernet portfolio, adding coding
0:58:26 summary of changes of the Synernet portfolio
1:03:13 discussion of the current strategic direction of Synernet
1:08:23 the hard decisions as CEO - not strategy, people
1:10:59 role of the President/CEO
1:20:42 leadership philosophy
1:22:00 characteristics of a good leader
1:25:16 organizational culture
1:26:50 mentorship
1:34:53 the influence of ACHE

1:38:49 advice to early careerists



Links to Topics Discussed:





We are now using TinyLetter to send out announcements related to the podcast!

You can subscribe by entering your e-mail address below.

We will send out no more than one e-mail each week.




powered by TinyLetter

follow us on Twitter at @healthlf   https://twitter.com/healthlf

follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Health-Leader-Forge-1652776584944485/

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Kevin Donovan, CEO, Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center



Today’s guest is Kevin Donovan, FACHE, FACMPE, the CEO of Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor, Vermont. Mt. Ascutney Hospital is a critical access hospital in rural Vermont and in this podcast Kevin explains the role the hospital and hospital CEO play in a small town where it is the largest employer and major part of the social safety net for the local community. Mt. Asctuney is such an important part of the community fabric that it won the American Hospital Association’s Foster G. McGaw Prize for demonstrated exceptional commitment to community service.

Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center made the strategic decision under Kevin’s watch to become an affiliate of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System.  We discuss this critical decision, and how it was essential to the ongoing success of the organization, but also, surprisingly how a small, rural community hospital contributes value through its affiliation to one of the country’s best known research and teaching hospitals. One would expect the relationship to be one sided, given the size and influence of Dartmouth-Hitchcock in Northern New England, but it is clear from our conversation that the relationship is a win-win for both organizations.

As regular listeners will know after many interviews, most senior health care executives seem to come to the field through trial and error, almost discovering their destiny by accident. Kevin is one of the few I have interviewed who knew from the time he was a young man that he wanted to be a hospital CEO, and through dedication and hard work has accomplished that goal. We conclude the podcast with a discussion of leadership and mentorship, and Kevin gives advice for early careerists who want to follow his path.


Links to the Podcast:
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/kevin-donovan-ceo-mt-ascutney-hospital
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377
Transcript of the interview.

Podcast Outline

0:00:00 introduction
0:02:44 education at Syracuse Univeristy, first exposure to healthcare admin
0:06:40 MHA at George Washington University
0:09:35 work as a practice manager
0:11:46 practice manager at DHMC Children's Hospital (CHAD)
0:13:32 becoming an ACHE Fellow
0:15:05 VP of Physician Services, Chief of Clinical Operations at The Elliott
0:22:59 Windsor, Vermont - home of Mt. Ascutney Hospital
0:26:18 recruiting skilled workers in a rural community
0:29:48 organizational structure of Mt. Ascutney Hospital
0:31:19 Mt. Ascutney as a critical access hosptial
0:34:05 becoming an affiliate of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
0:44:21 employed physician network
0:45:52 Mt. Ascutney's accute inpatient rehabilitation program
0:49:45 strategic decision to close the skilled nursing facility
0:51:29 Mt. Ascutney's assisted living facility
0:53:29 Mt. Ascutney 's grant foundation
0:55:58 being the CEO
1:00:18 employment relationship with DHMC, responsiblilites to DHMC
1:03:25 the board of Mt. Ascutney Hosptial and strategic planning
1:08:38 population health
1:11:09 the Mt. Ascutney grant foundation and receiving the Foster G. McGaw prize
1:13:36 leadership - servant leadership
1:15:36 hiring and evaluating leaders
1:19:11 mentors and mentorship
1:23:46 advice to early careerists




Links to Topics Discussed:

Mt. Ascutney Hospital

Syracuse University 

MHA at George Washington

Dartmouth-Hitchcok Health System

Medical Group Management Association

American College of Healthcare Executives

CARF accredited

OneCare Vermont

Foster G. McGaw Prize 





We are now using TinyLetter to send out announcements related to the podcast!

You can subscribe by entering your e-mail address below.

We will send out no more than one e-mail each week.




powered by TinyLetter

follow us on Twitter at @healthlf   https://twitter.com/healthlf

follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Health-Leader-Forge-1652776584944485/