Today’s guest is Warren West, the CEO of North Country Healthcare. North Country Healthcare is a newly founded system of four critical access hospitals in the North Country of New Hampshire. North Country Healthcare is a unique system because it does not include a larger community hospital or medical center as an anchor.
Warren started his career in healthcare at the age of sixteen when he became a housekeeper at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey, a rehabilitation hospital where he would eventually rise to vice president for administration. In this podcast we talk about Warren’s career, about his leadership philosophy, and the challenges of providing comprehensive healthcare in a rural setting in a time of massive change in the healthcare industry.
Links to the Podcast
Soundcloud:
Extended version: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/warren-k-west-ceo-north-country-healthcare
Edited version: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/warren-west-ceo-north-country-healthcare-edited
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377
YouTube: https://youtu.be/rEz9dFkyssc
Podcast Outline
(this outline applies to the full length version)
Time Topic
0:01:40 starting out in housekeeping at Children's Specialized
0:03:10 Public Service Administration at Waynesburg
0:04:01 Switching to Healthcare Administration, MPA at Seton Hall
0:04:53 returning to Children's Specialized Hospital - security guard to intern
0:05:38 about Children's Specialized Hospital
0:06:37 transition to Assistant Administrator, Children's Specialized Hospital
0:08:30 VP of Administration, decision to leave Children's
0:09:10 recruited by Healthsouth to be CEO of HealthSouth Meridian Point Rehabilitation Hospital
0:09:52 for-profit vs. not-for-profit healthcare
0:12:04 the transition to CEO
0:13:00 Vice President-Rehabilitation, Neurosciences and Occupational Health Services, Saint Barnabas Healthcare System
0:14:24 setting goals - personal and professional
0:17:30 President and CEO of Copley Hospital and Health System - lessons learned up till then
0:19:01 challenges at Copley
0:21:16 converting Copley to Critical Access status
0:23:10 Federally Qualified Health Clinic look-alike status
0:25:51 President and CEO of Littleton Regional Healthcare
0:29:50 the impact of geography on Copley vs. Littleton Regional
0:32:45 Certification of Need (CON) programs
0:36:27 coming in at the top - senior leadership transitions
0:39:08 challenges when taking over Littleton Regional
0:43:30 financing growth - getting access to capital
0:44:26 being the leader of the largest not-for-profit in the region
0:45:24 how does the CEO and the hospital interact with the business community
0:46:34 focus on population health and risk contracting
0:48:23 North Country Healthcare
0:50:07 the benefit of the affiliation - size, scale, quality
0:51:54 risk based contracting
0:53:09 the genesis of North Country Healthcare
0:55:28 who were the major stakeholders that had to buy in
0:56:12 transition to CEO of North Country Healthcare
0:57:04 board structure of North Country Healthcare and its affiliates
0:59:24 System CEO to hospital presidents
1:00:32 system level efficiencies
1:01:22 ACO participation and "Community Care Organization" or "CCO"
1:04:42 being a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives
1:06:18 leadership philosophy
1:07:33 characteristics of a good leader - no "carpet administrators"
1:08:59 leadership lessons learned the hard way
1:10:14 the time limit on leadership
1:10:59 what he looks for in a leader
1:12:31 what does it mean to be a mentor
1:14:31 what does a good mentor do
1:15:21 book recommendation for early careerists
1:15:56 why healthcare administration?
Topics Discussed:
North Country Healthcare
Littleton Regional Healthcare
Copley Hospital
Health Center Program Look-Alikes
Saint Barnabas HealthcareSystem
HealthSouth Meridian PointRehabilitation Hospital
Children's SpecializedHospital
FarleighDickinson University MBA
Seton Hall MPA, Health Care Administration
Waynesburg College
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North Country Healthcare
Littleton Regional Healthcare
Copley Hospital
Health Center Program Look-Alikes
Saint Barnabas HealthcareSystem
HealthSouth Meridian PointRehabilitation Hospital
Children's SpecializedHospital
FarleighDickinson University MBA
Seton Hall MPA, Health Care Administration
Waynesburg College
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