Marie Vienneau, FACHE, President & CEO, Mayo Hospital

Today’s guest is Marie Vienneau, the President and CEO of Mayo Hospital in Dover Foxcroft, Maine. Mayo Hospital is a critical access hospital in rural central Maine. Mayo Hospital is the primary hospital for the 17,000 residents of Piscataquis county, spread over a land mass roughly the size of Connecticut.

Prior to coming to Mayo Hospital, Marie worked at Millinocket Regional Hospital, in her home town of Millinocket, Maine, where she rose from staff nurse to President and CEO. During her tenure, like much of rural Maine, the two paper mills that were the economic engines of her community closed down. We talk at length about what it is like leading a non-profit community hospital during a time of economic downturn, and how she led the organization and worked with the community to care for her fellow residents.

Marie has been the President and CEO of Mayo Hospital since 2014. Mayo Hospital has a unique governance structure: it is a quasi-governmental entity governed by a Hospital Administrative District, which I was not familiar with. We discuss how this governance structure is different from the typical non-profit hospital’s governance structure and the challenges of working in this different environment. Mayo Hospital is currently in negotiations to merge with Northern Light Health, formerly the Eastern Maine Health System, one of the three largest health systems in Maine, and we discuss some of the challenges of going through a merger process. We close on a discussion of leadership.

Links to Podcast:

Anchor: 

Full Length:  https://anchor.fm/healthleaderforge/episodes/Marie-Vienneau--President-and-CEO--Mayo-Hospital-full-length-egra8p

Abridged: https://anchor.fm/healthleaderforge/episodes/Marie-Vienneau--President-and-CEO--Mayo-Hospital-abridged-egra5n

iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marie-vienneau-president-and-ceo-mayo-hospital-full-length/id981989377?i=1000441622410

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge

YouTube: https://youtu.be/XQzM5CMaXew 

Podcast Outline (Applies to Full-Length version)
Time               Topic
0:02:24 Early career in nursing - Boston
0:04:08 returning to Maine - Millinocket Regional Hospital
0:05:38 becoming CNO of Millinocket Regional Hospital at 26
0:06:47 about Millinocket and and the collapse of the paper industry
0:09:40 making the transition from staff nurse to senior leader
0:12:06 advice for making the transition to leader from individual performer
0:14:03 being young in a senior leadership role
0:15:54 transition to CNO/COO
0:16:38 becoming CEO
0:18:31 Millinocket Regional Hospital and the economy
0:21:40 effects of the contracting economy on the hospital
0:23:30 1/3 of the population becoming uninsured in one day
0:29:00 surviving the downturn - loyalty of the medical staff
0:31:07 reflecting on rise from staff nurse to CEO in one organization
0:34:54 importance of having been a clinician and support of the medical staff
0:39:02 CEO is the face of the organization in the community
0:43:14 moving from Millinocket to Mayo Hospital
0:45:49 about Dover Foxcroft, Maine
0:48:39 Mayo Hospital
0:50:12 challenge of maintaining specialties in a small facility
0:53:40 challenges of recruiting physicians to rural hospitals
0:55:01 foreign medical graduate program
0:57:31 reliance on non-physician providers
0:58:28 reliance on telemedicine in the emergency department
1:01:08 telepsychiatry, other telemedicine
1:02:19 Governance - Hospital Administrative District - quasi-governmental district
1:07:08 founding of Mayo Hospital as a Hospital Administrative District
1:08:41 Northern Lights (Eastern Maine) Merger
1:09:50 strategic advantages of the proposed merger
1:13:21 merger must be approved by Maine legislature
1:15:25 lessons from 17 years as a CEO - it's lonely at the top
1:18:13 what keeps her up at night as CEO
1:20:09 leadership philosophy
1:21:56 what she looks for in a leader
1:22:30 advice about worklife balance

1:24:49 why healthcare administration?

Links to Topics discussed

Mayo Hospital

Millinocket Regional Hospital

Northern Light Health

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Stephen Kasabian, Chief Administrative Officer, Maine Medical Partners

Today's guest is Stephen Kasabian, Chief Administrative Officer for Maine Medical Partners (MMP) in Portland, Maine. Maine Medical Partners is a large, multi-specialty practice with over 500 physicians and is a subsidiary of Maine Medical Center. Steve was MMP Employee #1, and has overseen the growth of the organization since its inception.

Steve is a graduate of our own HMP program, and in this podcast we trace his career from UNH through to his leadership at MMP. We discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by healthcare organizations, and those in and around southern Maine. We conclude with a discussion about leadership. 

Steve is interviewed by HMP junior Bridgette Carrier and HMP senior Shayna Murphy.

Links to the Podcast

Soundcloud: 

            Edited:https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/stephen-kasabian-chief-administrative-officer-maine-medical-partners-1/         

            Full-length: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/stephen-kasabian-chief-administrative-officer-maine-medical-partners/

 Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377 

YouTube: https://youtu.be/jIW8ArQjxvs

Podcast Outline 

Time       Topic

0:01:54 Choosing health management as a major
0:02:44 Internship at Exeter Hospital - the beginning of a career
0:04:56 First job at Goodall Hospital, learning to be a manager
0:08:53 Transition to consulting
0:11:21 key skills - relationship building and listening
0:13:56 what did he enjoy most about consulting
0:15:26 becoming a senior manager and deciding to leave consulting
0:16:27 moving into practice management
0:18:44 comparing practice management to hospital management
0:19:42 Leading a practice merger
0:20:57 the formation of Maine Medical Partners
0:23:30 working with a PHO when the concept was new
0:24:55 employee 1 - starting Maine Health's Medical Service Organization (MSO)
0:27:09 organziation as it was in 1995
0:28:29 building relationships with the physicians
0:29:26 what are the challenges of building a multi-specialty practice
0:30:50 what does it mean to be a multi-specialty group
0:33:21 MMP process for acquiring or opening a practice
0:35:49 challenges of rapid acquisition
0:37:00 hiring a physician president, becoming Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
0:38:57 being half of a dyad
0:40:20 division of labor in the physician-administrator dyad
0:41:38 pros and cons of dyad leadership
0:42:07 MMP's major services
0:43:50 MMP's current structure
0:46:06 small number of direct reports
0:47:15 longevity of leadership team is a strength
0:48:39 MMP corporate strategy linked to Maine Medical Center
0:51:07 making the jump from individual practice to system level
0:52:37 MMP mission - to care for patients regardless of ability to pay
0:54:34 challenges of recruiting physicians
0:56:01 dealing with an aging population
0:57:45 impact of the ACA - lowering bad debt
0:58:30 impact of not expanding Medicaid
0:59:57 operational excellence, Gemba walks
1:03:40 Gemba walks help with employee engagement
1:04:53 what keeps him up at night - finding the resources to provide the services needed
1:06:34 what are the skills necessary to become a CAO
1:07:32 advice to his 20 year old self
1:08:33 leadership philosophy
1:10:04 the characteristics of a good leader - listening
1:11:09 who inspired his leadership style
1:11:54 a leadership lesson learned the hard way
1:13:56 what to look for when choosing leaders
1:16:21 the common mistakes of junior leaders - impatience
1:17:23 organizational culture
1:18:41 how to shape organizational culture - live it
1:19:56 the role of the mentor
1:22:11 book recommendation for early careerists
1:23:20 advice to early careerists

Topics Discussed:

Maine Medical Partners

Maine Medical Center

Maine Health

Goodall Hospital (now SMHC)

Exeter Hospital

Health Management and Policy, University of New Hampshire

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Katie Fullam Harris, SVP of Government Relations and Accountable Care Strategy, MaineHealth

Today's guest is Katie Fullam Harris, the Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Accountable Care Strategy for MaineHealth, in Portland, Maine. Katie oversees the development, implementation and coordination of state and federal advocacy on behalf of the MaineHealth System, and also leads the development and implementation of strategy that supports improved access and value for health care consumers and purchasers and the alignment of incentives for providers in the MaineHealth System. Prior to coming to MaineHealth, Katie worked in a variety of not-for-profit, government, and for-profit institutions.

In this podcast, Katie and I discuss her career journey, then transition to talk about what it’s like to manage government relations and health policy for the largest integrated health system in the state of Maine, and the challenges of trying to move a large system towards paying for value. We conclude with a discussion about influence and leadership.


We cover a lot of ground in this interview, especially around the recent evolution of health policy. I think early careerists in particular will get a sense of the importance of integrating proactive government relations in a large healthcare organization.

Links to the Podcast:

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/healthleaderforge/katie-fullam-harris-svp-of-government-relations-for-mainehealth

Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-health-leader-forge

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/healthleaderforge/id981989377

Transcript: A transcript of the podcast is available here.

Podcast Outline

0:02:05 Educational background
0:02:54 Government relations, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England
0:07:30 Maine Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services
0:13:07 Director of Development, Sweetser
0:15:53 Program Director, Maine Development Foundation
0:18:57 Director of Government Relations, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shielf of Maine
0:25:27 MaineHealth overview
0:27:55 impact of Maine's geography and demographics
0:30:15 efforts toward population health
0:31:32 primary care and case management program for underinsured
0:32:24 Government Relations at MaineHealth
0:34:20 Employer Relations at MaineHealth
0:36:55 promoted to Senior Vice President - developing risk-based contracts
0:44:07 "accountable care movement"
0:46:03 Effect of the ACA on MaineHealth
0:52:30 a day in the life of Katie Fullam Harris
0:53:38 working with the MaineHealth affiliates
0:58:13 importance of bringing government relations in early
1:00:02 concerns about the future
1:01:19 leadership philosophy
1:02:01 characteristics of a good leader
1:03:16 organizational culture
1:04:59 career mentors and what they do
1:09:37 where do early careerists go wrong?
1:12:18 most frequent advice to early careerists?
1:13:28 read anything by Atul Gawande
1:14:16 opportunities in health administration

Links to Selected Topics Discussed

MaineHealth

MaineHealth Strategic Plan

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England

Sweetser

Maine Development Foundation

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maine

Atul Gawande

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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:

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