Our interviews with the industry's 'Most Influential'

Kevin Lofton, the CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives, offers his perspective on how being an ED administrator helped prepare him for life as a hospital leader, what he's learned since his days as a 'baby CEO,' and his vision for the future of CHI.

Key excerpt

Lofton: About 95% of my job is to be forward-thinking, looking out to see where CHI can go. [And] we're focusing more on the continuum of care, especially because of health care reform and changes in care delivery. As part of that, improving management of population health—keeping people healthy in our communities—and looking for growth outside of the hospital.

Read our interview with Kevin.

John Noseworthy explains how the Mayo Clinic is forgoing traditional M&A to instead use "knowledge as an integrator."

Key excerpt

Noseworthy: Every patient who comes to Mayo has a team. If more than one physician is needed—and 95% of the time, more than one is—the team focuses around that patient and shares their knowledge of how best to handle the problem.

Since this is at the heart of what we do every day.

Read our interview with John.

Lloyd Dean, the CEO of Dignity Health, talks about his unusual path from teacher to pharmaceutical executive to hospital leader, and why he wants patients to always have "Dignity with them."

Key excerpt

Q: How does your teaching background inform your management style?

Dean: Successful educators tend to have three key attributes.

One, you have to be able to listen. Two, be able to take complex principles and ideas and put them in a language that people will understand. Three, motivate and create the desire in individuals to learn—to get them to focus together on a common project.

Read our interview with Lloyd.

Rod Hochman, president and CEO of Providence Health & Services, discusses his transition from doctor to CEO, the traits of an aspiring clinician leader, and the importance of disruptive innovation.

Key excerpt

Hochman: I use the analogy that iconic companies can go out of business. Kodak stayed on film too long, they didn't think about images. And where's Blockbuster? For those of us in health care, if you're not thinking that way, you're going to get lost.

Read our interview with Rod.

We interviewed Chris Van Gorder, CEO of Scripps Health, as part of "Making an Impact" interview series. Van Gorder discussed his organization's commitment to public service and how he keeps Scripps connected to its founding mission.

Key excerpt

Van Gorder: Since we are in the midst of the most significant change in health care in the last 100 years, if you focused on just these huge changes and the unpredictability over the next few years it would be easy to lose focus on the individual patient and local community.

Therefore it is helpful and grounding to take yourself back to the patient and the community, which you’re responsible to serve.

Read our interview with Chris.

He barely got into med school. Now he runs the Cleveland Clinic. Read about how CEO Toby Cosgrove sees the industry, and his secrets of success.

Key excerpt

Cosgrove: I am a shameless stealer of ideas. I learned about valve repair in Paris, I learned about minimally invasive robotic surgery at Stanford, I learned about aortic aneurisms in Texas, and on and on.

Read our interview with Toby.