chief executive, president, executive coach

Summary

Gary Shaw, Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives
Leaders have four fundamental responsibilities: Craft a vision, build alignment, inspire others, champion execution
My career is that of a successful hospital CEO, building strong teams that consistently outperform in both revenue and expense budgets in a variety of challenging settings from Delaware to Alaska. I am a results-oriented servant leader who is not afraid to take on tough challenges. My leadership style manifests itself on a day-to-day basis through my communications, my personal interactions with staff members, physicians and their patients as well as my service in the community through my involvement in my church and other community organizations and through my charitable donations. I am an inclusive leader in that I believe the best decisions are made through consultation with both formal and informal decision makers. My focus on building strong teams is directly related to my ability to drive results in finance and operations, clinical quality and patient safety as well as employee, physician and patient satisfaction. The genesis of my successful leadership career began as an enlisted man in the United States Navy. I rose to the rank of Lt. Commander in the Medical Service Corps, serving hospitals and ambulatory clinics in the US and Europe, including a special assignment with NATO peacekeeping forces.

Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives, graduate trained Executive Leadership Coach.

Achievements

  • Advised one or more organizations
  • Held a C-level position within an organization
  • Received one or more certifications
  • Networked with other professionals
  • Earned one or more college degrees

Timeline

  1. President & CEO, Nantucket Cottage Hospital (A Mass General Affiliate)
  2. -
    President, Allina Health Cambridge Medical Center

    • Successfully renegotiated with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) to eliminate inpatient block scheduling and reduce nurse/patient ratios. Despite a tense and robust renegotiation, relations with MNA have remained cordial. 2014-2018 results: Nurse productive hours moved from 38 percent to 110 percent, system inpatient safety measures were met or exceeded year after year

    • Assigned Systemwide Performance Improvement Initiatives

    o Senior executive assigned to Introduce Allina’s leadership to Southcentral Foundation’s two time Malcomb Baldridge Award winning (Anchorage, AK) Whole Person Care Primary Care Model of Care and implement system wide redesign changes into new clinic space design, layout while simultaneously interweave new care concepts into physician patient management, care coordination, system wide specialist referral, in-house wellness program access, clinic mental health counseling, and patient and patient/family satisfaction initiatives

    o Executive leader tasked to build a $9 Million Whole Person Care outpatient clinic in Isanti County (pilot based on the Alaska model). Goal of the new site was to have family practice, midlevel’s, and ancillary care providers manage high acuity family care as a team. 2016-18 results: Three-year volume projections were achieved in year one for family practice, mental health assessments, and physical therapy. New patient visits increased by 100 percent, in house physical therapy referrals increased by 100 percent, wellness programs which include massage, dietetics, and mental health counseling flourished, clinic patient satisfaction consistently exceeded the 90th percentile

    o Imaging Executive sponsor for systemwide radiology resources. 2015-18 results: Created Imaging Strategy Steering & Program Committees which adopted and deployed system wide best practices. Defined and deployed acquisition policies for imaging resources acquired for all hospitals and clinics. Created system wide radiology dosimetry protocols, Radiation Safety Officer contracts, and an imaging document management system that mandated moving from site specific to system imaging policies and procedures to system only

    o Executive leader for the Allina Medical Equipment Imaging Subcommittee. Tasked to inventory system wide capital assets and implemented recapitalization prioritization policies and procedures. 2015-18 results: Moved system away from single site major equipment purchases to bulk buys. Example: System savings in CT allowed the purchase of 6 CT scanners versus 2, 5 MRI versus 2, 100 ultrasounds versus 20, 6 Tomography versus 3

    • To remove chronic problems that hindered Emergency Room clinical quality, drove high cost, created low physician and nurse engagement, and poor patient satisfaction scores, I outsourced Emergency Room Medical Director responsibilities, Physician Services, and ED operations. This was a tough internal physician and nurse leader negotiation as it required elimination of the long-standing in-house ED medical director position and 11 employed physicians. It also required movement of the 11 providers to outsourced employment if success was going to be achieved. 2017-18 results: All of the 11 ED physicians accepted outsourced employment offers and continued working internally under outsourced ED Boarded Medical Director leadership. ED physician and nurse engagement scores moved from the lowest in the system to the highest (35th-90th percentile), patient satisfaction moved from the 50th percentile to the 75th percentile, patient care quality met system goals, and expense beat budget

    • Improved ED operating efficiency, expense and revenue by flexing unused ED rooms, reducing nurse staff expense, standardizing physician preference cards, supplies, work processes, and adding midlevel’s to manage peak patient demand times. This was a robust Minnesota Nurses Association and physician leader negotiation as it required moving nurse productivity from the 45 percent to 105 percent and adding midlevel’s into a group that had not desired their presence. 2016-18 results: Nurse union negotiations were successful, midlevel’s were successfully integrated, operating expense dropped by $5 Million, ED inpatient admit capture rates increased by 25 percent, ED and inpatient hospital revenue attributed to improved ED inpatient admit rates increased by $10 Million. Net improvement in two years was greater than $15 Million

    • To remove barriers that impeded capturing Operating Room volume, stagnated efficiency, and increased expense, outsourced Anesthesia Services and created a physician surgical services committee to manage OR outcomes. This was a tough negotiation with surgeons and nursing as it required job elimination of longstanding employed Anesthesia providers and key nursing staff. 2015-18 results: Consolidated OR block times and enhanced scheduling which drove OR utilization from 35 percent to 95 percent, staff productivity to 33 percent to 98 percent, standardized surgical preference cards, reduced operating costs by $2 Million, increased revenue by $2 Million. Net improvement of $4 Million

    • Restructured Same Day care by transitioning away from an all Physician Model to Midlevel’s. 2015-18 results: Net savings improvement realized was $1.2 Million

    • Redesigned Chemical Dependency programs: Reversed financial losses by closing the inpatient chemical addiction program and opening a partial day inpatient chemical dependency program, mental illness and chemical dependency program, and intensive outpatient chemical addiction therapies program. 2015-18 results: Reversed a $500 Million annual net loss to a $2.5 Million net profit. A $3 Million operating improvement

    • Consolidated Mental Health programs. Increased access and service delivery through the addition of new Psychiatrists, midlevel practitioners, therapists, and outpatient counselors. 2015-18 results: Patient access to outpatient services increased 20 percent/6,000 visits per year

    • Improved access and care delivery in OBGYN & Surgery through recruitment and retention of Surgeons and Obstetricians/Gynecologists 2013-18 results: Recruited 2 new surgeons and 4 obstetricians. Integrated surgical and OB services into existing system service lines which standardized service delivery and revenue/expense management. Market capture rate moved from 50 to 75 percent in OB and 40 to 65 percent in surgery

    • Introduced Medical Center wide Healing Environment programs, services, art, and music. Patient satisfaction, staff engagement and new hire comments routinely focused on the calming and positive impressions these programs created

  3. -
    Administrator , Alaska Native Medical Center

    Led this co-managed population health hospital.  In partnership with Southcentral Foundations Malcomb Baldridge Award winning Primary Care redesign implemented programs which realigned patients to appropriate outpatient resources and opened previously filled hospital beds and specialty clinics to those with truly qualifying needs.  Results: 50 percent drop in urgent care and ER utilization, 53 percent drop in hospital admissions, and 65 percent drop in specialist utilization.  New hospital and specialty access drove a 100 percent increase in gross revenue

    • Outperformed net operating margin targets for all areas of responsibility through expansion of services, improving quality, enhancing safety and patient satisfaction and focusing on reducing costs

    • Met or exceeded organizational scorecard metrics in all categories

    • Awarded the American Hospital Association Carolyn F. Boone “Living the Vision Award” which honors organizations and individuals effectively carrying out AHA’s vision of “a society of healthy communities, where all individuals reach their highest potential for health” through a population health model

    • Conceptualized, developed, & initiated a master campus plan redesign, corresponding medical services plan, and an $80 Million 80,000 square foot medical office building. Intent was to increase hospital inpatient/outpatient access by 50 percent and net revenue by $200 Million. By 2018 revenue exceeded planning projections

    • Developed and implemented a $24 Million Maternal Child Health NICU/PICU facilities expansion. Access improved by 50 percent and patient revenue by 40 percent

    • Implemented the organizations first Electronic Health Record system (Cerner). Moved the organization from a paper system to a fully integrated inpatient and outpatient electronic medical record (achieved by 10% of US Hospitals). Results: Increased billed net revenue collections by $500 Million, a 50 percent increase in 2 years from implementation

  4. -
    Vice President, Operations, Bayhealth Medical Center

    Senior executive responsible for the management, development, and financial results of the organization’s laboratory services, diagnostic imaging, outpatient service centers, wellness centers, women’s centers, walk in medical care, occupational medicine, employee health, and joint ventures with Dover Surgicenter & Express
    Care (Bayhealth's regional network of off-campus ambulatory care services to the communities in Delaware and the Delmarva Peninsula).

    • Consistently beat net operating margin expectations for all areas of responsibility through expansion of services, improving quality, Top Box customer satisfaction scores, and driving down costs

    • Developed and deployed Studer & Balance Score Card methodologies throughout the organization

    • Instrumental in creating physician joint ventures resulting in a profitable free-standing surgery center and walk-in clinic

    • Led turnaround of a failing free-standing surgery center by reversing its $1.2 Million in losses

    • Led turnaround of regional walk-in clinics by reversing $800K in annual losses

  5. Chief Operating Officer, FairPay

    Drove strategy and supervised the company’s sales team to achieve growth from $3 Million in gross revenues in FY05 to $30 Million by third quarter of FY06

    • Generated new revenues totaling $20 Million annually by developing and Nationally deploying a leading-edge .net web based proprietary software engine (Medical Analysis and Review System, MAARS) that automated bill review processes

  6. CEO, North Big Horn Hospital

    Responsible for financial and operational operations for the medical center campus.

    • By implementing staff productivity benchmarking, improved the hospital’s financial position by $1.3 Million and increased net patient revenue by 33 percent in the first year

    • Expanded nursing home occupancy rates by 38 percent and received Board Certification as a Nursing Home Administrator

    • Conceptualized and developed/established the organization’s first Hospital Foundation and planned/developed a new $1.2 Million Radiology wing utilizing philanthropic dollars

    • Secured grants totaling $420,000 for new construction/capital equipment and staff education and training

  7. Healthcare Plus Financial, Chief Operating Officer

    For-profit National Outpatient Clinic Contract Management Company serving HCA, Franciscan Hospitals, Catholic Healthcare West, Bayonne Medical Center, Pensacola West Florida Hospital, & Ft Walton Beach Medical Center

  8. Lieutenant Commander, MSC, USN, United States Navy

    Progressed from Hospital Corpsman (E1) to Environmental Health and Safety Officer, Lieutenant Commander (LCDR), Medical Service Corps, USN. Career spanned 4 wars and multiple conflicts around the globe. Responsibilities ranged from Officer-in-Charge, Director, and Consultant to the State Department

Skills

  • large organization executive
  • visionary / forward thinking
  • population health leader
  • program redesign
  • project management
  • executive professional coach

Results

  • $500
    million in new revenue over 2 years
  • $300
    million in extracted costs over 4 years
  • 100%
    growth in population health managed patients

Questions & Answers

Why did you choose your profession?
I’ve always enjoyed problem solving - the greater the challenge, the more exciting to solve. Not satisfied with just any solution, it needs to be practical and executable which often requires innovative thinking. As I have gained more experience in my career, moving through roles with increasing leadership responsibilities, I've developed an ability to inspire others to perform at their best.

Today, I am energized by leading companies and people to achieve their full potential ... leveraging my innovative coaching, problem solving, and motivational skills in doing so.
Who are your main influences?
I've enjoyed occasional moments with Dr Donald Burwick, former Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who mentored our work at the Alaska Native Medical Center to drive generational healthcare change and inspired deployment of population health initiatives.

I enjoy reading developmental white papers published by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as they tend to move thought toward the leading edge of change versus shying away from the elephants in the room.

I have found great wisdom and inspiration through the writings of Peter Drucker and the Institute he created to drive management theory change.  His principles are based on common sense approaches to getting work done through people and are often overlooked by those less driven to develop human relationships.
Describe your greatest accomplishment.
As the Senior Administrator for the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC), Co-managed with South Central Foundation (two time Malcomb Baldridge Award Winner) a 50 percent drop in hospital urgent care and ER utilization, 53 percent drop in hospital admissions, 65 percent drop in specialist utilization while maintaining top notch care delivery and increasing patient access. Expanded statewide neurosciences service, established a cardiology service line, established a cancer care service line, expanded trauma service capabilities, expanded maternal child health programs.
What are your long-term goals?
I am seeking challenging opportunities where I can leverage my strengths to benefit companies and people I work with.

Proudest Accomplishment

Led the Alaska Native Medical Center, stabilized revenue, expanded state wide service delivery

Experience Highlights

  • Strategy Alignment / Integration / Execution
    designed and deployed population health initiatives in multiple business ENVIRONMENTS
  • $300M Costs extracted over 4 years
    Transitioned to multi-site bulk imaging equipment purchases from antiquated single site buying
  • Accomplished Union Negotiator
    led significant change yet MAINTAINED positive union relationships

Education Highlights

  • Graduate, Executive Professional Coaching Certificate
    University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, MN
  • Masters of Science, Operations Management
    UNIVERSITY of Arkansas, FAYETTEVILLE, AR
  • Bachelors of Science, Healthcare/Business Administration
    Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Ill
  • Fellow, American College of Healthcare Executives
  • Licensed Nursing Home Administrator
    Wyoming, license # 484 (INACTIVE LICENSURE)

Causes

  • Accomplish the greatest good for the greatest number of people

Interests

  • Instrument Rated Private Pilot