Bruce Slawitsky
Q&A with Bruce Slawitsky, senior vice president of human resources, Hospital for Special Surgery
July 04, 2016
by Sean Ruck, Contributing Editor
HealthCare Business News spoke with Bruce Slawitsky to learn more about one of the largest independent specialty hospitals operating in the New York metropolitan area. Slawitsky offered insight into the facility’s history, which dates back to 1863.
HCB News: How long have you been with the organization?
Bruce Slawitsky: It will be 11 years in September.
HCB News: So it has been a welcoming place for you. How about for other staff? What attracts them to the facility?
BS: We recently conducted focus groups with members of the HSS team to ask that question and others. They identified four key themes that impact their experience at HSS: passion and pride for the work we do; feeling that we provide a platform for their success; a positive work environment with the opportunity to work with colleagues who care; and finally, a commitment to being the best in the world at what we do.
HCB News: Can you tell us a little more about providing a platform for success?
BS: The platform for success refers to the fact that there are a lot of opportunities for people to develop their skills. We have an amazing collection of talent here at HSS and everyone is dedicated to being the best at what they do. So people who come here get to work with the best and brightest, and then we provide members of the HSS team with the tools and resources they need, including continuing education opportunities, to advance their learning and ultimately their careers.
HCB News: And why do patients seek you out?
BS: There’s no doubt it is based on the great outcomes our surgeons and physicians are able to achieve for our patients and the great care our Magnet nurses and entire clinical and support teams provide. Word of mouth helps build a reputation. We know that’s true just by looking at our patient satisfaction surveys. For 31 consecutive quarters, we have scored in the 99th percentile on the “likelihood to recommend” question, benchmarked against the Press Ganey magnet hospital database. Since we are the longest established orthopedic hospital in the country, given that we do more orthopedic procedures than anyone else, and that people don’t have to come here, we believe our purpose should be nothing less than to be the best in the world at getting people back to doing what they need and love to do.
HCB News: Are those patients typically referred, or is Hospital for Special Surgery their first stop?
BS:M For many patients we are the first stop, but some patients also come to us in hopes of achieving a better outcome than they had somewhere else.
HCB News: What kind of leadership style is used at Hospital for Special Surgery?
BS: We believe in transparency of communication, sharing of information, an interdisciplinary team approach to leadership and an open door policy. It’s not at all unusual for our president and CEO [Louis A. Shapiro] to get an inquiry from a member of the HSS team. He makes himself available to meet with or respond directly to employee questions or concerns. That style permeates the entire leadership team.
In fact, our CEO speaks at every new employee orientation. He also attends three breakfast gatherings a month — one for recently hired employees to ask them about their on-boarding experience; another for longer-serving employees; and a third group consisting of the front-line supervisors. In addition to his weekly blog, he also holds town hall meetings annually. All of this is part of the culture of engagement at HSS which is a critical part of our success as an organization.
HCB News: What challenges, if any, does your facility face?
BS: The health care environment is undergoing unprecedented changes that represent both challenges and opportunities. Every health care organization is facing them. In the simplest terms, our response is to stay focused on continuous improvement and being better at everything we do.
HCB News: Do most of your patients come from out of state or are they local?
BS: The five boroughs of New York City provide roughly 37 percent of our surgical volume. But patients come here from all 50 states and in 2015, from 87 countries.
HCB News: Are there any recent developments you’d like to highlight?
BS: There’s a lot going on. For one, we’re expanding. We’ve recently partnered with Stamford Health to open the Sports Rehab at Chelsea Piers Connecticut, which is operated by Stamford Health, but managed by Hospital for Special Surgery, and offers exceptional rehabilitative therapy for sports-related injuries and conditions. Two years ago we opened an outpatient center in Paramus, New Jersey, and we are currently expanding that facility to include advanced imaging through MRIs and physical therapy. We also develop new initiatives through the HSS Innovation Center, which provides an opportunity for HSS to leverage our knowledge and expertise in musculoskeletal health and use it to create new products and services.
HCB News: What are your predictions for where Hospital for Special Surgery will be a decade from now?
BS: It’s always risky to make predictions, especially in this environment. But I think it’s safe to say that by continuing to focus on being better at everything we do, more and more people will seek our services, which will inevitably lead to opportunities to continue to grow locally, regionally and around the world.
HCB News: How long have you been with the organization?
Bruce Slawitsky: It will be 11 years in September.
HCB News: So it has been a welcoming place for you. How about for other staff? What attracts them to the facility?
BS: We recently conducted focus groups with members of the HSS team to ask that question and others. They identified four key themes that impact their experience at HSS: passion and pride for the work we do; feeling that we provide a platform for their success; a positive work environment with the opportunity to work with colleagues who care; and finally, a commitment to being the best in the world at what we do.
HCB News: Can you tell us a little more about providing a platform for success?
BS: The platform for success refers to the fact that there are a lot of opportunities for people to develop their skills. We have an amazing collection of talent here at HSS and everyone is dedicated to being the best at what they do. So people who come here get to work with the best and brightest, and then we provide members of the HSS team with the tools and resources they need, including continuing education opportunities, to advance their learning and ultimately their careers.
HCB News: And why do patients seek you out?
BS: There’s no doubt it is based on the great outcomes our surgeons and physicians are able to achieve for our patients and the great care our Magnet nurses and entire clinical and support teams provide. Word of mouth helps build a reputation. We know that’s true just by looking at our patient satisfaction surveys. For 31 consecutive quarters, we have scored in the 99th percentile on the “likelihood to recommend” question, benchmarked against the Press Ganey magnet hospital database. Since we are the longest established orthopedic hospital in the country, given that we do more orthopedic procedures than anyone else, and that people don’t have to come here, we believe our purpose should be nothing less than to be the best in the world at getting people back to doing what they need and love to do.
HCB News: Are those patients typically referred, or is Hospital for Special Surgery their first stop?
BS:M For many patients we are the first stop, but some patients also come to us in hopes of achieving a better outcome than they had somewhere else.
HCB News: What kind of leadership style is used at Hospital for Special Surgery?
BS: We believe in transparency of communication, sharing of information, an interdisciplinary team approach to leadership and an open door policy. It’s not at all unusual for our president and CEO [Louis A. Shapiro] to get an inquiry from a member of the HSS team. He makes himself available to meet with or respond directly to employee questions or concerns. That style permeates the entire leadership team.
In fact, our CEO speaks at every new employee orientation. He also attends three breakfast gatherings a month — one for recently hired employees to ask them about their on-boarding experience; another for longer-serving employees; and a third group consisting of the front-line supervisors. In addition to his weekly blog, he also holds town hall meetings annually. All of this is part of the culture of engagement at HSS which is a critical part of our success as an organization.
HCB News: What challenges, if any, does your facility face?
BS: The health care environment is undergoing unprecedented changes that represent both challenges and opportunities. Every health care organization is facing them. In the simplest terms, our response is to stay focused on continuous improvement and being better at everything we do.
HCB News: Do most of your patients come from out of state or are they local?
BS: The five boroughs of New York City provide roughly 37 percent of our surgical volume. But patients come here from all 50 states and in 2015, from 87 countries.
HCB News: Are there any recent developments you’d like to highlight?
BS: There’s a lot going on. For one, we’re expanding. We’ve recently partnered with Stamford Health to open the Sports Rehab at Chelsea Piers Connecticut, which is operated by Stamford Health, but managed by Hospital for Special Surgery, and offers exceptional rehabilitative therapy for sports-related injuries and conditions. Two years ago we opened an outpatient center in Paramus, New Jersey, and we are currently expanding that facility to include advanced imaging through MRIs and physical therapy. We also develop new initiatives through the HSS Innovation Center, which provides an opportunity for HSS to leverage our knowledge and expertise in musculoskeletal health and use it to create new products and services.
HCB News: What are your predictions for where Hospital for Special Surgery will be a decade from now?
BS: It’s always risky to make predictions, especially in this environment. But I think it’s safe to say that by continuing to focus on being better at everything we do, more and more people will seek our services, which will inevitably lead to opportunities to continue to grow locally, regionally and around the world.