by
Sean Ruck, Contributing Editor | July 04, 2016
From the July 2016 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
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.
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