There are many things that make Ed Eckenhoff exemplary. One of the most obvious is his empathy for his disabled patients. Empathy is an important trait for all executives to have. He could understand his patients because he had gone through exactly what they were going through. "When I was injured, I spent months in the hospital," he told me. "When I began my career as a rehab hospital administrator, I wanted to see that time reduced, and it has." Partly due to his efforts, length of stay is shorter and equipment for people with disabilities has become much lighter, helping them to be more mobile and become more a part of society. I am proud to know him. He is everything you would want in a friend. He's caring, generous and listens to you. As a boss, he took the time to mentor his people so they could do their jobs more efficiently and productively. Whenever I visit a hospital, I ask the executives how they are doing with mentoring. They tell me they try but it takes a lot of time and, regrettably, they can't do very much of it. But Ed Eckenhoff did find the time for mentoring and his people were delighted. He never forgot that the hospital CEO's mission is to put patients first and all else second. As far as Ed Eckenhoff is concerned, patients are what healthcare is all about. Let me conclude by saying that though there are many challenges today, there are also opportunities. Here are just a few of them. Each of them are about collaboration, setting aside preconceived notions and old grudges and getting to the heart of it – providing health care that is truly patient-centered, of the highest quality, and yes, of great cost-efficiency. Young MDs will join a healthcare system making a long, slow, arduous transformation to a technology-enabled web of population-based health services, supported by a payment system that is making its own slow transition toward pay on quality and efficiency.
There are many things that make Ed Eckenhoff exemplary. One of the most obvious is his empathy for his disabled patients. Empathy is an important trait for all executives to have. He could understand his patients because he had gone through exactly what they were going through. "When I was injured, I spent months in the hospital," he told me. "When I began my career as a rehab hospital administrator, I wanted to see that time reduced, and it has." Partly due to his efforts, length of stay is shorter and equipment for people with disabilities has become much lighter, helping them to be more mobile and become more a part of society. I am proud to know him. He is everything you would want in a friend. He's caring, generous and listens to you. As a boss, he took the time to mentor his people so they could do their jobs more efficiently and productively. Whenever I visit a hospital, I ask the executives how they are doing with mentoring. They tell me they try but it takes a lot of time and, regrettably, they can't do very much of it. But Ed Eckenhoff did find the time for mentoring and his people were delighted. He never forgot that the hospital CEO's mission is to put patients first and all else second. As far as Ed Eckenhoff is concerned, patients are what healthcare is all about. Let me conclude by saying that though there are many challenges today, there are also opportunities. Here are just a few of them. Each of them are about collaboration, setting aside preconceived notions and old grudges and getting to the heart of it – providing health care that is truly patient-centered, of the highest quality, and yes, of great cost-efficiency. Young MDs will join a healthcare system making a long, slow, arduous transformation to a technology-enabled web of population-based health services, supported by a payment system that is making its own slow transition toward pay on quality and efficiency.
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