Episode 07: Michael Hite – Chief Transformation Officer – The Journey from EMT to Flight Paramedic to Hospital CEO & COO to Chief Transformation Officer
Summary
In this episode, our guest is Michael Hite, Chief Transformation Officer of Pendrick Capital Partners.
Hite shares his fascinating career journey that started as an EMT in college to a flight paramedic to leading and consulting with hospitals. Along the way he discusses the pivotal moments that re-ignite his passion for healthcare, including a story about where he was on September 11, 2001. As a Chief Transformation Officer, he consults with hospital leadership to deliver great patient care and increase revenue. He also shares advice on responding to COVID-19 and best practices for the future.
Listeners will enjoy Hite’s career journey and experiences while also picking up some helpful tips along the way.
Show Notes
The Impact of COVID-19 on Hospital Revenue
Hite’s role as Chief Transformation Officer gives him the opportunity to help hospitals make insightful, data-driven decisions to provide more patient-centric care. Because of his frequent conversations with hospital leadership teams, he’s seen the impact of COVID-19 on hospital’s operations. Hospitals are run by people who have the same fears and stress about a pandemic that we all do. The difference is that hospitals must continue to provide care even when revenue is down.
Hite references important reimbursements provided by CMS to ensure hospitals aren’t negatively impacted when caring for COVID-19 patients and provides 3 post-pandemic recommendations for Hospital CFOs and CEOs:
Create safe spaces where patients feel good about receiving care.
Prepare for the surge in elective surgeries and procedures.
Build good relationships throughout the organization – from clinical teams to facilities to imaging to outsourced divisions. Good relationships are critical to successful hospitals.
The Inspiration for Becoming a Flight Paramedic
From an early age, Hite knew he wanted to be in healthcare. His initial desire to be an EMT was in response to his own traumatic car accident in high school. A couple years later while serving as an EMT in college, he was on the scene for another car accident where the patient had to be airlifted. His experience on that flight revealed a clear desire to become a flight paramedic.
After finishing his undergraduate degree in biology, he pursued the education and certifications necessary to become a flight paramedic. He shares some of his experiences from that time and helpful insight into having passion in a career.
How Direct Patient Care Prepared Hite to Run Hospitals
Hite transitioned his career out of the aircraft into acute-care hospital units that eventually led him to more leadership positions. He became increasingly interested in the business side of healthcare and earned both a master’s in healthcare administration and a master’s in business administration from the University of Maryland.
Hite then spent time as both a COO and CEO of hospitals and found that his direct patient care experience had a profound impact on his leadership. He shares the importance of empathy for patients, their families, and the surrounding community – a character trait that starts from the CEO and trickles down all the way to parking lot and valet services.
The Eerie Night of September 11, 2001
On the morning of September 11, 2001, Hite found himself in a dentist chair getting a root canal when he received a pager beep to get to the hospital. At this time, he was a flight paramedic for MedSTAR Transport in Washington D.C. With a numbed mouth, he spent the afternoon caring for victims of the Pentagon attack and continued working through the evening by transporting victims to surrounding hospitals and burn centers. Because of all air traffic being grounded, he describes the eerie night of silence as one unlike any he had experienced and shares the impact it had on the rest of his career.
Advice and the Future of Revenue in Hospitals
Now that he’s in a consultative position, Hite ends with advice to hospitals on deciding what to outsource, maintaining good payer relationships, caring for patient populations, and growing revenue.
He’s hopeful for a future with more focus on value-based care where hospitals get paid based on clinical outcomes rather than services. He cites Intermountain Healthcare, Yale New Haven, and UTMB Health as organizations setting the pace for the future of healthcare delivery.
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Closing
Humans in Healthcare is produced by Shearwater Health in Nashville, TN, and hosted by Chief Marketing Officer, Nathan King.