Few industries are as critical to the vibrancy of North Texas as healthcare. The sector adds more than $52 billion to the local economy each year and supports at least 600,000 regional jobs.
It’s also tough to find a field with a more virtuous mission; after all, healthcare companies and workers are in the business of improving and saving lives. We think that’s worth a little recognition.
D CEO’s new Excellence in Healthcare Awards—produced in partnership with our online news site, D Healthcare Daily—honor industry executives, practitioners, innovators, researchers, and others who stand out in their fields. The inaugural program attracted more than 180 nominations. From that group, D CEO editors selected 30 finalists and winners in 11 categories. We’re pleased to tell you about them over the coming days.
First up: Outstanding Healthcare Executive, Dr. Stephen Mansfield of Methodist Health System
When Dr. Stephen Mansfield became Methodist Health System’s president and CEO in 2006, the board charged him with expanding throughout North Texas. He had been chief executive at St. Vincent Health System in Little Rock, which had five hospitals. Methodist had a paltry two.
In eight years, the system under Mansfield has nearly tripled its revenue, ballooning from $450 million in 2006 to more than $1.1 billion. It now has seven hospitals in its portfolio, and boosted its primary care locations from six to 26. The 14,000 enrollees in its Accountable Care Organization also saved Medicare $12.7 million last year.
“Our current strategic plan is more focused on the retail side of healthcare; more primary care, more urgent care, getting more locations that are closer to populations,” Mansfield says. “I don’t know that we’ll grow the way we have on the hospital side, but I think we’ll grow exponentially on the outpatient side.”
In 2014, the system celebrated two milestones meant to separate it from the region’s crowded pack of care providers. First, it opened a new, state-of-the-art trauma tower at its Oak Cliff flagship: “We had a lot of talented trauma surgeons, but it was kind of like having a World Series-class baseball team, but only having a 20,000-seat arena,” Mansfield says.
Next, it became the only health system in the state to pair with the renowned Mayo Clinic for a care collaborative. As a result, Methodist’s physicians can turn to hundreds of Mayo’s evidence-based protocols if they get in a bind with a diagnosis or a treatment option.
“We’ll have a focus on patient experience, outcomes, safety—the product, basically,” Mansfield says. “And yes, through Mayo and other commitments, we’ll compete with anybody, anywhere.”
