Written by Dan Munro.
The bio for Lloyd Dean on the Dignity Health website is fairly standard and relatively austere.
Mr. Dean is the president/CEO of Dignity Health. With over 20 years in health care operations and leadership experience, Mr. Dean is responsible for overall management, strategy and direction of Dignity Health’s hospitals, ancillary services, home health care and medical group foundations.
All of that is true, of course, but it’s also easy to see ‒ in the reflected image above ‒ a man who once played football and has shoulders broad enough to turn around a failing healthcare delivery system. When he arrived at Catholic Healthcare West in 2000, the hospital system was losing $1 million a day. Under his leadership, the system has blossomed under a new brand ‒ Dignity Health ‒ and has made money (as a not‒for‒profit) every year since 2002. Today, Dignity Health is one of the largest health systems in the nation and the largest hospital provider in California.
Here then, are 6 questions for the principle architect of Dignity Health’s amazing turnaround…
…Munro: Using the broadest of definitions, what’s the most innovative thing you’ve seen in health care in say the last 3 years?
Dean: It may surprise you, but the most innovative thing that I’ve seen in health care yet is a simple and proven idea – that kindness has the power to heal. During my time at Dignity Health, I have seen firsthand the power of kindness to heal and now science is confirming it.
We recently sponsored a research review by the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
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