Latest / Becker’s Healthcare Podcast / Leading Rural Growth Through Recruitment, Innovation, and Team Based Care with Ronda Lehman, PharmD

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Leading Rural Growth Through Recruitment, Innovation, and Team Based Care with Ronda Lehman, PharmD · Becker’s Healthcare Podcast

• 0:02
  - The strategic agenda facing hospital and health system
• 0:04
  - leaders right now is not a short list.
• 0:07
  - Growth in a consolidating market, sustainable margins in
• 0:09
  - a reimbursement environment that rarely moves in your
• 0:12
  - favor,
• 0:12
  - a tech investment cycle that demands both urgency
• 0:15
  - and discipline,
• 0:16
  - and a workforce story that is still being
• 0:19
  - written.
• 0:20
  - Eker's fourteenth annual CEO CFO roundtable brings together
• 0:23
  - more than 1,500 executive level attendees and nearly
• 0:27
  - 400 speakers across four days of sessions that
• 0:30
  - are designed to help c suite leaders benchmark,
• 0:32
  - pressure test, and sharpen their priorities.
• 0:35
  - Not in the abstract, but against the real
• 0:37
  - decisions they'll face heading into the next year.
• 0:39
  - It's the kind of event you leave with
• 0:40
  - a clear sense of where you stand and
• 0:42
  - what comes next.
• 0:44
  - So join us November second through the fifth
• 0:46
  - at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago,
• 0:48
  - and come ready to do the hard thinking.
• 0:50
  - Register on our events page at beckershospitalreview.com
• 0:54
  - by clicking on the events tab in the
• 0:56
  - upper right.
• 0:58
  - This is Scott Becker with the Beckers Healthcare
• 1:01
  - Podcast, but we're thrilled today to be joined
• 1:03
  - by your brilliant leader who has spent a
• 1:05
  - great deal of her career at Mercy Health.
• 1:07
  - But we're we're joined today by Rhonda Lehman,
• 1:10
  - and Rhonda serves as the president of Mercy
• 1:12
  - Health Lima. We're gonna talk to her about
• 1:15
  - what she's most proud of with respect to
• 1:16
  - Mercy Health Lima, her career, her Ohio State
• 1:20
  - background,
• 1:21
  - and whether she hates or likes the University
• 1:23
  - of Michigan and a lot more.
• 1:25
  - Rhonda, can you take a moment and introduce
• 1:28
  - yourself and and tell us
• 1:30
  - about Mercy Health Lima and and just Mercy
• 1:32
  - Health in yourself?
• 1:34
  - Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me
• 1:35
  - today, Scott. It's always a pleasure to get
• 1:37
  - to talk to you and to share what's
• 1:39
  - what we're doing out here.
• 1:40
  - So Mercy Health is part of Bon Secours
• 1:43
  - Mercy Health, a merger that occurred back in
• 1:45
  - 2018
• 1:45
  - between those two health systems,
• 1:47
  - and we have grown in our scale and
• 1:50
  - size. We are one of the top 20
• 1:51
  - US health systems, and we have a growing
• 1:53
  - global presence as well. We operate in five
• 1:56
  - different states.
• 1:58
  - And as you had already mentioned, my responsibility
• 2:00
  - is for the Lima market and as of
• 2:02
  - May for the Toledo market as well. So,
• 2:05
  - my work has grown exponentially as I am
• 2:08
  - able to, apply my leadership skills for those
• 2:10
  - two major markets within our ministry.
• 2:13
  - I've been with the ministry for, as you
• 2:15
  - stated, a long time, actually just over thirty
• 2:18
  - one years now. Started my health care career
• 2:20
  - and was able to grow up through the
• 2:22
  - ranks. So I'm I'm thrilled to be, a
• 2:25
  - part of Mercy and a part of the
• 2:26
  - work that we're doing.
• 2:28
  - Take a second. Thirty years with Mercy is
• 2:31
  - simply remarkable.
• 2:32
  - Take a moment on sort of some of
• 2:34
  - the big changes you've seen over that period
• 2:37
  - of time.
• 2:38
  - If if if you don't mind, just give
• 2:40
  - us a sense of what that looks like
• 2:41
  - being in a system that's gonna be so
• 2:43
  - huge
• 2:44
  - from where you started.
• 2:46
  - Tell us what that looks like and and
• 2:48
  - some of the some of the things you've
• 2:49
  - seen.
• 2:50
  - Boy, some of the things I've seen, absolutely.
• 2:52
  - We have, you know, experienced
• 2:54
  - firsthand the the growth of population health and
• 2:57
  - what that looks like and how accountable care
• 3:00
  - organizations
• 3:01
  - have both,
• 3:02
  - achieved and in some ways still aspire to
• 3:04
  - achieve the work that they are doing.
• 3:07
  - The technology changes, as always, have been
• 3:10
  - very interesting. In my career, we went from
• 3:12
  - a Cerner shop to an epic shop and
• 3:13
  - just watching as that has become,
• 3:17
  - thankfully,
• 3:17
  - not the primary focus in our health system
• 3:20
  - anymore, but just an expectation
• 3:22
  - of
• 3:23
  - what we need to be able to do
• 3:24
  - our work. But the additional
• 3:26
  - safety,
• 3:28
  - both culture as well as
• 3:30
  - the technology that supports that, is revolutionized in
• 3:34
  - the last thirty years from where we came
• 3:36
  - from, the culture that we had in trying
• 3:38
  - to build our our high reliability organization
• 3:42
  - and how technology can help enable that as
• 3:44
  - well.
• 3:46
  - Thank you. And when you look at this
• 3:48
  - next year
• 3:50
  - and the end of this year next year,
• 3:51
  - you you're taking over Toledo as well. That's
• 3:54
  - a real tribute to your leadership.
• 3:56
  - Talk for a second about what you're most
• 3:57
  - focused on and excited about as we head
• 3:59
  - into the rest of this year in 2027.
• 4:02
  - Yeah. There's a lot. I you know, I'm
• 4:04
  - a optimist by nature, so I'm always excited
• 4:07
  - about health care because, you know, we talk
• 4:09
  - about what's changed, but what hasn't changed for
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  - me personally and for our ministry is just
• 4:13
  - the focus on the patient, the focus on
• 4:15
  - our mission.
• 4:16
  - We spend,
• 4:17
  - I am proud to say, a great deal
• 4:19
  - of time
• 4:20
  - reflecting on and making sure that we are
• 4:22
  - staying true to what the Sisters of Mercy
• 4:24
  - and other, different groups that founded us
• 4:28
  - really, really wanted us to be. So we're
• 4:30
  - always watching the sign of the times, we
• 4:32
  - call it. In the coming year,
• 4:34
  - there are so many legislative changes that are
• 4:37
  - happening right now, and I'll say in some
• 4:39
  - ways, we're kind of fastening in our seat
• 4:40
  - belts. We are also very much trying to
• 4:43
  - have a unified voice
• 4:45
  - with the government and with some some of
• 4:47
  - our advocacy efforts, which is one of the
• 4:49
  - reasons why we made the change with our
• 4:51
  - leadership and we're gonna continue to see structural
• 4:53
  - changes to our ministry.
• 4:55
  - So that because of our size, we are
• 4:58
  - exercising
• 4:58
  - that voice for important topics like three forty
• 5:01
  - b and
• 5:03
  - site neutrality and some of the other really
• 5:05
  - looming Medicaid
• 5:07
  - enrollment,
• 5:08
  - some of those looming challenges that we have
• 5:10
  - coming in the next year.
• 5:12
  - Thank you. And and and what has
• 5:15
  - what is particularly when you get up in
• 5:17
  - the morning
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  - and and get started with the day,
• 5:20
  - what's the first focus? What what gets you
• 5:22
  - going when you get started, you know, each
• 5:24
  - day?
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  - The very first thing I do when I'm
• 5:27
  - checking in for the day is review any
• 5:30
  - safety events in our hospitals to make sure
• 5:32
  - that our staff is safe, our patients are
• 5:35
  - safe, and if there's any immediate concerns that
• 5:37
  - need addressed, we are addressing those in the
• 5:39
  - moment. That has been and will always be,
• 5:43
  - priority number one.
• 5:45
  - Love that. And and and and take a
• 5:47
  - moment.
• 5:48
  - What does it take to stay at the
• 5:50
  - same
• 5:52
  - job, the same employer, the same place for
• 5:55
  - thirty years? What what does that take to
• 5:57
  - do that? I I I'm always curious because
• 6:00
  - and I have some thoughts on it, but
• 6:01
  - I'd love to hear your thoughts.
• 6:04
  - Yeah. So for me, it's been a a
• 6:06
  - combination of a few things. I've been blessed
• 6:08
  - to be with an organization that has continued
• 6:10
  - to challenge me personally and professionally,
• 6:13
  - and that has made investments in me.
• 6:15
  - I am so grateful for all of the
• 6:17
  - learning opportunity, leadership opportunities in a way that
• 6:20
  - I've been supported in my career so that
• 6:22
  - I have never felt like I had to
• 6:24
  - go elsewhere to be able to continue to
• 6:26
  - grow.
• 6:27
  - I combine that with, I'll say, saying yes
• 6:30
  - to a lot of different things and also
• 6:31
  - just being, you know, engaging leaders, making sure
• 6:34
  - we don't get stagnant, don't get stale in
• 6:36
  - our own communities or the things we know
• 6:38
  - well, and really treat it each day as
• 6:40
  - kind of a new opportunity and new challenge.
• 6:42
  - There have been some really, I'll say, landmark
• 6:45
  - projects that have inspired me that we can
• 6:48
  - continue to
• 6:49
  - to transform ourselves
• 6:51
  - within Mercy Health, whether it's graduate medical education
• 6:54
  - programs,
• 6:55
  - new technology.
• 6:57
  - Yes. New buildings are exciting, but I also
• 7:00
  - am very invigorated
• 7:01
  - by
• 7:02
  - how medicine has changed through the years and
• 7:05
  - how we are able to embrace that in
• 7:07
  - our various markets.
• 7:09
  - And, again, the mission just keeps bringing me
• 7:11
  - back over and over. It's consistent with who
• 7:13
  - I am as a person, and I have
• 7:15
  - always enjoyed being able to work for an
• 7:17
  - organization that reinforces that.
• 7:20
  - And and and take one moment. You, by
• 7:23
  - background, are a pharmacist, a pharmacy.
• 7:25
  - Take a moment on sort of that career
• 7:27
  - path and that pathway. It seems like you
• 7:29
  - have more and more people that were pharmacist
• 7:31
  - by background
• 7:32
  - taking leadership both in pharmacy programs and then
• 7:35
  - in health systems as it becomes a very
• 7:36
  - important part of everything. Talk about that career
• 7:39
  - path from pharmacist to CEO.
• 7:41
  - Yeah. I think that their their pharmacist have
• 7:44
  - a unique training and skill set that that
• 7:46
  - does lend itself nicely to health care leadership
• 7:49
  - roles. One of the reasons for me personally
• 7:51
  - has been, you know, my my way of
• 7:53
  - thinking, my structured way of approaching problems and
• 7:57
  - problem solving,
• 7:58
  - very much the scientific method that many health
• 8:00
  - care professionals are trained in, but pharmacists especially.
• 8:04
  - So if I think the the secret ingredients
• 8:07
  - are being able to combine
• 8:09
  - the structural,
• 8:11
  - very pragmatic approach to problem solving
• 8:14
  - with the fact that nothing is ever completely
• 8:16
  - black and white, and we have to be
• 8:18
  - very flexible and really,
• 8:20
  - tap into some of the relationships and interpersonal
• 8:24
  - ways that that pharmacists have continued to evolve
• 8:27
  - and grow. I think those are kind of
• 8:28
  - the two
• 8:29
  - the two important factors for any pharmacist that's
• 8:32
  - moving forward into a leadership role.
• 8:35
  - I would say the other thing
• 8:36
  - is pharmacists,
• 8:37
  - I'm very grateful for this, but we come
• 8:39
  - from a very, very long legacy of trust.
• 8:42
  - And I'm still gonna say we are one
• 8:44
  - of the most trustworthy professions no matter what
• 8:46
  - Gallup says year to year.
• 8:48
  - And physicians know that, nurses know that, they
• 8:51
  - know that pharmacists are someone they can depend
• 8:53
  - on. And every day, I get to do
• 8:55
  - everything I can to live that out.
• 8:58
  - Thank you. And and and one more question
• 9:00
  - for you, Rhonda. Well, I will ask you
• 9:02
  - this. Ohio State or Michigan, where where are
• 9:03
  - you a fan?
• 9:04
  - I've gotta be Ohio State, but now I
• 9:06
  - am dangerously close to that Michigan border as
• 9:09
  - I say those words.
• 9:10
  - So so you have to be nice to
• 9:12
  - the Michigan people too because you're close to
• 9:13
  - that border. Lot more of them in Toledo
• 9:16
  - than there are in Lima. Got it. Understandably
• 9:18
  - so. Fascinating. Talk talk for a second about
• 9:21
  - leadership. When you see things in other leaders
• 9:24
  - that you admire, give us a couple of
• 9:27
  - those things, and and and what would you
• 9:28
  - sort of advise an emerging leader based on
• 9:31
  - what you see, what you do, what you
• 9:33
  - think, and and what you admire in other
• 9:35
  - leaders?
• 9:37
  - It sounds cliche, but I'll say what has
• 9:39
  - worked for me and what I continue to
• 9:41
  - gravitate
• 9:42
  - towards is
• 9:44
  - authentic
• 9:45
  - leadership
• 9:46
  - that is humble,
• 9:47
  - that is personable,
• 9:49
  - and is not afraid to say, I need
• 9:52
  - feedback too.
• 9:53
  - Where how can we get this solution worked
• 9:55
  - out as a team
• 9:56
  - that welcomes all voices to the table even
• 9:59
  - knowing that there ultimately has to come down
• 10:01
  - to one decision?
• 10:02
  - I think the biggest pitfall I see in
• 10:04
  - leaders is when they feel like they have
• 10:06
  - to know it all or they need to
• 10:08
  - put that persona forward.
• 10:10
  - Leaders that I admire
• 10:11
  - are ones who are real people,
• 10:14
  - who admit their shortcomings,
• 10:16
  - who care enough about the mission to be
• 10:17
  - able to do that, and wanna continually make
• 10:20
  - themselves better.
• 10:22
  - Rhonda, I I love that. I wanna thank
• 10:24
  - you for joining us today on the Beckers
• 10:26
  - HealthCare podcast. Brilliant leader, great leadership. Congratulations on
• 10:30
  - taking over Toledo too,
• 10:32
  - and be careful around the Michigan people, but
• 10:34
  - thank you so much for joining us. Really
• 10:36
  - a pleasure to visit with you. Thank you.
• 10:37
  - Thank you, Scott. It was my pleasure.