The right prescription: A hospital CEO who gives out his cell?

Dr. Donald Sheldon

ELYRIA, Ohio — In a few weeks, patients at EMH Regional Healthcare System will get something extra with their visit: the CEO’s cell phone number.

Among Dr. Donald Sheldon’s first acts as EMH’s new permanent chief executive will be to provide a letter thanking patients for coming, explaining that they should expect the best possible care, and telling them that they should call him at his office or cell hone numbers if there’s a problem. The first letters should be ready in a few weeks.

“Sure I may get the occasional calls I wish I hadn’t,” Sheldon said. “But the majority of calls I’ll wish I did get. It’s something I can handle before the patient or family gets really upset.”

“I want not only everybody in our organization — but also our patients and our families — to know we’re committed top-down to providing the best possible care.”

It’s an unusual step for a hospital in an unique position. Sheldon takes over one of the few hospitals in Greater Cleveland that is unaffiliated with either the Cleveland Clinic or University Hospitals systems. EMH is expanding and — unlike many operations in the state — has yet to lay anyone off. Sheldon admits it could be a challenge to keep it that way.

Below, Sheldon discusses his approach to running EMH, the prospects for its 2,200 employees and the future of the hospital.

Q. Why hand out your cell phone number?
A. When I had a private practice, my home number was in the phone book. My patients would ask, “How do I get a hold of you?” I’d say I was in the phone book. They didn’t believe it.

I can’t even think of a time it was abused. If I got a call, I’d know it was an important call.

Very satisfied patients will help us by giving their repeat business. In times when our area may not have population growth, you want to retain as much business as you can and get as many referrals as you can. When you have very satisfied patients they will let others know and essentially become one-person marketing departments.

Q. That’s a solution that comes out of your time as a doctor, yet there’s a lot of debate whether MDs make the best hospital CEOs.
A. I think in today’s health-care environment, it’s very important to have the provider or the physician-provider perspective in the operations and running of a hospital. It does not necessarily mean the CEO needs to be a physician, but certainly a physician voice is a strong necessity for success.

The most important thing to bring to the table is not necessarily a degree — whether it’s an MD or something else. It’s leadership. You lead by example, by being a model. That begins from the top down. I want to send a very clear message.

Q. Will there be layoffs this year?
A. We’ve only cut positions by attrition. We do not anticipate any layoffs. But we are constantly monitoring the economic climate, so to speak. I don’t know.

We have already taken measures to help assure our financial security. We reduced capital expenditures by 25 percent and are instituting cost-saving measures that will save us at least $3 million more. We have a committee, and whenever a position is open, the committee reviews it to see if the functions of that position can be absorbed some other way.

Our approach is to make use [of an] ongoing evaluation process rather than operate in a crisis mode and reduce by large numbers all at once.

Q. What’s the most important facet of remaining an independent hospital?
A. There’s no real succinct answer. An independent hospital is strongly reliant on the strength of its independent physicians.

Independent physicians are feeling a significant strain. The economic pressures, the costs of maintaining a practice, the cost of malpractice, the difficulty in finding new partners, changing reimbursement: all are playing a role in making it harder for independent physicians to do it on their own.

We need to work closely with them to help them grow, which will help us grow. We have a number of things planned in that respect, but I’m not able to tell you about them at this moment.

Q. So is independence the best option?
A. Clearly we want to remain a strong and independent health-care system. Our main mission is to provide quality care close to home. But we will always be looking for ways to work with and collaborate with others to help keep us strong.