Yesterday, I had the distinct pleasure of traveling to Chicago to be part of a CEO round-table discussion for an upcoming issue of Modern Healthcare magazine. The topic focused on trends in Outpatient healthcare and I was fortunate to be joined by two great leaders in our field, Randy Oostra (President and CEO of ProMedica Health System in Toledo, Ohio) and Michele Molden (President and CEO of Piedmont Heart Institute in Atlanta, Georgia). David Burda, Editor of Modern Healthcare (MH) facilitated the discussion and we all had the chance to see just how similar our trends, challenges and strategies are despite the wide disparities that exist between the geography and makeup of our individual healthcare systems.
Equally impressive though, was the chance to get an insiders look into just how much effort it takes to produce the high-quality product that we have the pleasure of thumbing through each week as MH hits our in-boxes. The afternoon started with a quick de-briefing of what to expect in the broadcast studio. Yes, I was bit surprised that I was being "videotaped" for a magazine article, but that just goes to show the ever-present effect of the internet on business and the need to create digital as well as print content. With all of us lined up and seated in front of the green screen, we did our sound and video tests and were on our way with the interview. We had a nice conversation for about an hour and then wrapped things up. While my part is complete, now is where the fun begins. The staff now has the challenge of trying to edit the conversation (and all of the words that I stumbled upon) in order to turn the production into an interesting piece for the website and magazine. While I know everyone always says that you are always your own biggest critic, I can certainly say they have their work cut out for themselves! Fortunately, they are experts and I'm looking forward to see if they can make me sound at least half-way intelligent.
After all was done, I got a chance to see the news room where all of the magic happens. I love getting to go behind the scenes and see how things really work. Amidst the sea of cubicles, there is a small area that humbly displays the numerous awards they have earned alongside a wallpaper-like collage of all of the magazine covers from recent history. However, as interesting as the environment was, getting to meet the staff was what truly made the afternoon. Everyone from the journalists and graphic artists to the publishing team were extremely personable and dedicated professionals. And they all work for the toughest boss around - 'time'. Time takes no excuses when it comes to deadlines and this talented group is charged with finding what's news in healthcare and reporting it each and every day online and each week for the news stand. I truly have a much greater appreciation for all of the work that goes into "telling" the news. Thank you all for the opportunity and the hospitality, it was a wonderful experience!
PS. To our marketing team - I hope I didn't say too much "on the record!"
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