Goizueta Business School hosted John Fox, President and CEO of Emory Healthcare, Dr. William Ferniany, CEO of University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, and Dr. Ravi Chari, VP of Hospital Corporation of America, as part of the Goizueta Healthcare CEO Panel, on December 12, 2012. Moderated by moderator James Wetrich, MEMBA09 & EMBA Healthcare Executive in Resident, President and General Manager of the Americas for Molnlycke Health Care U.S., LLC. The event offered attendees insight into the transforming world of healthcare as well as the challenges faced by medical institutions. Each panelist provided a unique perspective and represented one of three distinct healthcare systems: private university, public university and for-profit.

Maryam Alavi, John and Lucy Cook Professor of Information Strategy and Vice Dean for Faculty and Research, who also co-designed the healthcare concentration at Goizueta, introduced the panelists. Input from Goizueta Modular Executive MBA students helped shape the prepared questions. The discussion covered an array of topics, including how healthcare systems align operational efficiency, create a desired culture and execute strategic plans.
“We have an affirmative obligation to define culture around quality care. You have to live it, emphasize it, and communicate it,” shared Fox, in regard to Emory Healthcare.

Trends in physician employment and the increasing number of physicians transferring into administrator roles led to discussion regarding different channels to becoming healthcare CEOs, a topic of interest to many Goizueta students who are either physicians in the Executive MBA Program or Full Time or Evening MBA students, working towards a healthcare concentration.