Mercy Health Chief Clinical Officer James Kravec, MD, FACP, who also serves as the system medical director for Graduate Medical Education for Bon Secours Mercy Health, recently joined health care leaders from around the country to discuss the most pressing health care challenges facing the industry.
Dr. Kravec spoke on two panels during the four-day conference – “Physician Alignment and Acquisition Strategies for the Next Five Years” and “How to Build a Data-Driven Culture and Deliver Value to Inundated Providers.” This premier conference also featured keynote addresses from the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, and First Lady Laura Bush.
The “Physician Alignment and Acquisition Strategies for the Next Five Years” panel, which was moderated by Scott Becker, JD, founder of Becker's Healthcare and partner at McGuire Woods LLC, focused on the evolution of physician alignment strategies over time and how health care systems can utilize various blueprints to meet the health care needs of their communities. Also on the panel were Ronda Lehman, president of Mercy Health – Lima, and Randy Zarin, senior vice president and chief strategy officer of orthopedics for UTHealth Houston.
“Physician alignment strategies change over time, and they vary by location and the health care demands of that market. This has been true in my leadership in Youngstown, Ohio, over the past 10 years and in Lorain, Ohio, over the past two years. From employing physicians to aligning with independent practices to accountable care organization alignment and back to physician employment, there are many strategies that can be tested and deployed to best meet the needs of a community. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy, and many times, multiple strategies are engaged. Graduate medical education programs are the best pipeline to attract and retain top physician talent to a hospital or market,” Dr. Kravec said.
During the “How to Build a Data-Driven Culture and Deliver Value to Inundated Providers” panel, Dr. Kravec and fellow panelists discussed the essential needs in building a data-driven culture that delivers value and benefits providers who face many demands. Panelists also included Paul Entler, regional chief medical officer for University of Michigan Health, and Natasha Mumford, controller for The Rehabilitation Institute of Ohio – Premier Health, Encompass Health. It was moderated by Molly Gamble, vice president of editorial for Becker's Healthcare.
“Data-driven cultures must have several key components. There must be transparency with the data. This includes transparency in understanding how tools are measuring information, as well as the intent behind utilizing the data, why it matters and the conversations it fuels. Errors or misunderstandings can arise when data is run with different definitions for the metrics, which ultimately can impact how goals are met or performance is measured,” Dr. Kravec said. “Also, data must be measured in consistent timeframes. When the definition of the timeframe is consistent, physicians and other staff can trust the data and, more importantly, the process.”
The 11th Annual Becker’s Healthcare CEO and CFO Roundtable brings together CEOs, CFOs and executives from top hospitals and health systems to address the most pressing issues in health care today at this exclusive, world-class event. C-level executives attend for engaging conversations and debate about the best strategies to shape the future of health care. Essential discussions on rural health care, digital transformation, health equity, C-suite diversity and more take center stage alongside coveted networking opportunities for health system leaders.
As the chief clinical officer for Mercy Health – Lorain and Youngstown, James Kravec, MD, FACP, is responsible for providing physician executive leadership for both Mercy Health clinical teams in Lorain and Youngstown. This includes more than 1,500 hospital medical staff involved with acute care delivery, Mercy Health Physicians and Mercy Health Select. He oversees the overall mission, strategic leadership and the assurance of quality care delivery for those clinical enterprises as well as their integration.
Dr. Kravec also serves as the system medical director for Graduate Medical Education for Bon Secours Mercy Health. In the role, he leads operations, strategy and growth for the physician residency programs throughout the system, which currently includes seven markets, 40 resident and fellowship programs and 500 residents and fellows across the United States. Dr. Kravec is a Youngstown native and was born at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. He graduated from Youngstown State University and earned his medical degree from Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED).