Management tips for HIE development

The lead story of the business section of today's Times is about Dr. Herb Pardes, head of New York-Presbyterian Health System. Though it doesn't mention it in the article, he is also a co-founder and co-leader of the Markle Foundation's Connecting for Health Steering Group (full disclosure -- I'm a member of the Steering Group).

The article is an interesting look at the dynamics of the big academic hospital industry, the New York hospital scene, and Herb's management approach. A few things about this approach strike me as noteworthy and particularly applicable to the HIE world:

• Re-orient thinking from provider-centric to patient-centric
• Be attentive to organization cultures and leader personalities
• Manage with mix of gut instinct and strong business skills
• Bring national perspective to local decision-making

No wonder these principles apply to HIEs. New York-Presbyterian comprises a stunning 52 hospitals, SNFs (skilled nursing facilities), and specialty centers across 5 campuses -- much bigger than any HIE in the country today.