In the latest installment of the CHRO Association’s Healthcare CEO Series, members heard from Madeline Bell , CEO of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) , a national leader in care and research innovation, in a discussion moderated by Robert E. Andrews, CEO of Health Transformation Alliance , our series partner.
CHOP is one of the most important pediatric medical institutions in the world. It is a major clinical provider, research engine and training ground for care models that shape medical advances across the healthcare system.
Bell is the first woman to lead the institution, but landing the job wasn’t her ambition. “I started to see myself as a CEO when others started to see me as a CEO,” she said.
For anyone aspiring to become a CEO, “ask if you see yourself in the leadership role and if you are committed to the organization’s mission.”
Power of Influencing People
As CEO, Bell leads through influencing others. “I use my influencing skills more than my authority. If I want to tell somebody to do something I try to have empathy from where they are coming from. How do they fit into the bigger picture? What’s in it for them?”
Navigating relationships is likewise essential to a CHRO’s success because so many organizations have matrix structures. It’s the “power of consensus over the power of authority.”
Hiring for a New Role: Chief Wellbeing Officer
To combat burnout among its healthcare professionals, CHOP has decided to hire a Chief Wellbeing Officer covering financial, physical, and emotional dimensions. Bell said wellbeing should be a focus, not an afterthought.
- Roughly 90% of CHOP’s 32,000 employees are location-critical , but remote departments have never been mandated back. However, leader visibility is non-negotiable , and Bell has led from the top.
The Worst Part of Healthcare? Drug Costs.
As an employer that provides healthcare to CHOP employees, when asked if there was one element of healthcare she could change, Bell answered: “drug costs.” “It sometimes feels like a runaway train,” Bell said with other hospital costs such as supplies, drug manufacturing and labor rising more than 7% annually .
- Fertility care is a “price of admission” benefit for employers.
- GLP-1 prescriptions for employees flow through CHOP’s own specialty pharmacy because of its dual role as employer and provider.
The Next Wave of Medicine: Gene Therapy
In partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, CHOP developed a CRISPR therapy that cured a rare metabolic disease that saved one baby boy’s life. This is just one example in a set of gene therapies CHOP is developing , including ones for more common illnesses like Type 1 diabetes.
Bell hopes to develop a cost-plus payment mechanism for research-stage therapies and recommends that CHROs take these next steps:
- Ask your TPA or insurer how they evaluate cell and gene therapies.
- Determine HR’s role in decision-making up front.
- Expect claims to triple based on the current pipeline.
