July 7, 2023

Greetings, and I hope the week has been going well.

The reputation of people in Ohio is that they are friendly, and that has been my experience this week. The Uber driver who picked me up at the Cincinnati airport late last Friday was great. He was so enthusiastic about Ohio—and our region in particular. We are staying in a rental house, and upon arrival the A/C was out…but a wonderful service gentleman came out and fixed it at 10:30 p.m., which I really appreciated.

All that’s to say, it’s an honor to be here in Ohio and work with you. Kettering Health has a superb reputation for clinical outcomes, and dedicated team members who care for one another and our patients. There is so much good here—thank you for everything you have done and are doing today to care for our communities.

When leadership transitions, it’s natural to wonder what other changes are in store. In a 2016 Inc. magazine article (which, by the way, is a great read), the writer suggests that many of us would rather be unhappy than uncertain. We really don’t like change. We all crave certainty, and if we do have to deal with change, we want to know why. So, let’s first cover what is not changing:

• The commitment to furthering our mission of healthcare and education.
• A focus on safety—for our clinicians and patients.
• Being a learning organization—improving the experience during the provision of care and adopting new tools and technologies to help others.
• Supporting and caring for each other every day—through our positive and challenging moments.

That brings us to some of the changes we will make—which are all focused on being more consumer centric. How can we think more holistically about partnering with individuals to improve their health? In healthcare, we usually do quite well in our episodic interactions with patients, but then we often have a relational disconnect until someone has a need and becomes a patient again. We want to offer individuals the opportunity to partner with us throughout life, so we can support their pursuit to “be their best.” Our new areas of focus will include:

• Coming alongside consumers throughout life as a trusted partner, whether they are a current patient or will need us in the future. This means providing better access through scheduling, new digital resources and tools to predict and prevent disease, simplifying the billing process, and reducing the complexity in navigating a healthcare experience.
• A new and increased level of engagement with providers and caregivers that actively seeks their insights to improve their experience in delivering care as well as improving the patient experience, achieving top-decile outcomes, and allowing all of us to move Kettering Health to first a regional and then a national healthcare leader. This we can only do together.
• And lastly, a personal commitment from me to be as transparent as possible, listen to understand, and acknowledge that while our journey is not always easy, it is worthwhile and provides us with an opportunity to be a blessing to others in a manner that most occupations cannot.

Thank you for being a member of the Kettering Health team. I look forward to serving with you.

Michael Gentry
CEO, Kettering Health