Dr. Kurt Newman became a pediatric surgeon because he was attracted to the innovative culture and the extraordinary variety of problems doctors encounter at children’s hospitals, as well as the dramatic recoveries children can make. He went on to become the president and CEO of Children’s National Health System in Washington, DC and recently published a memoir, Healing Children: A Surgeon’s Stories from the Frontiers of Pediatric Medicine. I spoke to him about the advantages and challenges of specialized children’s hospitals. What follows is an edited version of our conversation.
The CEO of Children’s National Health System on Leadership, Innovation, and Delivering Specialized Care
The journey from surgeon to leader.
June 22, 2017
Summary.
There are both advantages and challenges of specialized children’s hospitals. For one, patient outcomes are better because pediatric medicine attracts people who are passionate about making a difference early in children’s lives, explains Dr. Kurt Newman, the president and CEO of Children’s National Health System in Washington, DC. At the same time, specialized hospitals often see children with complex medical conditions that require multiple services or specialists. In this interview, Dr. Newman also discusses how the health care system adapt to bring that kind of specialized experience to more families and what he’s learned about creating a more innovative hospital culture.
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