Introduction

When Paul Viviano arrived at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in 2016 as the new President and CEO, the hospital faced a unique opportunity to refresh and revitalize the performance, eminence and culture of the already globally renowned and nationally-ranked hospital. Driving forces included external pressures in healthcare (especially those of a “safety net” provider), unique features of academic medicine, and the need to build greater agility into a proud, patient focused culture.  

From the beginning of his tenure at CHLA, Viviano invited FMG Leading to partner with him and his team in developing many aspects of human capital performance, including leader quality, team composition and collaboration, culture and identity, and H.R. department performance.

Drivers of Success

Why did an experienced healthcare leader rely on such “people” drivers to improve CHLA’s performance?

“The CHLA focus on leadership development was one of the most important elements in the performance improvement plan,” states Viviano.  “The drive to improve every element of achievement across all dimensions of performance started with our leaders, who embraced the opportunity to lead more effectively in challenging times,” he further comments.   

Based on his vision, CHLA’s partnership with FMG Leading focused on the following human capital drivers:

Leader Quality

FMG Leading provided expertise to help support the selection of candidates for a number of key executive vacancies. This process included vetting external executive candidates, onboarding new executive team members, building alignment and teamwork within the executive team, assessing the effectiveness of all senior leaders, and coaching all executive leaders. The partnership also included designing and executing a high-potential leader development program called “Velocity”, and designing and implementing a state-of-the-art dyad based (Division Chiefs with their Administrative Director counterparts) physician leader development program called the “Collaborative Leadership Program”.

Teamwork and Collaboration

A core operating principle for Viviano  was aligning and continuing to develop his executive “Cabinet” team.  In addition to this work, FMG Leading also partnered with many other senior leaders, supporting them in assessing, aligning and developing their individual teams. Team development has extended to several academic departments and divisions, building strategic alignment and engaging faculty.   

Culture

This has been explicitly defined through a multi-faceted series of actions, including helping the organization to create its vision and cascading that vision through the entire enterprise. Performance management has helped make explicit performance expectations and accountability. The organization has invested significantly in professional development as a culture lever for leaders - building capacity to lead people, strengthen teams, manage change, and impact business results.  Engaging leadership from faculty and administrative domains has helped to promote collaboration and break down traditional silos.

Human Resources Function

In addition to work on key human capital drivers, FMG Leading supported a leadership transition and restructuring of the Human Resources department. FMG Leading also guided a process to design a system-wide set of leadership competencies, and partnered with the organization to translate these into talent development systems across the enterprise.

Impact and Outcomes

The results of the investment CHLA has made in the development of world-class leaders, teams and culture, along with numerous other strategic, operational, quality and clinical initiatives, is evident in the improved performance and rankings of the hospital.  

Revenue growth has averaged more than ten percent annually while market share has grown from 25% to 34%+ in recent years, notable for a market with over 2.5 million children. 

U.S. News has again ranked CHLA as the top children’s hospital in California and in the survey’s Pacific U.S. region—which encompasses Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington. CHLA also made the publication’s annual Honor Roll of Best Children’s Hospitals for the 14th consecutive year—every year since its inception—finishing No. 8 in the United States in this showcase of the nation’s leading destinations for pediatric medical care. 

And, in a nod to the leadership development expertise FMG Leading has provided CHLA over the past several years, the National Center for Healthcare Leadership recently honored CHLA for the second time with their BOLD Award, recognizing their leadership in their field in preparing current and future generations of leaders needed to transform the American health system. 

Viviano also cites numerous other very meaningful and impactful improvements that have contributed to the hospital’s success, such as the coordination of hospital-wide quality metrics and oversight, the creation of a centralized quality improvement team, and the expanded voice and influence that CHLA has earned in the shaping and influencing of public and healthcare policy.

CHLA remains a valued FMG Leading client today. Their talented leaders and thousands of dedicated caregivers are transforming healthcare for children and families in Los Angeles and around the world.