Author Archive

Executive Recruitment for Rural Hospitals

Friday, March 1st, 2013

Don Whiteside heads the Executive Placement and Interim Management division of HFS. Based on his years of experience in recruiting, here is an interview with Don about the qualities required to manage and lead a rural hospital.  The scenario is:

The CEO of a rural hospital just resigned after 10 years on the job; there is no succession plan and the Board has never recruited a new CEO. The Board was so comfortable with the incumbent that it didn’t consider what it would do without him/her. The CFO and CNO are too busy to assume these responsibilities. They are getting ready to break ground on a new building and the departing CEO was leading this effort. The CFO is leading the implementation of a new Clinical Information System (CIS). In addition, the CEO was very involved in local community activities, which will continue to need attention. There is no COO or CIO. (more…)

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Advice for Executives in Transition

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

Executive Transition- This is more of a personal view, not a strictly professional one.  One of the joys of my job as a healthcare recruiter is the relationships I have with very senior healthcare executives.  I’ve been very lucky with a career that allows me access to some of the best minds leading California hospitals, health systems, and other healthcare businesses.  This stretches across regional and organizational boundaries- CEO’s, CFO’s, COO’s, other Hospital execs and Board members, physicians and other clinicians. (more…)

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Choosing A Hospital’s Interim CEO

Tuesday, January 10th, 2012

Hospitals face a change in chief executive leadership for many reasons. A CEO might announce sudden retirement, get promoted to a larger hospital or health system, resign for personal matters or have a difference of opinion with the board of directors regarding the hospital’s strategy and direction.

As HFS Consultant’s managing director of executive search and business development, my experience has been that when there’s a vacancy in the CEO position, it’s often because there’s some kind of crisis and it’s indicative of problems in the organization.
(more…)

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Executive Recruiting and Interim Placement

Monday, September 19th, 2011

One of our most active practices at HFS is Interim and Permanent Executive Placement. At any given time, HFS is providing from five to fifteen of our clients with interim CEOs, CFOs, controllers, business office managers, decision support executives, etc. And, of course, we also do executive searches to help clients find permanent executives. (more…)

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Finding the Best Healthcare Talent

Friday, June 25th, 2010

DON WHITESIDE, Manager of Executive Search and

BRENDA ROSE, Manager of Interim and Permanent Recruiting Services

The best healthcare talent comes from a wide variety of places…the large systems, the rural hospitals, the free-standing facility just down the street. The healthcare industry is unique when it comes to the recruitment of top C-level and managerial talent because the supply and demand of healthcare talent is more stable than other industries. This phenomenon leaves the pool of existing healthcare talent playing a professional rendition of musical chairs, even within the executive level and managerial positions. When a pivotal position becomes vacant, where should you target your search? Here are three rules of thumb our recruiting practice uses:

Fit! Fit! Fit!

More important than a degree, a CPA or MBA, or specific prior experience is the prerequisite that you hire key professionals that fit well in your organization. Also, unlike many other industries, it is nearly impossible to hire an executive or manager from another industry with the transferable skills necessary for stellar performance. Healthcare is unique and requires industry-specific knowledge not only to maintain the status quo, but more importantly, to avoid costly errors and miss invaluable opportunities.

(more…)

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Executive Search and Interim Placement

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Our Executive Search and Interim Placement practice is thriving. We are performing executive search assignments, finding managerial talent, and providing interim executive solutions. As the practice leader I am involved in every search and Brenda Rose and other members of our staff are important team members. The contact and recruiting work is performed by these high level senior executives and not assigned to junior staff. This benefits organizations by increasing the responsiveness of potential candidates.

Our search approach and philosophy emphasizes professionalism and respect for both our clients and candidates. Because of our diversified business, our data base of personal relationships consists of uniquely talented and qualified individuals to fit a variety of managerial and executive roles. We have access to many additional sources of qualified individuals and pursue our searches with expansive outreach and a sound search process.

If you would like information on how HFS can assist your organization in locating and placing a highly skilled professional, please contact Don Whiteside at (510) 768- 0066 extension 311 or Brenda Rose at extension 356.

Here is a small selection of our recently completed searches, exemplifying our work in both Interim and Permanent Search:

  • October 2009 – Ms. Eileen Van Reusen, Operations Manager, Multi Specialty Clinic, Tahoe Forest Healthcare District, Truckee
  • October 2009 – Mr. Patrick Lash, Interim Chief Financial Officer, Fremont-Rideout Health Group, Yuba City
  • November 2009 – Mr. Kim Strange, Chief Financial Officer, Children’s Hospital and Research Center, Oakland
  • November 2009 – Ms. Diane Stewart, Interim Chief Executive Officer, John George
  • Psychiatric Pavilion, Alameda County Medical Center, Oakland
  • Ongoing – Patient Financial Services Manager, Northern California

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