Q&A: HCA Northwest CEO Joel North prioritizes trust with staff, community

For the better part of 10 years, I’ve had a goal of growing into a CEO position to be able to lead a large organization that’s mission is to improve people’s lives and take care of the community around me. What’s great about Northwest is its great history of doing exactly that for over 50 years in Northwest Houston. I’m from Houston originally, and most of family still lives in Houston, ... so I’m familiar with this area and it’s always felt like home.

What I love about HCA Northwest, and what I think sets it apart, is the sense of pride and ownership that so many people exemplify as they work here. The leadership team, frontline staff, physicians and even the contractors are filled with individuals who have worked at Northwest 20-plus years and have a sense of ownership and pride that comes with that. It’s truly contagious.

What do you hope to accomplish in your first few years as CEO?

With any new role, my first priority is always to build trust with the staff, our leaders, our physicians and community. I believe putting people first and becoming part of the team and the family is the best thing I can do to set us up to achieve whatever it is we set out to accomplish.

We have a comprehensive stroke program, an accredited chest pain center, Level II trauma services, a Level III NICU and Maternal Designation, and a wide array of surgical specialties including spine surgery, joint replacement, surgical interventions for reflux disease, and surgical oncology. ... Our vision is to add more depth and new technologies to our services to be able to take care of more critical needs of our community. ...

What initiatives are you planning to improve patient outcomes and overall care quality?

There’s a big focus right now on improving the efficiency of care delivery in the hospital. We have a large initiative around improving communications among all the various departments in an effort to better communicate with our patients to streamline their care. We know by doing this, we can reduce the amount of time people spend in the hospital and get them back with their families and the things they love to do.

Our network outside of the hospital plays a large role in this also. Another big part of improving outcomes for us is ensuring that, when people discharge, we have connected them with the right specialists to follow up with so they don’t find themselves having to come back to the hospital for something that can be treated with a specialist outside of the facility. ...

What leadership principles guide your decision-making?

I subscribe to the “values-based” leadership school of thought, in which I believe it’s important to prioritize my core values—[integrity, teamwork, mutual respect, positivity and excellence]—whenever I’m making decisions and communicating with my teams. I believe core values give us something to unite around and serve as the basis for our beliefs and actions. It can be really powerful. ...

How do you see technology shaping the future of care at HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest?

One thing I really love about health care is how quickly technology can change outcomes in ways we never thought possible. The number of technological advancements are only increasing. I think the biggest application we will see is technology helping with clinical decision-making, which will ultimately help extend the reach and impact of our care teams. This is everything from improved detection methods for illness to new interventional and diagnostic devices that will help improve our knowledge and outcomes.

How will you engage with the local community to address public health needs?

... Being in Cypress Station, we have monthly stakeholders meetings where we discuss how to improve not only business but also well-being of the residents in this community. We have great dialogue and engagement there from Harris County Public Health, Harris County Sheriff's Office, business owners, and community clinics and specialists.

This is vital because we know health care goes beyond the hospital and doctor’s office. It’s people having access to healthy food, having education to be able to make healthier choices, safe neighborhoods, quality housing and jobs to be able to afford all of the above. A goal of mine is for HCA Northwest to serve as a conduit to connect all of these various parts to create a healthier community. It all starts with those relationships and those ongoing community discussions to create partnerships so we can get people to the right resource at the right time.