CLINICAL INNOVATORS
Interview by
KATLYN NEMANI, MD
Engaging Communities
and Embracing Diversity to
Improve Health
N
ancy M. Schlichting is chief executive
officer of Henry Ford Health System, a
nationally recognized $4 billion healthcare organization with 23,000 employees. She is
credited with leading the health system through
a dramatic financial turnaround, and for awardwinning patient safety, customer service, and
diversity initiatives.
Throughout her career in health care she has
received numerous prestigious honors, including
the National Center for Healthcare Leadership’s
2014 Gail L. Warden Leadership Excellence Award,
American College of Healthcare Executive’s 2014
Senior Level Healthcare Executive Regent’s Award,
American Hospital Association-Human Research
and Educational Trust’s 2014 TRUST Award, Becker’s Hospital Review “40 of the Smartest People
in Healthcare-2014,” Modern Healthcare “Top 25
Women in Healthcare - 2013” (named for the third
time), and Crain’s Detroit Business “2012 Newsmaker of the Year.” This year, prior to joining Henry
Ford in 1998, Ms. Schlichting was executive vice
president and COO of Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree in public policy studies from Duke
University and an MBA from Cornell University.
When you reflect on your time with Henry
Ford, what do you think has made you most
successful in its financial turnaround? What
were you walking into when you joined as
senior vice president in 1998, and how have
things changed?
In 1998, we were facing very challenging times at
HFHS, both finan