An Interview with Mark Newton, President & CEO of Swedish Covenant Hospital
By Richard Johnson, Director of University Ministries
A few weeks ago, I sat down with the President and CEO of Swedish Covenant Hospital to talk about healthcare and issues of compassion and justice. Mark Newton has served as president of Swedish Covenant Hospital since 2000 and his leadership has helped earn the hospital a reputation of technological and service excellence, while keeping compassion at the core of the healing process. Mark is a North Park alum, having completed his bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from the university. He received a master’s degree in finance and marketing from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
RJ: Swedish Covenant Hospital (SCH) seems to have a history of understanding healthcare as an opportunity for compassion—first with immigrants over 100 years ago, and more recently with the culturally diverse neighborhood that surrounds the hospital. Can you describe how this mission of compassionate healthcare for the body, mind and soul is unique in comparison to other hospitals?
MN: In a research study back in November of 2003, we found that 95% of the people surveyed believe that compassion aids in the healing process; 88% believe it is critically important in healthcare; and 9 out of 10 patients recommend a doctor based on whether they experienced compassion during their visit or treatment. People rank healthcare as the number one compassionate profession. Clergy is actually ranked second.
How does the hospital “operationalize” compassion?
We are the only hospital in Chicago that is a member of Planetree, an international organization of healthcare providers that pursue a philosophy that puts the full needs of patients and their families first. We seek to understand healthcare from a patient’s perspective and to provide healing and nurturing for the body, mind and spirit.
Part of how we live out compassion as an institution is to empower our employees to become part of the healing journey. We ask new employees, “What are your personal passions?” and then we give gives all of our employees permission to find the place where their passion connects with the compassionate-healing mission of the hospital. It begins by treating everyone with dignity. If they see someone lost in the hospital, rather than pointing them in the right direction, they say, “Let me escort you to where you are going.” And what allows them to do this is that they know their supervisor will not be upset with them.
Author Jim Collins wrote an addendum to his best-selling book “Good to Great” where he addressed the unique challenges for organizations in the social sector. In it, he says that non-profit organizations that want to move from good to great should measure their return on investment by the successful achievement of their mission. Do you agree with that idea and if so, how do you assess whether or not the hospital is successfully achieving its mission of compassionate healthcare?
We are not there yet—but we are getting there. Of course we have quality and financial metrics, we measure our retention and vacancy rates, and look closely at patient satisfaction scores. But probably one way we get at this issue is by the questions asked by the Board of SCH. The Board asks the question, “Are we doing the right thing?” There is a strong moral component in our governance. The Board is concerned with decisions that impact client safety and employee moral. Financial pressure and concerns are not the main issues for the Board. Instead, there is a governance premium on acting and performing in a compassionate way.
What are the justice issues involved in healthcare and how do you see those at work at SCH?
If you look at a hospital in the suburban ring of Chicago, you see they are building $400M, $250M, $300M brand new construction, while a hospital like ours in the city is in not even close to be able to do something like that. And it is our patients who are affected. Should an accident of history or your location—being born in the suburbs versus the city—determine whether you get better healthcare? Insurance companies negotiate their reimbursement rates with hospitals based on their payer mix. Hospitals like ours serve an urban population with a range of incomes and therefore insurance companies tend to negotiate lower rates….which obviously has a direct impact on the revenue we generate that would help us expand or improve facilities and what we can offer to our clients.
The fact the insurance companies can deny coverage when people have a pre-existing condition—that is a justice issue. Insurance companies are making huge profits while millions can’t afford coverage—what’s that? That’s a justice issue. We are the 14th or 15th busiest hospital in the city of Chicago, yet we are 27th in terms of our financial ranking. That’s a justice issue.
The three main areas that need to be addressed are: Universal healthcare coverage, malpractice reform, and ending politicians taking money from drug companies. Most of this plays out in political advocacy on local, state and the federal level. I haven’t heard any of the current presidential candidates address all three of these concerns in a way that shows they understand the issues. Hopefully once in office, the new president will have people around who understand these issues and can come up with effective solutions.
