Dr. Fred Sanfilippo, CEO of the Ohio State Medical Center, showed what vision, leadership and teamwork can accomplish in his “State of the Medical Center” presentation last night at Meiling Hall.
Sanfilippo’s address focused on three areas: Future plans, medical center growth and its value to OSU, and programs in development. He also presented material displaying the center’s financial and community improvements.
“If you look at each mission’s areas, I think it’s pretty astounding. Revenues are on target for $900 million this year,” Sanfilippo said.
He said this was especially good news because the medical center faced a health deficit a few years ago. Sanfilippo found ways to grow new revenue and expand programs faster than the debt could build. The new revenues have added to health system reserves and investing for medical students.
“What I enjoy most about Fred is his ability to solve problems constructively. He helped solve the deficit by building as opposed to through financial conservatism,” said Dr. Michael Caligiuri, director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Another concern is the maintenance of a constructive culture – positive, co-operative attitudes of the faculty and staff of the medical departments. In 2001, the center conducted a behavioral survey; the data revealed that work needed to be done to better facilitate efficiency and teamwork. Sanfilippo’s new data revealed much closer proximity to the ideal culture.
“I think we’re going nowhere but up. There’s a great enthusiasm, energy and spirit here,” said Sue Jablonski, chief communications officer for the medical center.
The center’s assets are growing in other areas as well, he said. The Clinical Skills and Assessment Center will be completed in March and will offer high-tech methods of training to students and faculty. The Biomedical Research Tower is ahead of schedule and budget, and the Research Grant Funding program received its biggest financial increase in history.
Sanfilippo and Jablonski also said the medical center benefits the community through providing jobs, giving better care and new techniques and inventions from advanced research.
“We’re a profession, not a business, so we have responsibilities a business doesn’t have: To retain the integrity of the profession and maintain our covenant to society,” said Dr. Paul Weber, associate vice president for education affairs.
He said the medical center has set aggressive goals for 2008 to make the medical center a top-tier facility able to compete with the best facilities in the nation. He summed up the medical center’s accomplishments with one sentence: “Our progress has great and our (future) opportunity even greater.”
