The Becker's team is excited to announce the launch of our new CFO and Revenue Cycle podcast. Tune in for conversations with finance experts from the top hospitals and health systems. We'll discuss key trends and ideas to drive meaningful change in the industry. Look for Becker's CFO and revenue cycle podcast wherever you listen to episodes. Welcome back to the Becker's Healthcare podcast. I'm Molly Gamble with Becker's. And today, I'm sitting down with Penny Johnson. Penny is president and CEO of Texas Health Hughley Hospital Fort Worth South, part of the AdventHealth system. Penny, welcome to the podcast. Thanks for being my guest today. Well, thank you. I appreciate the opportunity. Yeah. Well, Penny, you've been with AdventHealth. My understanding is since 02/2002. That's a long stretch of time. I I just shared a a little brief, overview of your role with the system. Can you share more about yourself and tell us more about your position in the system for our listeners? Yeah. So, like you said, I've been with them since 02/2002 officially, really twenty seven years, with the system in different forms and functions and, really grew up in the finance track and came up through the CFO role and had the opportunity to go to our corporate office and then, came back to our Southwest Region, which is in the state of Texas in February of twenty to be, the CEO because I had spent a lot of time in this region and had, relationships with a lot of our partners and knew the region. And so I've been doing that since, gosh, almost five years now. That's terrific. And, I mean, five years, I I think when you say that, it's time flies. Right? And and we're already catching up, well into 2025 here. I'm I'm curious as we begin this new year and look back on 2024, can you recall an effort, a focus area, a distinct need that you find yourself spending an outsized amount of energy and attention on over the last six months, say? To tell us about that. Yeah. You know, 2024 was really I mean, every year is a strategy year, but some years you feel like that is just where so much of your focus goes. And so we were really spending a lot of time focused in our outpatient expansion plan and then, our our service line expansion plan. So, Hughley Hospital has been a great community hospital. It's been around since 1977, and it's really grown in its service capabilities. So we're really, moving up to that next level of quaternary tertiary care. So a lot of, time in some of those, more intensive service lines and what is the strategy and what is the recruitment plan and the needs behind that. And then, a lot of capital investment in growing our campus and then our outpatient reach. You know, like so many other hospitals that slowed down, you know, we you know, I always laugh. I came back and down, you know, we you know, I always laugh. I came back in February of twenty, so my first year or two was definitely COVID focused. And then everyone kinda went into that kind of rebuilding year. And so it's been fun to get back to the exciting part of of health care and and growing our reach as a nonprofit hospital and serving more of our community. Mhmm. Mhmm. Can you talk more about that, Penny? I've heard that from leaders that it took a long time through the pandemic. There was just so much emphasis on and it needed to be this way on short term strategy, just even like a quarterly focus and survival mode for many organizations, even the largest and most sophisticated systems. And now I hear from more leaders this return to a longer term strategy. Not something that you're bound to and that is too rigid, But looking out a little bit further and thinking bigger and making some plans that go five closer to ten years out, no less difficult or challenging, I imagine, but it seems like a an important shift. So oh, a %. You know, I think it it's so easy to go back and forget what 2020 and 2021 were like. But, I mean, I don't think there was a conversation about the long term strategy in 2020 because everyone was so focused on dealing with the unknown. Mhmm. And so we do. I think we really are focused on our five and ten year plans because so much is changing. So I think everyone's gotten their stride back, and everyone says it, but we're dealing with this aging population. And especially in the state of Texas, we're such a growing state. In the DFW Metroplex. We grow so much that, as I talk to my peers, everyone is so, capacity constrained. And and it's interesting because I was meeting with someone this morning, and we were all talking about the acuity is higher that's coming in too. And so I think everyone's in this rush to catch up, and so that has created an even stronger focus on those five and ten year plans have to be so strong. Because when we look at that aging population, it can change on a dime the the capacity needs. Absolutely. An aging population. And then my understanding too, your hospital's in Fort Worth. Fort Worth is one of the fastest growing cities in America. Is that right? Can you talk about you you have a dual, dual pressures there. You've got a growing population, and with an aging population. How how does that shape your strategy? We know it's interesting. I think it's it's, one of my friends says, yeah. You have high class problems in Texas. You know? So we are lucky that we're not in a in a states that are shrinking, but it does, create pressure not just from a physical capacity perspective, but from a staffing perspective. And so part of the strategies is not just about what physicians are you recruiting to take care of this, what service lines are you expanding, what capital plans are you you know, physical plant expansion. It's as much about how are you growing the next generation of health care providers. So we partner with a lot of local universities, community colleges, whether it be nursing degrees or imaging certifications. AdventHealth is very focused on continued education from a a national perspective too. So I think part of your strategy is not just about what we would think is is the old nuts and bolts, but nuts and bolts nuts and bolts of operations, but it's growing that pipeline to take care of those patients as well. Mhmm. Mhmm. And I've had the privilege of sitting down with, Alicia Esvado at AdventHealth who is your CHRO. And I think the the way the system thinks about workforce development, it's so beyond some of the traditional mechanisms. It's so much more holistic. It's far reaching. It's she she was telling me, I think, in our conversation, you know, going down to ninth grade and lower to start to really position health care careers as fulfilling, rewarding, rich with opportunity for young children. So I think, for other listeners who would be interested in a more holistic way of thinking about workforce development, AdventHealth seems to be doing a lot of interesting things, that I'm sure, Penny, you are are more than familiar with. I don't know if there's anything else you wanna speak to on on that topic. Yeah. Well, I mean, mentioning Alicia, she's been such a great leader for our organization and really pushing us to be an employer of choice and being creative. And, you know, one of the things Hughley has done for a long time is, partner, with our local school districts. So, and so those, high school students, they can sign up, and register as part of a class too if they have an interest in imaging or some of the other modalities within health care. And so you'll see high school students in you know, vetted out and everything, but in our halls a lot. And part of that is getting people excited and understanding that, health care is such a diverse opportunity. People always say, what made you be interested in health care? And I said, when I was a child, my grandparents were very ill, and we were in hospitals a lot. And a hospital is a small city. You know, you have plumbers and bakers and housekeepers and nurses. And so when when people think, oh, I don't wanna be a nurse or I don't wanna be a doctor, there's so many other venues, to be part of the health care continuum. And I think that's what we wanna get people excited about too. Mhmm. I love that. Hospital is a small city. So true. You know, Penny, you talked about this renewed focus on strategy last year, especially your outpatient service line expansion plans, amid what's been an ongoing focus for AdventHealth with workforce development. But looking ahead a a bit, what are you most focused on and excited about in the next several months? Is is there something on your radar that is generating a lot of energy for you right now? You know, I I would say one of the things we're doing that is exciting is just a, a whole revamp of our surgery, and that's always exciting for the teams and our physicians to see you know, to be able to take care of a larger population. So that's always fun. It's, you know, probably about a $90,000,000 surgery project. But I think that's an operational thing, and it and it'll be fun. But the thing I'm really focused on is our director and executive succession planning. Mhmm. And it's it's interesting because we've kinda noticed we have this almost break between that next generation of leaders. And so that's where we've really, we've hired this year a leader, and all she does is work on our leadership development. And she's creating classes, having LDIs to really help us in that manager director level, start identifying those people that can be ready for executive roles. Because even as a company as large as AdventHealth, we're noticing that the talent just isn't as plentiful. And AdventHealth is growing so much too that sometimes it's hard, and so a lot of focus on succession planning and growing people for executive roles. I think the other thing would be patient experience. That's always going to be a hot topic within hospitals. And, as as the consumer, expectations change, we're really passionate about creating an experience where when people walk in the door, you know, they feel like a valued human being. And, so that's those are the two things that we're really having a lot of conversations about right now. Mhmm. Mhmm. Well, that takes me beautifully to my next question, which is your advice for evolving leaders. And maybe on this note, we can attune this to the up and comers you mentioned, people who might be rising into more senior leadership positions. You know, Penny, you've been with the organization for over twenty years. That in itself, that that type of longevity, can be hard to find the more you go up the the chain of command. You know, it's I think this average CEO ten years is about five years still, give or take. So that level of commitment to an organization is pretty special. I'm sure your career has has had different evolutions and iterations in that time, but what's some of your best advice you would give to evolving leaders? Gosh. I have so much because I always tell people I'm like, learn from my mistakes. Right? You know, I think the first thing is, when you're coming into a new leadership role, understand especially when you come into these executive roles, COOs or or or CEOs, everyone that works for you is now the expert in their field. Mhmm. I am not the heart care. I am not the expert in facilities. And so really leaning into your leaders and and valuing them. Because when you value your team, you will be successful. So, you know, not being the smartest person in the room, not worrying about the next thing to say. And, you know, I think the other thing is knowing that you're going to continue to evolve as a leader, but pick the three or four things that are really gonna be your core or your brand. You know? For me, like, transparency and authenticity are really important. So even as I grow and I hopefully become a better leader tomorrow than I am today, there's some core things that are never gonna change. And I think that's what you really whether you wanna write a mission statement or whatever you wanna call it, what are the things that whether you're 30 or whether you're 60, you wanna be known for? Mhmm. Mhmm. Mhmm. That's such a great point, Penny. And I think, you know, sometimes it it seems like a stretch to think about this or especially early one's career, but I think to kind of envision your own retirement party and what people might share with you in those toasts and speeches and almost work backwards in the day to day, can be a helpful exercise sometimes. Mhmm. I like that better than when people say write your own obituary. Like, I but I do, and it it's not something I did when I was really young in my careers. It's no one I didn't have that advice. And Mhmm. And I kind of figured it out later. And, you know, obviously, if I've been with the company twenty seven years, I'm on the back end of my career. And you can reflect on and the other thing I would tell people is that don't be so worried about the next role. I mean, I've been really fortunate. AdventHealth has been a great place to work, and there's been lots of opportunities. But, you know, the people that are so successful and and for myself has been, like, been so fortunate to be in the role you are and make the best version of yourself in that role. And and the things and things will come. I mean, it's amazing how your career will take you when you stay focused on your purpose, whether that's extending the healing ministry of Christ or creating better communities. I I think when that's your focus, you're going to be wildly successful. That's such a great piece of advice, Penny. Well, I am so appreciative of your being my guest today and a chance to catch up with you. Listeners, again, this is Penny Johnson. Penny's the president and CEO for Texas Health Hughley Hospital in Fort Worth South. Penny, is there anything I didn't get a chance to ask you that we'd be remiss to not touch on? You know, I don't think so. I think it's been a it's been a great conversation. I've appreciated it too. It's nice to make yourself reflect on on what you're doing as well. We really appreciate you taking the time. I'm sure amid all of these things you mentioned that you're working on, expansion plans. You've got the big, surgery development and redesign that you're working on and, of course, the the workforce and continued emphasis on mentorship, especially. It sounds interesting that this leader is totally focused to leadership development. I appreciate you taking the time to catch up with us. I hope we can do so in the back half of 2025 to see how these things have, progressed for you. That would be great.