Leading into an Electronic Future

Outstanding Health Care Executive (Beyond Puget Sound)

When Tom Fritz came to Inland Northwest Health Services, the Spokane-based organization was three years old and already had been through a couple of CEOs. In Fritz, however, INHS found the leader who would make it a regional force in health care services-as well as a national leader in health care information technology.

Having just celebrated its 15th birthday, INHS now has slightly more than 1,000 employees in all-twice the workforce it had when Fritz took over as CEO-and its annual revenue crested $147.6 million in 2008.

Tom Fritz, CEO of Inland Northwest Health Services in Spokane, has not only brought medical records into the electronic era, but also uses technology to help unify the company's divisions, which include the Northwest MedStar air ambulance service.

Judges for the Seattle Business Leaders in Health Care awards were impressed with Fritz's innovative approach, particularly in electronic medical records networks. "He has created a real, national model," said the panel.

INHS has three divisions that each account for roughly a third of the organization's revenues: St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute, Northwest MedStar air-ambulance service and Information Resource Management. They are operated separately, and each is profitable in its own right, Fritz says.

Clearly, however, the potential for growth-and the focus of much of the organization's efforts-lies in information technology and electronic medical records.

"We hope we'll be well positioned for the future and have opportunities for expansion in the region," he says.

Recently, INHS partnered with Google to provide patients access to online health records through a system known as Google Health Personal Health Records. INHS is also applying with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to participate in its Beacon Community Program initiative, through which $235 million will be distributed to 15 communities to expand electronic health records networks. INHS won't know till later this spring whether it will be one of the Beacon communities, but Fritz contends the organization has a leg up in the competition. To be eligible for the program, an organization and the medical community it serves must have at least 30 percent of its physicians participating in its electronic records network. Already, two-thirds of the physicians in the Spokane Medical Society use electronic medical records.

Fritz himself is at the forefront of health IT at the national level. He is the American Hospital Association's representative to the board of directors for the National E-Health Collaborative, which is a public-private partnership that's trying to create a national health information system. He also has served on the American Hospital Association's IT committee and recently finished a four-year term on the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology.

While health care IT is a focal point for Fritz and the organization he leads, this division isn't the only one that's growing. Late last year, Northwest MedStar agreed to provide management services for AirLink Critical Care Transport, which has operations in Bend, Ore., and LaGrande, Ore. Now, the air ambulance operation can cover slightly more than 50,000 square miles a day.

Fritz, who has a master's degree in public administration from Portland's Lewis & Clark College, has worked in health care for more than 25 years. Prior to joining INHS, he worked for the governor of Delaware, overseeing the state's mental health programs. Before that, he spent a number of years as the administrator at Eastern State Hospital, a public mental health hospital in Medical Lake, Wash., just west of Spokane.

"He's shown that it's possible to both compete and collaborate," said Seattle Business' judges panel. "He's provided stability in a very tough economy."

Runners-Up:

Carlos Olivares, executive director, Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic Carlos Olivares has led the big Yakima Valley clinic for 25 years and captained the organization soundly as demand for services increased, even while state-funded insurance plans have been scaled back. The clinic has 20 locations in Washington and Oregon, and serves about 130,000 patients a year.

Rand Wortman, president and CEO, Kadlec Health System Since coming on board as Kadlec's leader in 2001, Rand Wortman has provided stability and vision to the Tri-Cities medical center. During his tenure, the number of annual patient visits has doubled. As a result, the medical center's workforce is twice the size it was five years ago.

 

 

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