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Barely a year into his tenure as CEO, Dr. Richard Vath was faced with leading Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLHS) through one of the biggest global health crises of the last century.
The COVID-19 pandemic put the health system’s medical staff on the frontlines of protecting and caring for our communities, but also put a spotlight on their expertise helping state leaders make decisions about how to navigate an unprecedented health event.
FMOLHS, which includes Our Lady of the Lake Health and four other regions in Louisiana and Mississippi, overcame those clinical and financial challenges through steadfast leadership and a focus on mission.
AT A GLANCE
Top executives: Richard Vath, MD, CEO
Phone: 225.923.2701
Address: 4200 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Website: fmolhs.org
Now, as the health system’s largest hospital moves past its 100th anniversary, Dr. Vath is preparing for retirement having set up a team of 18,000 for long-term success and stability. And through the health system’s mission of serving everyone, especially those most in need, our communities are now on path toward better health outcomes as well .
“It has been my honor to lead an organization responsible for providing care to almost half of Louisiana’s citizens and serving Mississippi’s largest metropolitan area,” Dr. Vath says. “Our work is rooted in the service of others through our healing ministry and has grown to impact the health of millions of patients we serve in communities throughout the region.”
A FOCUS ON VALUE
During Dr. Vath’s many years with FMOLHS before becoming its president and CEO in 2019, he helped turn a critical eye toward care delivery for people in our communities. Healthcare desperately needed to shift away from a model based on volume to a more progressive approach focusing on value for patients.
That model is the basis of Health Leaders Network (HLN), which launched in 2014 as a clinically integrated network of more than 2,200 providers from inside and outside FMOLHS committed to the Triple Aim: improving the quality of care and the overall management of population health, improving the patient experience and reducing the cost of caring for patients.
HLN is now setting a standard of care delivery that focuses on preventive screenings and management for patients, so they aren’t seeing providers only when their health conditions are at their worst and, thus, more expensive to treat.
This value-based approach has been adopted across FMOLHS and through the additional 60+ participating multi-provider clinics and health groups in Louisiana and Mississippi that have become part of HLN. And it’s reshaping the way doctors and patients interact to be more focused on prevention and long-term healthy habits.
PATH FOR THE FUTURE
As Dr. Vath prepares for retirement in May, he will be succeeded by E.J. Kuiper, who has spent the last 20 years as a leader in Catholic healthcare. He previously served as CEO of the Midwest Division of CommonSpirit Health, overseeing 28 hospitals in four states.
Kuiper’s experience will help FMOLHS continue its path of innovation and transformation as a model for compassionate care.
“Serving as president and CEO of FMOLHS provides a wonderful opportunity to lead a strong healthcare system dedicated to improving the lives of the patients and communities that we serve across the Gulf South,” Kuiper says. “I look forward to what the future holds and thought[1]fully building upon the strategic vision set forth by my predecessors.”
Find out more about Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System at fmolhs.org
