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Robert Shroder was in executive leadership roles for 19 years
YOUNGSTOWN
Robert Shroder, who is retiring next February, looks back with great pride on the achievements of Mercy Health Youngstown, formerly Humility of Mary Health Partners, during his 13-year watch as president and chief executive officer.
He emphasized, however: “None of these things I did. All of these things we did,” referring to employees of the health care system.
When he leaves, Shroder will be the second-longest serving Mercy Health/Humility of Mary Health Partners CEO in the Youngstown market.
“I’m thrilled I got to be team captain. I appreciate and thank all of the employees,” he said in a recent interview during which he looked back at accomplishments during his 19 years in executive leadership roles at Mercy Health.
Among the achievements of which he is most proud are “drastically improving pediatric care in the Mahoning Valley” through affiliation with Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley; and achieving Magnet status for all three hospitals – something the nurses did, he said.
Magnet recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center is considered the highest honor in the country given to a health care organization for nursing excellence.
“I cannot express enough what an honor it is, and has been, to serve as president and CEO of this mission-oriented organization,” Shroder said.
“The people I have worked with are exceptional. That includes those at all sites and all levels of the organization ... the board of directors, Mercy Health executives, the senior leadership team, management, support staff, and the fantastic physicians, nurses and other clinicians who provide hands-on care,” he said.
Shroder noted significant changes in the business end of health care.
Among them has been the consolidation of players into bigger systems; the decrease in revenue from in-patient consumers from about 80 percent to about 50 percent; and the dramatic increase in the number of physicians employed by the hospital, from 40 when Shroder came on board, to 140.
“It is very hard for doctors to start and run a business. They want to be in systems that have those skills so they can concentrate on patient care,” he explained.
“When I started, we didn’t offer hospice and long-term care. Now we have numerous health care facilities in addition to the three major hospitals,” he said.
Shroder also talked about the future for Mercy Health and that of himself and his family.
“My hope is that my successor is named by the end of the year so I can help that person get a running start,” he said.
Shroder said one of the biggest challenges facing his successor is adjusting to the change in reimbursement from volume (number of patients) to value, which means doing the right things and bundling payments.
Currently, every time a patient uses the system, it’s a cost. “Every time we do something, we get paid,” Shroder explained.
But, bundling, a concept driven by the Affordable Care Act, involves providing everything from acute care to rehabilitation and insurance for one price.
Bundling provides an added incentive to health care organizations to keep people healthy and become more efficient, he said.
When a health care organization provides care under a bundled-cost format, if the cost is less than the stated bundled cost, it gets to keep the savings; but if the cost runs over the bundled amount, it has to absorb that, Shroder said.
Shroder’s advice to his successor is to have good people and let them do their jobs, and help and support them.
“I feel like I’m leaving a good team in place and turning over the reins when we’re doing well. I take pride in that,” he said.
But, he is not yet in retirement mode.
While he wouldn’t be specific, Shroder said he wants to finalize some of the local Mercy Health growth initiatives that are in the works.
Shroder said Mercy Health has been and is in a growth mode, and there is always staff turnover, which combined are difficult to keep up with.
“We are filling vacancies, but the process takes time,” he said.
Shroder said when he arrived at Humility of Mary Health Partners, the system had 3,100 full-time equivalent employees; now, there are 4,500 FTEs. “That’s pretty significant growth,” he said.
Also, Shroder noted, there are times, especially during flu season, when people have to wait because of a shortage of beds, not a shortage of staff.
On retiring, Shroder, 60, said it is time to reduce his stress level and try to reduce his blood pressure medicine and see more of his family.
This is not an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, he said.
“I go home worrying. I get up worrying. I even dream about work. I don’t think there has been a day, even as a patient, when I haven’t done some work,” he said.
But, while he expects retirement to reduce his stress level, he does not plan to become a couch potato.
Shroder and his wife, Katy, who recently retired as a school psychologist, are planning to travel, including a retirement trip to New Zealand and Australia.
He said they also want to see more of their family. The soon-to-be grandparents’ children are Brian, Matthew and Laura Mallaki, all in California.
Shroder, a Howland resident, a member of the Miami University (Ohio) board of directors, said he may serve on some boards locally.
“This community has been very good to me. I’m going to stay,” he said.