Meet the new president and CEO , Jim Hinton
As the nation transitions under a new administration that will undoubtedly influence the direction of health care on a national scale , Baylor Scott & White Health is going through a transition of its own . On January 16 , 2017 , the system welcomed its new president and chief executive officer , James H . “ Jim ” Hinton . Jim replaced Joel T . Allison , who retired .
Although Jim says he wasn ’ t looking to move from his former position as president and chief executive officer of Presbyterian Healthcare Services — the state of New Mexico ’ s largest provider of health care — he was certainly well prepared . During his tenure at Presbyterian , which spanned more than two decades , Jim led the development of its integrated system , which includes Presbyterian Health Plan and Presbyterian Medical Group . He has also been named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the industry by Modern Healthcare magazine .
In 2014 , he served as chairman of the board of the American Hospital Association ( AHA ), which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals , health care systems and other providers of care through advocacy and public policy .
“ I wasn ’ t looking for a job when this came along , but the reputation at
Baylor Scott & White , the reputation of its clinicians , the opportunity to live in a great community like Dallas and to work across the state of Texas was just too much to pass up ,” Jim said .
“ I have traveled extensively throughout the United States and have been exposed to many other health care systems ,” Jim said of his experiences with the AHA . “ I have witnessed hundreds of variations — systems serving health care needs in rural , inner-city / urban and suburban communities . I have seen different models of how physicians are organized . I have seen differences in the effectiveness and influence of health insurance plans on citizens in various populations . I think all of those things helped me view the Baylor Scott & White Health system through a broad and informed lens .”
During the February Baylor Health Care System Foundation board meeting , Jim met many Foundation board members . He ’ s eager to continue developing relationships with our special friends . “ We have some very generous donors who have put a mark on this system forever ,” he said . “ We need to continue to cultivate that generosity , and encourage those connections in every way that we can .”
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Technology and the Patient Experience
Jim is looking forward to building on a strong history of taking care of patients in the communities we serve . One area that interests him is scaling the use of health information technology to improve the patient experience .
“ I don ’ t think any of us would have a relationship with a bank that didn ’ t have electronic banking . That is just a basic requirement for the institution and the consumer ─ having quick access to financial information ,” Jim said . “ Consumers come to health care with those same expectations . I think that the goal of a system like Baylor Scott & White should be to connect as much of the care process , the financial responsibility process , and the registration and scheduling processes , as can be connected through a common or easily navigable platform .”
He noted that in many parts of the country now , face-to-face doctor visits are being supplemented with video visits , and other “ asynchronous interactions ,” such as the use of email for doctors and patients to communicate with one another . “ The system has made big investments in that area . There ’ s a few more to be made . Each year , we have to be more convenient than we were the previous year ,” Jim said .