Washington Township Medical Foundation, a multi-specialty medical provider in California’s Silicon Valley, is part of the Washington Hospital Healthcare System that was founded in 1958. Operating 20 locations across the Santa Clara Valley, it offers primary care and 10 other specialties for patients in all stages of life.
The Challenge
Nancy Farber, who was at that time CEO of Washington Hospital Healthcare System (WHHS), needed to place a Chief Information Officer. Greg Hyman helped Nancy and her leadership team to recruit and hire a talented, well-qualified candidate. The only problem? After working just six months with WHHS, this CIO was recruited away by a direct competitor, leaving the position vacant once more.
The Solution
While this situation was frustrating, Nancy wasn’t completely back to square one—Healthcare Talent Advisors guarantees all of their placements for one year. Since the CIO left before the 12 month mark, Greg would complete another retained search to find a replacement.
Greg quickly got to work on the new search. Having already completed the initial search including the background research and consultations with executive leadership, he created an updated job description for the role of Chief Information Officer and reached out to his extensive network for new applicants. After interviewing a variety of healthcare professionals, he created a shortlist of three applicants that were a good fit for both the role and culture of WHHS. Greg presented the shortlist to Nancy and team, and they successfully hired a new CIO.
The Result
While Nancy was happy to have the position again filled, she was just as impressed with how Greg honored his guarantee. Her senior associate administrator, Kimberly Hartz (who became WHHS CEO in 2019), was also impressed. Greg’s credibility and ethics caught their attention, leading them to request his services for 10 more placements within the company.
Over the next five years, Greg’s retained search services helped to place healthcare leaders in positions like:
- Director of HR
- Director of Quality and Compliance
- Sr. Clinic Operations Manager
- Controller
- Practice Administrator
- Medical Group Chief Operations Officer
- Chief of Ambulatory Care (for parent group)
In fact, Greg completed the placement for COO 3 times! Not because the placements left, but because after several years with Washington Township, each COO was promoted to higher leadership positions within the company.
This scenario played out across the company–leaders that Greg brought to the table not only performed well, but became long-term, committed assets to the executive team. These leaders are invested in the company and making a difference both for the organization and for the patients they ultimately serve. And as they moved up in the organization, they would turn to Greg to help them find their replacements.
So while Healthcare Talent Advisors’ first placement may have not worked out they way they had foreseen, as Greg says, “Sometimes what doesn’t work out at first turns out really well.”