Editors’ Note

David Mason joined Accretive Health in November 2014 as Chief Strategy Officer, bringing more than 30 years of healthcare management and hospital revenue cycle experience to the company. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President and General Manager at RelayHealth. Prior to RelayHealth, Mason was President of Per-Se Technologies’ Hospital Solutions division and Chief Executive Director of Quantum Radiology. He also held management and administration positions at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and Northside Hospital in Atlanta. Mason holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare Administration from Southern Illinois University.

How do you define your role within Accretive Health?

The role of Chief Strategy Officer at Accretive Health has the responsibility for several departments within the organization, such as marketing, product management, IT, and strategy. Through this organizational grouping, we can drive singular focus on meeting our clients’ needs and aligning our technology and strategy to that common goal.

One of the core objectives is to work with the CEO to help refine the strategy and business initiatives that will position us for the future in a deliberate and insightful way, not just as a reaction to the rapid-fire changes in our industry. Our goal as a company is to provide unmatched value to our customers, not just today but in tomorrow’s revenue cycle environment. We are redefining how customers meet their needs and creating solutions that exceed their expectations.

How critical has it been to engage the employees and communicate the strategy throughout the organization?

For any organization to be effective, it needs to work as a team marching toward a common goal, so it’s very important that we engage employees at all levels.

The best marketing evangelists should be our employees. Customers and visitors can feel the excitement of an organization when they walk into the building or by observing how employees interact with each other, and the level of commitment they have to satisfying the customer.

I am a firm believer in the power of the team. If each person moves us forward “one inch,” it creates an incremental, measurable result. When we add up all the cumulative “inches” from our employee base, we can achieve more than the one individual who is “going the extra mile.” More importantly, it is repeatable and fosters continuous, collective improvement versus seemingly overwhelming objectives for an individual.

Does the marketplace have an effective understanding of Accretive Health?

Since we’ve had some starts and stops, our company has lost some of the market buzz that we once had. But we have remained focused on making meaningful and significant enhancements to our revenue cycle strategies. We focus on four clear, core areas:

1. We offer a unique partnership to assist our customers in improving their revenue cycle.

2. We are flexible in providing services that address specific problems customers are experiencing. This allows us to help customers quickly adapt and create tangible, near-term improvement.

3. We focus on accelerating value-based reimbursement. Healthcare is evolving to new risk models and increasing patient financial accountability. Most hospitals today are not prepared for those changes. We are assisting them in understanding these new objectives and providing the direction that will allow our customers to better manage the change.

4. We look to optimize patient engagement. We are providing tools and technology that improve the patient experience and enhance the interaction with our customer processes. We have a strong appreciation for the value of quality interactions, as each of us are also patients and consumers in the healthcare model.

We are focused on our core attributes, which allows us to exceed our customers’ expectations. We are extremely comfortable in our delivery and results, knowing that we are transparent and share the same objectives as our customers.

It is important to recognize that healthcare is experiencing a true revolution in the way care is provided and in how providers are reimbursed. It is vital that we provide our customers with what they will need to meet the challenge of cost escalation, market expansions, and declining reimbursements. We are confident that we have the products and services that will help customers meet their challenges.

Is thought leadership a key component to Accretive Health’s success?

Thought leadership is an element of the company’s success, but we consider general leadership and execution to be the true determination of a market leader. There aren’t a lot of companies being led by a very successful physician who deeply understands the dynamics of healthcare. In addition, the leadership team combines healthcare expertise and knowledge, and broader business acumen from across multiple industries. Each of us has uniquely demonstrated the ability to drive business transformation, results, and client satisfaction. The changing industry environment requires such a team of individuals, with abilities that complement one another and ensure our customers are successful and prepared for today and the future.•