Editors’ Note

Prior to joining Montefiore, Colleen Blye served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Catholic Health Services of Long Island. Earlier, she served as Executive Vice President for Finance and Integrated Services at Catholic Health Initiatives. Her previous experience includes responsibility for treasury management, revenue cycle, financial reporting and planning, third-party contracting, supply chain, accounts payable, payroll, and information technology. Blye is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Institution Brief

As the academic health system and University Hospital for Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore (montefiore.org) is nationally recognized for clinical excellence – breaking new ground in research, training the next generation of healthcare leaders, and delivering science-driven, patient-centered care. Montefiore is ranked among the top hospitals nationally and regionally by U.S. News & World Report. For more than 100 years, they have been innovating new treatments, new procedures, and new approaches to patient care, producing stellar outcomes, and raising the bar for health systems in the region and around the world.

What made you feel Montefiore would be the right fit for you?

First and foremost, it’s our leadership. I absolutely connected with Dr. Steven Safyer (President and CEO) from day one. He’s a very dynamic individual, and it was clear he understood that we’re an industry that is evolving and changing at a rapid pace. He is willing to take risks and do what is necessary to maintain Montefiore as a leader, not just today but in the future.

In addition, Montefiore has doubled in size over the past two years, so it wasn’t just hearing our CEO’s vision but seeing that we were in the midst of accomplishing it. With the pace of change we have in healthcare, if we’re not nimble and willing to take risks and change rapidly, we will be left behind.

Montefiore has also been nationally known for its care management population health aspect for more than 20 years. If we were to ask many healthcare leaders today where healthcare is going, they would say it’s evolving to be much more of a care management population health world. Knowing that Montefiore is nationally recognized for that, I felt those aspects were part of an organization I wanted to be a part of.

How do you remain innovative in an organization of this size?

One really strong aspect at Montefiore is the excellent working relationship between leadership and governance. As someone relatively new to this organization, I have been extremely impressed by this. Governance understands its role and leadership understands its role, and that allows us to move quickly when important decisions need to be made.

The other thing is culture. At Montefiore, people are accountable, so they take to heart their roles and their responsibilities, which prevents duplication or slowness and allows us to move more quickly. People here really own what they do and that is a key part of the nimbleness.

What advice do you give young women in terms of making a career within this industry?

I don’t tend to put the lens of gender around things, but I’m proud to be part of the senior team here and even prouder to be part of a senior team that has two women in leadership. Young people should always think opportunistically and never box themselves in. If something is presented, go for it. The more opportunities and experience one has, the more confidence they will gain, and the more confident they are, the more doors will open.

Are you optimistic about addressing healthcare needs of the future?

Yes, I am really excited to be part of that dynamic change. It’s clear we need a more innovative and sustainable healthcare system. Some of the dialog is confusing so it’s our job as leaders to make it clear, and to stay focused on making it better.•