What role does the c-suite play in ensuring the success of so-called centers of excellence?

Centers of excellence, or service line, development presents a wonderful opportunity for c-suite leaders to get closer to their community needs, work with medical staff clinical champions on a volume related project, assess their management’s team and its ability to work across traditional hierarchical lines of authority, and market their successes directly to consumers, managed care payers, and regulatory authorities.Stand-alone community hospitals have traditionally focused on “bellies, babies, and bones” while academic medical centers have been more “high tech” (eg, cardiac or cancer care). With the mergers and acquisitions, or simply network affiliations, the local providers have added their “high touch” aspect to more sophisticated products lines designed to keep patients as close to home as possible.