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Kaiser head wary
of ‘perfect storm’
in health care
Janice L. Head
>> Job: President and regional manager of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii
>> Hired: January 2003
>> Previous job: Senior Vice President and service manager for Kaiser Permanente California's TriCentral Service area. (A three-hospital service area in the Los Angeles area with 700,000 members.)
>> Education: B.S. Nursing, University of Colorado; M.S. Nursing, MBA, Northern Illinois UniversityWhat would you like to accomplish in your first year?
Having been here for all of eight days, it's a little hard to identify the top priorities right now. But I do know members have to have good access to doctors at our facilities. It's really about physical facilities and the number of beds. I know that will be high on my list.
What are you looking forward to most about your new job?
I've heard such wonderful things about people here and the health care team we have. So I'm looking forward to working with them. We've had great success in customer satisfaction, but I'd like to drive it to an even higher level and maintain that quality.
What special skills or experience do you think you bring to the job?
Because my roots are in the clinical delivery area of care, that kind of foundation really brings something to the job. I have an appreciation for what the real front line issues are in the delivery of care.
There are big challenges currently being faced by hospitals nationwide. What is the biggest challenge faced by Kaiser?
Our challenge is to remain affordable. It's very important to us that people can afford health care and that's part of our mission. So that's a big piece of it.
Other challenges include recruiting health care workers. There are a shortages in a number of technical fields; such as ultrasound technicians, physical therapists, pharmacists. It crosses all the groups, not just nursing.
Is the U.S. health care system under threat of unraveling as some have suggested?
I've heard it described as "the perfect storm." I don't think it's far from the truth in terms of unfunded regulations; an aging population; declining reimbursements; the rising cost of technology and pharmaceuticals; the shortage of skilled workers, which drives up the cost of labor. All that is coming together in a scenario and there is no natural happy ending that we can see.
What made you want to become a nurse?
I always wanted to be a nurse. I remember one of my first Christmas presents as a child was getting one of those dolls that had arm splints, patches and Band-Aids. It was very unique. It came out of the Sears catalogue.
Why did you make the jump from nursing into management?
I was working on my master's in nursing and got into a management role. I realized I liked the administrative part of nursing. I also found I had a talent for it so I went back for my MBA. I realized I could really influence the work environment and patient care from an administrative level.
Inside Hawaii Inc. is a conversation with a member of the Hawaii business community who has changed jobs, been elected to a board or been recognized for accomplishments. Send questions and comments to business@starbulletin.com