PBºN Episode - 18
Summary
This podcast episode features an interview with Dr. Amit Rogi, President and CEO of Jupiter Medical Center (JMC). Dr. Rogi discusses his background, career path in healthcare, leadership style, and the evolution of JMC. He highlights JMC's commitment to quality, safety, and patient experience, its community outreach efforts, and the strategic partnership with UF Health. The conversation also touches upon the challenges facing healthcare, including physician and nurse shortages, and the role of artificial intelligence in future healthcare delivery. JMC's non-profit status and the crucial role of its Foundation are also discussed.
Key topics
Jupiter Medical Center (JMC) Overview: Rated number one for quality, safety, and patient experience. Recently opened the Johnny and Terry Gray Surgical Institute.
Dr. Amit Rogi's Background:
President and CEO of JMC.
15-year career in clinical practice and leadership at institutions like Yale New Haven Health and Innova Health.
Board-certified Internal Medicine expert, educated at Harvard.
Recognized as one of Florida's 500 most influential Business Leaders and a power leader in healthcare.
Originally from New Jersey, trained in Connecticut and Boston. Has been a part-time Florida resident for 20 years.
Joined JMC after being impressed by the board's commitment to community healthcare.
Daily Routine: Early riser (3:30 AM), handles emails, gym, breakfast meetings with doctors/donors, team meetings, hospital rounds, and frequent evening community events.
Work-Life Balance: Emphasizes being purposeful about carving out family time (e.g., family dinners with no devices) and planning vacations, especially during the summer.
Hospital Seasonality: JMC is busy year-round from a patient care perspective, though external events are less frequent in the summer, allowing for more time off.
Career Defining Moments:
Started as a primary care physician for nearly 20 years, providing deep insight into patient needs.
Transitioned to administrative roles, focusing on making a difference at a larger systemic level.
Leadership Style: Values collaboration, building teams, and working together to achieve goals. Sees leadership as a continuous journey of evolution.
Challenges and Lessons Learned:
Transitioning from clinical practice to full-time administration was a significant challenge, requiring adaptation to a new identity and finding satisfaction in systemic change.
Emphasizes the importance of integrity and strategic thinking, learned from mentors like Arnold Dorosario and Knox Singleton.
Advice for Young Healthcare Professionals:
Follow your passion.
Always seek to make a difference.
JMC's Evolution (Since 1979):
Celebrating its 45th anniversary.
Started as local access for emergency care when the area was less crowded.
Has grown to provide comprehensive services (cardiac, cancer, primary care) to reduce the need for patients to travel elsewhere for specialized treatment.
Focus on outreach and expanding services beyond the main campus, including primary care, cardiology, and oncology doctor's offices.
Award-Winning Patient Care:
Achieved through intentional focus on quality, safety, and patient experience by senior leadership and board.
Culture driven by all staff, from valet to EVS, ensuring a patient-first approach.
Recent Innovations and Future Outlook:
Recently opened a new surgical institute with state-of-the-art operating rooms and plans for a fifth robotic system for minimally invasive surgery.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Seen as a major "needle mover" for healthcare in the next 5+ years.
Addresses projected shortages of 36,000 physicians and 59,000 nurses in Florida by 2035.
Applications in clinical decision support, improving productivity (e.g., reducing nurse paperwork), and simplifying back-office functions like medical billing.
Community Impact and Outreach:
Conducts a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years, surveying 10,000 people to identify local needs.
Focuses on increasing access to non-concierge primary care, cardiology, and oncology.
Provides educational outreach (e.g., "what to do if you find a lump") and community fairs.
Launched a service for families dealing with dementia, offering guidance on healthcare, legal, and social aspects.
Partnership with UF Health:
Provides access to specialized services (e.g., transplants, rare tumors) that a regional medical center might not offer.
Includes navigators for seamless patient access to UF Health specialists (inpatient and outpatient).
Collaborates on clinical trials.
Success attributed to shared values, capabilities, and similar organizational culture.
Current Challenges (Beyond Staffing):
Space Limitations: JMC is often at capacity. Plans to build a new 92-bed tower (currently has 242 beds) and a new parking garage.
Quality and Safety Standards:
Maintained through intentional commitment, diligent work, robust processes, continuous measurement, and course correction.
Requires an "all hands on deck" effort from every team member.
Specialty Services Growth:
Expected growth in oncology, cardiology, primary care, and neurology to meet community needs.
Accessibility and Affordability:
No patient is turned away from the hospital.
Efforts to increase access to non-concierge primary care.
Operates five urgent care centers across the region.
Conducts health fairs and provides access to services like mammograms.
Culture at JMC:
Primarily a "patient-first" culture, embodied by every staff member.
Main contributor to the hospital's success.
Professional Development and Retention:
Offers internal training programs for career advancement (e.g., front desk to phlebotomist, general nurse to ICU nurse).
Partners with nursing schools for mentoring novice nurses.
Scholarship programs (funded by donors) to offset education costs for staff.
JMC in 5-10 Years:
Anticipates an "evolution" rather than just "growth" due to rapid changes in the region and healthcare.
Will feature advanced facilities, latest technology, increased community touchpoints, and leverage digital health and AI to bring care closer to patients' homes.
Non-Profit Advantage:
As an independent non-profit, JMC does not need to return profit to shareholders.
All generated margins and philanthropic donations are reinvested back into JMC and the local community, ensuring no conflict of interest in its mission.
Jupiter Medical Center Foundation:
Crucial for supporting JMC's mission, especially given healthcare challenges.
Generous donors enable the Medical Center to maintain high quality, safety, experience, and access for the community.
The Foundation team works collaboratively with the Medical Center team towards a single purpose.
Dr. Rogi's Proudest Accomplishments:
Making a difference in individual lives as a physician for 20 years.
Helping establish outpatient systems and increase access at Yale.
The work currently being done at JMC.
Final Advice: Prioritize physical and mental health, and research healthcare options to find the best fit for personal and family needs.