Ep. 33 | Interim Leaders, Lasting Impact: How Healthcare’s Change Agents Drive Success
In this episode of Elevate Care, host Kerry Perez speaks with Ben Harber, Vice President of Interim Solutions at B.E. Smith, about the critical role of interim leadership in healthcare. They discuss the unique challenges and opportunities that arise during leadership transitions, the importance of finding the right fit for interim leaders, and how these leaders can drive transformational change within organizations. Ben shares insights on the appeal of interim leadership careers and emphasizes the need for healthcare systems to view interim leaders as valuable assets rather than mere vacancy fillers. The conversation concludes with a focus on maximizing ROI through effective interim leadership.
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Timestamps
00:00 Introduction to Interim Leadership
03:09 The Importance of Interim Leadership in Healthcare
06:09 Finding the Right Fit for Interim Leaders
09:10 The Appeal of Interim Leadership Careers
12:12 Maximizing ROI with Interim Leaders
15:00 Conclusion and Key Takeaways
About Ben
Ben Harber leads the Interim Leadership organization for B.E. Smith Leadership Solutions. As an accomplished healthcare executive, he brings years of progressive operational leadership experience to his role. Ben provides strategic vision, leadership, and direction to B.E. Smith Leadership Solutions and is widely regarded by clients and candidates as one of the most respected leaders in the industry. With nine years at B.E. Smith, he has consistently delivered increased value and improved efficiencies for client partner organizations. Ben is recognized as an expert in multi-site healthcare operations, large medical group management, ACO operations, product management, large-scale revenue operations, reinsurance, and health plan provider contracting. As a turnaround operations leader, he has provided insight and expertise across more than 8,000 engagements during his tenure at B.E. Smith. Before joining B.E. Smith, Ben spent nearly a decade at DaVita, where he achieved significant success. His accomplishments included reorganizing and turning around DaVita's revenue operations, setting records in managing the peritoneal dialysis product line, and developing the framework for the first renal-focused ACO. His passion for early identification of end-stage renal disease led him to create the globally recognized website, KidneySmart.org. Prior to DaVita, Ben spent seven years at GE Capital’s healthcare reinsurance division, where he developed a managed care network to assist reinsurance customers with catastrophic and first-dollar risk. During his time at GE, he launched Net Promoter Score surveying for a $10 billion unit and served as an expert in sales force effectiveness, purchase likelihood, and customer loyalty. Ben holds a Bachelor of Administration in Finance and a Master of Business Administration from Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri. He also earned Six Sigma Black Belt and Lean certifications from GE Capital. Active in his community, Ben serves on several civic boards.
