Today's clinical providers and healthcare systems
need a strategic partner that is focused on
the evolution of healthcare delivery.
At Surgery Partners, we are redefining the healthcare
industry
as a nation's leading independent operator of surgical
facilities and ancillary services.
With an extensive presence spanning over 180
locations nationwide,
our commitment extends beyond healthcare.
It's about fostering successful partnerships
that enhance the quality of care in the
communities we serve.
Surgery Partners is more than an operator or
service provider. We are your strategic ally committed
to transforming healthcare delivery.
This is Scott King with Becker's Healthcare Podcast.
I'm thrilled today to be joined by Mary
Kasai, executive vice president and chief operating officer
at Hospital for Special Surgery.
Mary, thanks so much for joining us today.
How are you doing?
Got it. Thank you for having me. I'm
doing great.
Awesome. Yeah. I I think we're gonna have
a great conversation about some big opportunities and
challenges in health care today. But before we
jump into all that, I'm just curious if
you could please tell us a little bit
more about yourself and your background.
Sure, Scott. And so yeah. So as you,
were kind enough to introduce me previously,
my name is Mary Kasai. I am the
chief operating officer
here at the hospital for special surgery.
I've been in this role now about a
year and a half.
And just to provide some context in terms
of my own professional history,
I started my career
as a registered nurse in New York City
Bellevue
Hospital,
system center.
And in that capacity, I started as a
registered nurse in the emergency department.
I did that for a few years.
Really always loved all things patient care. I
also really love to problem solve.
Was thriving in that environment, but knew I
wanted to do more.
And so,
did some research to see what was out
there in the New York City market,
and there were,
several opportunities,
especially for someone who had an emergency
department
background as I did.
And so I began,
to look and see and found my way
to
New York Presbyterian
Hospital
system.
And,
I spent
seventeen years in that system
in various capacities,
previous to assuming the COO role at Hospital
for Special Surgery.
I,
advanced in my career at New York Presbyterian
to the role of senior vice president
for perioperative
services
where I had enterprise and clinical oversight
of roughly about a 70
operating rooms,
55
plus procedural suites,
and I did that for several years,
again, before I took on the COO role
at HSS.
Appreciate you sharing all the background information there.
Curious what accomplishment
in the past year you're most proud of?
There are many accomplishments.
I I mean, first and foremost,
to be given the opportunity
to work
for an institution like the Hospital for Special
Surgery has just been an enormous gift. And
I wanna say first and foremost, HSS,
is really informed
and powered by
a hundred sixty plus years of institutional
history.
And we are enriched
by not only that history, but really about
the talent
that we have focused on musculoskeletal
care.
This talent spans over 130
specialized
surgeons,
two hundred and fifty plus
specialized providers
across nonoperative
disciplines,
and over 1,000
subspecialized
clinicians
along with the thousands
of administrative
and clinical
staff.
So our mission is driven
by, and I think ultimately
always by,
our desire to improve reach, ensure quality,
and really give that access to patients across
our footprint and beyond.
And our front footprint includes not just the
Upper East Side, but it includes the New
York Tristate
and Southern Florida markets.
The organization
is driven
in its purpose to help people get back
to what they love to do most and
better and we do that actually better than
really any place in the world, and we're
able to reach patients
across
really the entire musculoskeletal
care continuum.
And I'll just say, you know, we are
leading
the musculoskeletal
health and care,
in the country, in the world.
And we continue to be among the top
ranked hospitals
for orthopedics
and rheumatology
for about thirty plus years.
After all those accomplishments in the in the
past year, what are the organizational goals you're
setting for twenty twenty five?
You know, as I look back on 2024,
it's really amazing to think about where we've
been
and more importantly,
where we're heading.
With our rich history behind us, we're poised
to enter a new era,
one that really challenges us to evolve,
grow,
and innovate while staying true to our core
values and mission
that make HSS really such a unique and
special place.
This year, 2024,
has certainly,
had many significant milestones.
I do wanna just highlight among the many
recognitions
we receive
annually in recognition of this commitment
has been the designation from news week Newsweek
that we are the best hospital in the
world for orthopedics
for the fifth consecutive year, and this
really continues to be a particular point of
pride.
And it's really this accomplishment
that further reflects
our unwavering commitment to patient care
and the real advancing field of musculoskeletal
health.
Another area of focus for me, especially as
the chief operating officer and an area
I am proud of
is research and innovation.
HSS has newly appointed leaders, including our inaugural
chief research officer and our chief information officer
and the ongoing development of data tools,
we really aim to advance
a revitalized
forum
for groundbreaking research
and clinical advancements.
This year, we marked notable achievements, including the
first single
blind
randomized pilot
clinical trial that was led by
HFS in the promising field
of regenerative medicine,
and, additionally,
novel
monoclonal
antibody
targeting inflammation
that was based on HSS research
successfully secured $70,000,000
in series a financing.
And this news really does follow the recent
approval
of the drug for first in human phase
one clinical trial
in Europe.
But, again, setting aside all of h HSS'
enormous enormous
accomplishments, you know, as the chief operating officer,
performance is a key area that myself and
my team
are really renewing
across the organization
as we continue to commit to constant improvement,
a culture shift that really extends beyond
metrics.
And by critically evaluating our efforts and holding
ourselves accountable,
we look to ensure that every
initiative
propels us closer to our goals.
One of the,
standing,
areas of success in this domain has been
the implementation
of our Workday technology platform,
which has already made marked improvements in our
operational efficiency and really in the employee
experience.
And there's so many more areas and strategic
accomplishments
that I'm personally proud of
from our commitment to employee wellness with the
development
of an on-site employee wellness center
to the transformation
of our main
Upper East Side campus
with a new
patient care tower
scheduled to open in 2026
and, really, the advancement of our growth strategy.
Our team has had a very
busy year.
And, really, for 2025,
we look, we we really look at
that momentum and really wanna continue to build
upon that
momentum as we're setting goals
for 2025.
As you continue to to work on a
lot of the, you know, very important and
groundbreaking things you just mentioned, what are some
of the headwinds you anticipate in the next
year or two?
We'll always
remain focused on delivering the highest quality of
care
while
really fostering this culture
of excellence. And so we continue to be
dedicated to upholding the standards
that really have helped us to earn
our esteemed reputation,
while enhancing
accessibility
and patient experiences again
through several techno technological
and really operational
advancements. And so
I'm really excited for our organization
to embrace this new era with purpose and
urgency.
Our challenge and our opportunity really is to
guide HSS into our future
where we provide care to more individuals
in more pay in more places
really throughout
their lives and really in search of their
own
health milestones.
And so whether
that be through our strategic
growth that we're planning for across
New York Tristate area along
with Florida markets
or it's really about bolstering
that patient and employee experience, our goal remains
to be the best place
for patients to receive musculoskeletal
care and really for providers to deliver that
care and for our employees to advance their
professional
careers. We want to make progress
against this goal while strategically
positioning
HSS
for the sustainable leadership it has in musculoskeletal
health
and ensure that we remain
a beacon of excellence
for generations to come.
And last question I have for you, Mary,
how are you evolving as a leader?
I think that's always a work in progress
for sure. But as I evolve in this
leadership role, I am
increasingly focused on balancing
operational efficiency
with really forward looking
innovation.
I remain deeply respectful of the rich history
and unique culture
that really makes HSS
exceptional.
In health care, driving performance improvements
and embracing new technologies
are mission critical,
but so is understanding and preserving
the core values and the practices that have
built trust
with our patients,
our staff,
and our community over time.
So I'm continuing to learn to really ask
better questions,
to challenge the status quo,
while really staying rooted in what has proven
to be successful.
And looking forward, I'm really focused on fostering
a culture where
innovation
and tradition
can coexist,
where we honor our past successes
while empowering our teams to explore new
transformative
approaches to care.
And I believe that by aligning operational agility
with the timeless
mission of compassionate,
patient centered service.
I aim to lead in a way that
respects our heritage
while building a sustainable
and forward thinking future.
Mary, thanks so much for joining us on
podcast today. I think it's a great conversation.
I look forward to working with you again
soon.
Thank you, and thank you for this opportunity.
Have a great day.