2015 Leaders in Health Care Awards: Outstanding Medical Director/Officer, Outside Puget Sound Region

WINNER

Stuart Freed, M.D.

Chief Medical Officer, Confluence Health, Wenatchee

Collaboration has been a key provision of Dr. Stuart Freeds leadership as he has helped merge two eastern Washington health care organizations now known as Confluence Health. Headquartered in Wenatchee, Confluence is an affiliation of Central Washington Hospital and Wenatchee Valley Medical Center; it was completed in mid-2013. The organization operates 10 clinics, 196 hospital beds and 22 skilled nursing beds with 3,200 employees spread over 12,000 square miles.

Drawing on the innovative guidelines of the acclaimed Virginia Mason Production System, Freed has helped bring significant changes to Confluence Health operations, both in inpatient and outpatient areas. I really like the focus on empowering people who do the work and then improve that work through grassroots management, Freed says. Its about setting goals together, then removing the barriers to meeting those goals.

Through a series of 45 staff meetings at all levels of the organization, Freed and the Confluence management team defined a new higher purpose for the organization.
The changes have been slow, steady, but very rewarding, say those who recommended Freed as an outstanding leader. Change requires a respected champion who continues to push forward, remove the barriers and celebrate the successes, nominators say. Dr. Freed has been that champion.