Interim hospital executives can also be used for other purposes—for example, to help coordinate specific hospital projects.   Some hospitals choose to bring in interim executives or clinical department directors when taking on complex, time-consuming projects.For example, an interim OR Director may be brought in to supervise the expansion of a hospital’s OR and the construction of new operating suites. Or, a hospital might hire an interim Director of Human Resources to lead the reconfiguration of compensation and benefits throughout the organization. An interim hospital executive may even be called upon to coordinate the assimilation of a recent strategic acquisition, such as a chain of urgent care centers or an ambulatory surgical center.

Hiring an interim hospital executive or clinical director to oversee a critical or potentially difficult project has its benefits. Doing so allows hospital leaders to draw on the knowledge of an individual with experience and skills specific to the task at hand.

In the Human Resources example mentioned above, for instance, the interim HR Director would previously have supervised changes in compensation at other organizations. So, she would know what types of resources were needed for the reconfiguration, and could anticipate and mitigate any possible barriers to success.

Such specialized knowledge usually allows hospitals to achieve their stated goals more quickly and with fewer complications than it would otherwise. In this way, interim leadership can help hospitals reduce the costs and improve the outcomes of complex projects.

###

For more information about using interim hospital executives or clinical directors for specific projects, contact Tracie Abbott (tabbott@compassgroupinc.com