Mark A. Kenneday, CHFM, FASHE

Candidate Speech: Video Transcript

Vice Chancellor of Campus Operations
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock

Biography

In my 28 years in health facilities management I’ve had the privilege of working in outstanding facilities with many of the industry leaders in patient care, education and research. After building medical office buildings in central Texas my health facilities career began as a project manager working in the private psychiatric industry and then promoted to the role of Director of Maintenance in 1985. I moved to Houston and into my first medical surgical facility several years later and spent the past 16 years working at very large, complex academic medical centers.

I obtained a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management from the University of Houston, graduating with honors, and then followed up with an MBA from UH with a concentration in Service Marketing. During that time my wife and I began a family that now includes our son Marshal and daughters Melinda and Marissa.

While at Texas Children’s Hospital we completed a $500 million expansion program. Team achievements included consolidation of decentralized support service departments to optimize economies of scale and improve customer satisfaction. My career continued to grow and took me to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, recognized as one of the very best in the world at cancer education, treatment and research. Serving in the role of Senior Director for Patient Care and Prevention Facilities, we were able to restructure the department within the division’s unique matrix business model to improve process deliveries and customer satisfaction while significantly reducing the cost basis of the department. The institution’s multi-billion dollar expansion provided me with outstanding opportunities to grow and learn from the very best in their field.

These experiences prepared me for my current role as Vice Chancellor of Campus Operations at the University of Arkansas For Medical Sciences, a 4-million-square-foot campus meeting the health, medical education and research needs of all Arkansans. I’ve served as ASHE chapter president for Texas and serve on the board in the Arkansas chapter. My current role as ASHE Region 7 Representative and chair of the Advocacy Committee has given me the unique opportunity to continue to grow and learn from our industry’s finest. It is exciting to be a part of the changing healthcare environment and a privilege to give back to an industry that has afforded me and my family so many advantages.

Interview

1. The 2010-2012 Strategic Plan addresses the fact that the ASHE membership has become increasingly diverse. What do you see as some of the common challenges facing the entire membership no matter their specific discipline and what can ASHE do to ensure that their needs are being met?
   
   Health care reform continues to be somewhat undefined; however, it is clear that it represents a burning platform for change. Our profession must be prepared to lead rather than follow to assure our facilities can keep pace and support our mission departments. Advocacy must take center stage to assure change is supported by good science and best practices. Codes and regulations should support experienced-based planning, design and construction to assure our institutions transition to sustainable operations. Education must be prioritized to assure our members are recognized for their valuable contributions and take their place in the C-suite. We must have access to quality information for decision-making and the professional network to pull from to meet the challenges of health care reform.

   ASHE is clearly positioned to champion these goals and has developed the relationships and respect of the code and compliance community as well as the planning, design and construction professionals, and represents the diverse network of hospital-based members to lead in this change-averse environment. The association’s redefined committee structure now offers a nimble springboard to evaluate opportunities, assign resources and drive outcomes and improvements to optimize the health care physical environment. The vast network of ASHE member volunteers assures that the industry’s very best professionals are working to support membership and deliver cost-effective, efficient and sustainable solutions to support change.

   The four committees of Advocacy, Education, Membership, and Chapter Relations, supported by the ASHE staff and leadership, are now positioned to align their efforts behind the 2010–12 Strategic Plans and take on specific strategic initiatives with a common purpose. This brings considerable resources to create solutions that advance our profession.

2. Using the 2010-2012 Strategic Plan as a guide, what would you like to accomplish during your term as president?
   
   Our industry is at another tipping point—health care reform. ASHE has developed the social and political capital to influence and impact decision-making in all aspects of the health care physical environment. I believe it is time to take the next step and lead decision-making reform together with our business partners and innovate from the perspective of the health care owner. We must focus on health care delivery and the change necessary to remain viable and competitive in a revenue-contracting economy. Our profession is profoundly capable of leading these discussions. By listening to our caregivers, we can deliver the buildings and care facilities at a price point and efficient service delivery that puts more of our resources toward the growth of mission departments. We must prioritize energy efficiency as the model to redirect resources that are currently supporting our utility companies to fund patient care, education and research initiatives.

   I would bring additional resources to our advocacy effort to assure we are represented in the many code and regulation discussions. We have amazing representation from the ASHE advocacy staff, but their agenda is daunting. I would work with the advocacy team and identify additional resources to assure ASHE can lead to a more sensible and effective regulatory environment.

3. What initiatives will you spearhead to help members achieve their personal goals?
   
   If elected, I would like to leverage our capacities and take a leadership role through specific strategic initiatives that address our continued sustainability. Our efforts to develop the ASHE Institute have better positioned our resources to support member education. With CHFM at the center of the program, these tools should continue to develop to assure member education. I would continue to develop the relationship between ASHE and the chapters to better leverage the ASHE education products. The ASHE education calendar continues to improve, and the faculty and collaterals are outstanding. I support working more closely with the chapters to link the subject matter experts that present at the PDC and the Annual Conference back to chapter meetings to share their areas of expertise.

   I would like to align the education initiative to better utilize the resources of all four ASHE committees and create solutions to define a bachelor’s degree program for health facilities management. I believe our industry cannot continue to grow without a defined professional degree path for improved succession planning. By creating lasting relationships with colleges and universities, we can support research and innovation as well as identify best practices for our profession. In the next three years, we should deliver a working model that includes regional bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in health facilities management.

4. …their professional goals?
   
   I will work with ASHE and our parent organization, AHA, to improve the C-suite’s knowledge of facilities issues. Concurrently, I would support the efforts to use the Learning Institute as the path for members to improve their skill and competency and obtain recognition for their professional development. Similar to the president’s challenge, I would implement a program of “No Member Left Behind.”

5. Please share information about your background and personal interests.
   
   I entered health facilities management from the construction industry, where I was building medical office buildings. I’ve worked in the “for profit” side, which taught me the value of cost control, time management and a culture of change. I also worked in “not-for-profit” regional hospitals and large academic medical institutions, where I learned to support business models that are founded on ownership and accountability. I am blessed to have an amazing job that offers outstanding opportunity to serve and contribute to the greater good.

   I enjoy learning, teaching, boating, fishing, travel and spending precious time with my family.
   

Personal Letter

Dear ASHE Members,

I have been blessed to work in health care facilities management but as with most of you, arrived through an alternate route. For me the route was construction, but for our full ASHE membership, we represent every experience and education pathway imaginable. What’s important is that we all found our way to healthcare and are now part of the community that cares for the health of our population. How cool is that? As we look into the future of our industry we must recognize that once again we are faced with what appears to be the next undoing of our industry, healthcare reform. But we’ve been here before with DRG’s, managed care, capitation and a host of other end of life crisis scenarios. And our industry always rallied to the occasion and we live on. We will live on this time as well, but it will take change, significant change, to assure that our missions endure and we can continue providing our population the hope and care they desire.

ASHE’s past presidents have all been faced with challenges, some more daunting than others. Our strength and our wealth of resources are a testament to their willingness to rise to the occasion. I applaud them all, along with the many board members and volunteers that brought our association to this point. I am astounded at the capacity of the ASHE staff and their competency to bring it home and by the passion of our membership. Dale is a very blessed man. I am equally proud of our business partners that never cease to amaze or deliver. We are a community of health care facility providers with a common purpose; provide environments that are conducive to quality patient care, education and research for the world’s population. Yes, we are now a global network with members from around the world learning, educating and sharing common values and passions.

If given the privilege of selection to President Elect I will do all within my ability to further the strategic plan and bring focus on strategic initiatives to align our considerable capacities. My focus will be on:

• Health Facilities Commissioning (HFCx)– Optimizing the health care physical environment
  • Developing and Publishing the Health Facilities Commissioning Handbook
  • Education of the C-Suite on the Value of commissioning
  • Education of the membership on the HFCx culture
• Advocacy – supporting the “One Code” committee agenda and staff activities
• Education – Development of Bachelors and Master Degrees in Health Facilities Management
• Member – Advance the content, access and availability of the Leadership Institute
• Chapter- Further Develop education relationships that support chapter education deliveries.

You have choices for President Elect and they are all good. I am humbled by the nomination and by the quality of your choices and would be proud to represent you if selected. I will also be honored to assist the other candidates if they are selected. There is only on bad choice, not to vote at all. Please exercise your privilege and make a choice. If you chose me I will do my best to honor your commitment and pledge to always be at your service. Thanks

Mark A. Kenneday, CHFM, FASHE