By Neil McLaughlin, managing editor March 23, 2009 We have been living in a second Gilded Age in America, in which the accumulation of personal wealth has taken precedence above all other values. One problem with that behavior—other than the resulting economic bubble—is that the “he who dies with the most toys wins” philosophy leaves society as a whole crippled. Work that might benefit the entire nation is relegated to the back burner, and the country declines materially and spiritually. ... FULL STORY
By Joe Carlson March 23, 2009 When a fresh-eyed Patricia Cahill entered the workforce in 1960 as a middle-school teacher outside Boston, there was scarcely any hint in her lessons on French-speaking skills that she could go on to one day head up the nation’s largest integrated Roman Catholic health system. “I was a French major, and I went into teaching French. I loved teaching,” Cahill says. “I had no plan in any way or form that matched what eventually became my life." ... FULL STORY
By Ed Finkel March 23, 2009 They pioneered the concept of multispecialty group practice, and one that paid physicians a flat salary, giving doctors every incentive to stay true to the oft-repeated mantra: Put the needs of the patients first. They developed aseptic surgery techniques that led to low mortality rates. They launched one of the early medical fellowship programs at a time when a few years of education after high school was enough to begin a medical career. They lived next door to one another with their families and shared a single bank account. ... FULL STORY
By Jessica Zigmond March 23, 2009 It’s fitting that former Memorial Hermann Healthcare System President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Wilford, a retired National Football League official, would name Tom Landry, Bill Walsh and Mike Ditka as his favorite NFL coaches, and keep a quote by the iconic Vince Lombardi in his office for years.As Wilford, 68, is inducted into Modern Healthcare’s Hall of Fame, his friends and former colleagues—without knowing it—have described traits that he shares in common with the NFL Hall of Famers he has so long admired. ... FULL STORY
March 23, 2009 Photos from the 2009 Health Care Hall of Fame, an event from by Modern Healthcare and the American College of Healthcare Executives. ... FULL STORY
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