For Immediate Release
Contact: Gloria Hinrichs
312.649.5453
Chicago, IL - April 6, 2013:: Modern Healthcare has announced its biennial list of the Top 25 Women in Healthcare, recognizing visionary female executives who are leading the industry at a time when significant change is occurring. The ranks of women executives are growing across all sectors of the healthcare industry including key government healthcare agencies that have women at the highest administrative levels.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Marilyn Tavenner, acting CMS Administrator, are both included in the 2013 roster of Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Women in Healthcare. (A confirmation hearing for Tavenner is set for this week before the Senate Finance Committee.) Before moving into government, Tavenner had a 25-year career at for-profit health system HCA – first as a nurse, then hospital CEO, before running the Central Atlantic division and finally serving as group president of outpatient services. Tavenner encourages women to take risks, “You can't just work in your comfort zone,” she says. “Maybe be willing to take the job that everyone else isn't migrating to and make it work for you.”
Industry reports and government data show women still remain significantly underrepresented in executive suites across healthcare. “The needle is moving, but it's moving slowly,” says Deborah Bowen, incoming president and CEO of the American College of Healthcare Executives and an honoree on this year's list. “We know that diversity in leadership is one of our challenges,” says Ms. Bowen, who acknowledged that hospital boardrooms often don't reflect the communities they serve.