Cost reduction
Bill Manns
President and CEO, Bronson Healthcare
Manns took over as CEO in March 2020 and had to contend with the impact COVID-19 had not only on care delivery, but the Kalamazoo, Mich.-based system’s finances as elective procedures were halted. To address a $150 million budget gap, Manns launched a strategic margin improvement initiative, with a goal of improving the bottom line by $40 million over 16 weeks. More than 100 mid-level leaders, broken into 10 teams, were assembled to assess opportunities across 583 cost centers. They exceeded the target by identifying $52 million in improvements, over half of which were revenue and growth opportunities. Aside from the financial gains, the effort fostered stronger working relationships across departments and spurred more attention to costs and growth potential.