American Hospital Association’s next CEO hailed as ‘incredible leader’

The American Hospital Association has named its next CEO, and the choice is generating enthusiasm from healthcare leaders.

The association said Tuesday that Steve Walsh will become its next president and chief executive officer. He’s slated to take the post in the fall. Walsh succeeds Rick Pollack, who has served as the AHA’s president and CEO for 10 years and announced his plans to retire in December.

Walsh has served as president and CEO of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association since November 2017. He also served as the executive director of the Massachusetts Council of Community Hospitals. Previously, he served six terms in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

In a statement accompanying his announcement as the next CEO of the American Hospital Association, Walsh said hospitals “must be the ones to define that future for the nation given their unique connection with patients and communities.”

“The next era of American healthcare is bright for the patients and caregivers we serve, all of whom will benefit from our members' unified focus around access, quality and innovation,” Walsh said. “To write the next chapter will require creative leadership, hard-earned trust and the willingness to bring unlikely partners to the same table.”

‘A phenomenal choice’

Healthcare leaders lauded the selection of Walsh to lead the American Hospital Association, which represents nearly 5,000 hospitals nationwide.

Anne Klibanski, MD, president and CEO of Mass General Brigham, called Walsh “a phenomenal choice to lead our hospitals at the national level.” Klibanski also serves as chair of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association’s board of trustees.

“Steve Walsh is an incredible leader who has worked hard to maintain the commonwealth’s reputation as a national healthcare leader,” Klibanski said in a statement. “I am thrilled that healthcare systems across the country will soon benefit from his depth of knowledge and commitment to patients, communities, and training for the next generation of healthcare providers.”

Michael K. Lauf, president and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare, pointed to Walsh’s experience leading the Massachusetts association over the past several years.

“Steve is a special leader for society’s most essential sector,” Lauf said in a statement. “We know his leadership will help take American healthcare to new heights.”

Tina Freese Decker, president and CEO of Corewell Health, described Walsh as a “people leader” who cares about his team.

“From the moment I met Steve Walsh several years ago, he stood out as a thoughtful, bold, action-oriented leader,” Freese Decker wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “He engages in discussions on guiding principles, leadership and the future of healthcare at a level that will allow him to bring people together, find common ground and tackle our toughest challenges.”

Thornton Kirby, president and CEO of the South Carolina Hospital Association, wrote in a LinkedIn post that he “couldn’t be more enthusiastic” about Walsh’s appointment.

“During the eight years I’ve had the privilege of working with Steve, I’ve come to know him as an exceptional collaborator, a pragmatic leader, and someone who understands that meaningful progress in healthcare comes from bringing people together around shared solutions.

‘Building bridges, building trust’

Marc L. Boom, MD, chair of the AHA Board of Trustees and president and chief executive officer of Houston Methodist, called Walsh “a proven healthcare leader, innovator and accomplished advocate for healthcare improvement.”

“Steve is the right leader at the right time for America’s hospitals and health systems,” Boom said in a news release. “As healthcare continues to evolve, we need a leader who can both champion our field and help shape the future. Steve brings the experience, vision and collaborative leadership necessary to guide the Association through this important next chapter.”

Hospitals face challenges with changes in federal policy, including cuts in Medicaid programs that will unfold over the next several years and other shifts in federal aid to hospitals.

Hospitals and health systems have also faced growing scrutiny from Congress, with lawmakers saying hospitals need to do more to control the cost of care. Hospitals are also wrestling with proposals that would reduce reimbursements for outpatient care and possible changes to the federal 340B drug discount program, which allows hospitals to buy outpatient drugs at lower costs.

In a February interview with Chief Healthcare Executive®, Pollack said the next leader of the American Hospital Association is going to “really focus on solutions to some of these vexing problems.”

“They're going to have to be focused on creating coalitions among different sectors,” Pollack said.

With his announcement as the next CEO of the American Hospital Association, Walsh alluded to the need to bring people together.

“Building bridges, building trust and building momentum will drive AHA’s successes in the years ahead,” Walsh said.