Podcast #17 Barclay E. Berdan, FACHE is the chief executive officer of Texas Health Resources (THR)

Barclay E. Berdan, FACHE is the chief executive officer of Texas Health Resources (THR), a faith-based, nonprofit health system that cares for more patients in North Texas than any other provider. As of 2021, for the seventh consecutive year, Texas Health Resources has placed among the top of Fortune’s list of Best Workplaces in Health Care & Biopharma.™

Barclay became chief executive officer of Texas Health Resources on Sept. 1, 2014, after serving as senior executive vice president and chief operating officer the previous two years. With over 30 years of service at Texas Health Resources, Barclay describes the system’s culture as one of a family where the Mission, Vision, Values and Our Texas Health Promise℠ are woven together and modeled each day in the care of patients and their families. He believes that Texas Health Resources was built on a strong foundation of traditions — faith, quality, compassion, innovation — traditions that will sustain and guide the organization into the future.

In this episode, Tracy interviews Barclay about his experiences leading through the 2014 Ebola outbreak and how those experiences helped shape Texas Health Resource’s response to COVID-19. Tracy and Barclay explore what the post-COVID world of healthcare may look like, as well as important leadership implications for health ecosystem leaders looking to improve health and wellness for their teams, patients, and communities in this new normal.

Barclay Berdan Show Notes

• Frontline healthcare workers were heroes long before the pandemic began and will continue to be heroes in the future- it’s important to acknowledge the sacrifices these individuals make to support the health of the communities they serve.
• The promise of ‘individuals caring for individuals together’ has been foundational to Texas Health Resources’ philosophy on healthcare and instrumental in their success- this concept applies to patients, communities, and each other.
• Through their experience with the Ebola outbreak, THR learned important lessons about crisis in healthcare such as-
  • Big disruptions are possible- and it’s important to be prepared. Financial sustainability policies allow health systems to focus on taking care of employees and taking care of patients during crisis
  • Creating an environment where employees feel safe, protected, informed, and valued is fundamental to them being able to take care of patients and communities
  • Policies and processes must change rapidly during crisis. Creating a task force to take in the latest information, make decisions about if/how/when to respond, and communicate information and decisions outwards is critical
  • During a pandemic- you quickly move from medical science to social science to political science to science fiction- and back and forth between those. Health systems play an important role in providing clear and concise information that employees, patients, and communities can trust
• We are living in a period of rapid medical knowledge expansion. In the future, new knowledge, technology, and science will come together to create a healthcare metamorphosis.

• The future vision of healthcare should think of healthcare not as a series of transactions but as the continuum of people’s lives- partnering for a lifetime of health and wellbeing.
• To be successful, health ecosystem leaders must focus on building trusting relationships with people, and help them be informed on how to live their best lives.