“Chester County Hospital’s culture is like nirvana for me,” proclaims Michael Duncan, CCH president and CEO.
During 2021, Mike is celebrating his tenth year of leading all facets and 2,600-plus employees of Chester County Hospital. He attests he hasn’t seen over his 35-year career anything quite like the hospital’s customs and unbelievable stability. “It’s filled with warmth, empathy and a family feeling. There’s low employee turnover and high patient satisfaction.”
He counts his proudest accomplishment from the decade as being that he “didn’t mess up the hospital's culture.”
In 2013, this West Chester-based medical facility became part of Penn Medicine, a premier provider of health, medical and physician services. During this March, CCH was named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals in America for the second year in a row. It ranked as the 85th best U.S. hospital and the fifth best hospital in Pennsylvania. “We’re committed to one mission, and that’s to be the leading provider of care in the region, and a national model for quality, service excellence and fiscal stewardship. This honor reinforces that goal, and is a direct reflection of the quality, patient-centered care our frontline team provides,” Mike says.
Even with the impressive ranking, this grassroots president is quick to add that “we always see things we could do better.”
When Mike got out of the U.S. Navy, he says he read the self-help book, "What Color Is Your Parachute?" From that, he learned the top three elements he seeks in jobs was to motive and influence people; solve complex issues; and do something important for others. His subsequent sales-related career included financial turnarounds.
When Mike first interviewed with CCH board members, they asked him how he would work in a hospital’s pressure-filled, complicated environment.
“My military training about doing what each mission calls for guides my approach to circumstances, and drives me toward establishing the highest priorities. And the nuclear engineer in me sees everything as a system, so it’s typically a matter of reorganizing the system to be more efficient and effective for patients,” he says.
At the time, Mike was serving as CEO and executive director of ColumbiaDoctors, a 1,200‐physician faculty practice plan at Columbia University in New York City. Prior to joining Columbia in 2006, he was CEO of Temple University Physicians and vice dean for clinical operations at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
CCH board members decided Mike thoroughly aligned with their mission as a community‐based organization, and that his experience, intellect and leadership skills would be important assets in the hospital's evolving healthcare environment while complementing the strong administrative team already in place.
Thus, Mike succeeded H.L. Perry Pepper, who retired from CCH in June 2010 after 34 years at the medical center.
Kudos To West Chester Community
Mike learned more nuances about the West Chester region during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re used to being in service for the community, but in this case, the community came together for us, making sure we had enough PPE in the crunch we were in,” he says. “We would’ve been in big trouble without that community support.”
More than 200,000 pieces of PPE were donated to the hospital from fellow local businesses, such as dentists and auto body shop owners, for example. Additionally, food, cards, signs, chalk drawings, letters and other supportive gestures poured in to lift up the hospital’s overworked and emotionally drained staff. "We felt like we were in an arena, with residents and the whole community cheering us on," recalls this hospital chief.
After COVID hit, Mike says he tried to balance engaging with the frontline folks, along with taking care of himself, so he was able to take care of them. “In the Naval Academy, I read about Gen. William “Bill” Slim, a British general in the Burma War. [During the Second World War 1939-1945, this military leader inherited a disastrous situation which, with pragmatic skill and quiet charisma, he turned to ultimate victory.] Each night, that general retreated to his tent, in the middle of the battles, to read novels. So, that’s the practice I adopted during the pandemic,” he explains.
"On the whole, perseverance became our secret sauce," he adds.
Game Changer
A recent, $300 million expansion has been a real game changer for Chester County Hospital. A total of 250,000 square feet of the most state-of-the-art environment for treatment and recovery in the county is helping to redefine community health care. It features the comprehensive Penn Heart and Vascular Center, 15 state-of-the-art operating suites, an innovative orthopaedics pod, and access to the world’s most advanced cancer treatments at the Abramson Cancer Center at CCH. There are new areas for non-invasive cardiology, 99 private inpatient rooms, a 700-car parking garage, an outpatient pharmacy offering over-the counter medications and prescription pick up and refills, a bistro and even a rooftop helipad.
CCH now is the largest medical facility in Chester County, with 309 licensed beds, with an underpinning of innovation at an even more complex level.
Mike says the expansion project allowed them to move out of a wing built 60 years ago. "We're also enthused about our next project designed to double the size of the Breast Health Center. We're building it around the patient experience so that all the medical care needed is all in one place," he adds.
A 26,000 square-foot expansion and renovation of the hospital's Emergency Department also was completed, with enhanced security features and specialized exam rooms.
ICARE
For hobbies, Mike relishes being grandfather to two boys and one girl. "They live near the hospital, and I love every second I can spend with them," he dotes.
From living near Penn Oaks Golf Club, he says the summer day light often gives him enough time to get four or five holes in after work.
Other free time is spent reading about military and political history. "I like to study leadership styles," Mike confides. He believes his style can be summed up in four words: "Love people, expect excellence." He says being part of the Penn Medicine network of six hospitals gives him the opportunity to discuss matters with five other CEOs, and to share best practices or to collaborate on quality-driven measures.
Mike says he and all CCH employees live by a handful of values: innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect, excellence -- also and usually referred to as ICARE. He says he and senior managers have discussed what they want to achieve in the next 10 years, which is to turn the focus more toward partnering with community leaders and groups.
"We want all patients to have great outcomes. And while they're with us, we hope they feel like they're with friends, from the valet to medical care to foodservice and housekeeping, we want to affirm that they're respected and supported," Mike summarizes.
“We’re committed to one mission, and that’s to be the leading provider of care in the region, and a national model for quality, service excellence and fiscal stewardship," says Michael Duncan, Chester County Hospital president and chief executive officer