Dr. Scott Ellner, DO, MPH, trauma surgeon and CEO of Billings Clinic, joins Marcus to talk about leading with compassion and staying positive through major challenges in healthcare.
Dr. Ellner describes witnessing a trauma first hand as a college student that inspired him to medicine. Patient safety and leadership are true passions for Dr. Ellner and the discussion explores how healthcare leaders can best support their staff.
Dr. Ellner tells how his system and facilities adapted during the Covid-19 Delta variant spike to accommodate the drastic increase in patient load.
For a touching and thought provoking interview, be sure to catch this episode.
Key topics:
•[1:31] Introducing Dr. Scott Ellner
•[2:38] Learning on the fly in the pandemic and trusting your team
•[5:20] Scott’s experience that lead him into healthcare
•[8:50] Scott’s passion for improving quality and patient safety within healthcare
•[9:17] A shocking statistic on medical error
•[10:58] How do you lead people to buy into quality and safety?
•[12:42] How to continue giving safe and quality care with very limited resources
•[15:10] Scott’s #1 priority as a leader
•[19:36] Where did Scott learn leadership?
•[22:36] How is healthcare different today, post-pandemic, than it was before?
•[24:35] Innovations in telehealth
•[29:05] What is Scott reading right now?
•[29:46] What is the one piece of art that Scott would want on a desert island?
•[30:44] What fictional character would Scott like to be for a day?
•[31:30] Scott’s message to humanity…
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Learn more about Dr. Scott Ellner:
Dr. Scott Ellner began as CEO of Billings Clinic in January 2020. Billings Clinic is Montana’s largest integrated health system and serves a vast region covering Montana, northern Wyoming and the western Dakotas. Billings Clinic is one of Montana’s largest employers with 4,500 employees including more than 450 physicians and advanced practitioners offering more than 50 medical specialties.
Dr. Ellner’s passion is patient safety and quality improvement. In addition to his clinical practice and leadership role at St. Francis, he completed a year-long fellowship in patient safety and leadership with the American Hospital Association and earned a second Master’s in Health Care Management from Harvard University. In 2013, he was named a Top 50 Leader in Patient Safety by Becker’s Hospital Review.
Throughout numerous leadership roles in Kansas, Colorado and Montana, Scott has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Chamber of Commerce. Health systems are vital engines for community growth and vitality, and the Chamber is the place were business leaders from all sectors can connect and unite. Under Scott’s leadership, Billings Clinic intends to continue to work closely with the Chamber of Commerce to enhance the talent pipeline and protect and improve the quality of life we enjoy in Montana.
Date: 11/30/2021
Name of show: Compassion & Courage: Conversations in Healthcare
Episode title and number: Episode 18 – Dr. Scott Ellner: Passion for Patient Safety and Quality Improvement