President and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health System
Dr. Klasko explains how we can fix American healthcare.
In this clip, Stephen relates an experience he had that drove home the need for sweeping, radical change in our healthcare systems:
As the President and CEO of Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, is bridging the art and science of medicine and healthcare transformation.
He has championed transformation of American health care as university president, dean of two medical colleges, and CEO of three academic health centers. He is author of 2016’s We CAN Fix Healthcare in America, and editor in chief of “Healthcare Transformation.”
Since 2014, Jefferson Health has grown from a three hospital urban academic medical center with annual revenues of $1.8 billion to a major regional academic medical center. Currently an eight-hospital system, resulting from the merger of Jefferson with Abington Health, Jefferson Health will expand to an 11-hospital system with the proposed partnership mergers with Aria Health and Kennedy Health. Jefferson has the largest tele-health network in the region, the NCI-designated Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, and an outpatient footprint that is among the most technologically advanced in the region.
Upon completion of the proposed merger with Philadelphia University — creating a comprehensive university with a forward-thinking education model — Jefferson will have combined annual revenues exceeding $4.8 billion, more than 28,000 employees, 7,800 students, 6,000 physicians/practitioners and 4,000 faculty.
Through a unique four pillar model, academic-clinical-innovation-philanthropy, Jefferson has attracted venture capital and transformational gifts. Under Dr. Klasko’s leadership, Sidney Kimmel donated $110 million to Jefferson on June 18, 2014, the largest gift in the University’s history. Philanthropy and innovation have also resulted in the addition of the Brind-Marcus Center of Integrative Medicine, nationally recognized for its modern medical and targeted complementary therapies.
Dr. Klasko’s research and experience led to his 1999 book: The Phantom Stethoscope: A Field Manual for an Optimistic Future in Medicine. His new book, We CAN Fix Healthcare in America, posits a future with “twelve disruptors of the demise of the old healthcare.” He has been an international speaker on changing the DNA of health care through physician leadership.
Dr. Klasko is ideally suited to lead such initiatives, having completed a grant after receiving his MBA from the Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania on selecting and educating physicians to be leaders of change. His entrepreneurial spirit helped one university he led to be in the top ten in the world for obtaining US patents. His unique educational program called SELECT (Scholarly Excellence, Leadership Education, Collaborative Training) is recognized for its focus on choosing medical students based on emotional intelligence and leadership potential.
He serves on the corporate board and audit committee of Teleflex (TFX: NYSE), a multi-billion dollar healthcare solutions corporation. He also serves on the board of Lehigh University, the Emory University/Georgia Tech Innovation advisory board, and the Friedrich’s Ataxia Research Alliance.
