From the June 2021 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


HCB News: Who or what inspired you to follow a career in healthcare?
MM: My interest in healthcare began when I was a youngster working as a stock boy in a neighborhood drugstore. The pharmacist who owned the store took me under his wing and that really was the beginning of my interest in pursuing a career in healthcare. I graduated from pharmacy school in 1982 and have had progressive leadership roles in pharmacy and healthcare administration ever since.

HCB News: Can you describe the demographics and patient populations you're serving at Eisenhower?

MM: Eisenhower has long had a large Medicare population (about 70% of our hospital patients are over the age of 70) but in recent years, we have seen a growing number of young families in the Coachella Valley, so our ambulatory division, particularly in primary care, has seen a bit more variety in the age of our patients. Our populations are very much a reflection of the communities around us in terms of ethnicity, LGBTQ and income — we truly care for everyone.

HCB News: What is the leadership environment like?
MM: I’m very proud of our leadership team. As Eisenhower has grown, we have been able to recruit more people with extensive health care knowledge and experience to our workforce, keeping us fresh in our thinking and approach to challenges. Health care is a rapidly changing environment in many areas — best practices, technology, information systems, financials — and our leaders are focused on ensuring Eisenhower is well positioned to address those changes as they arise. The past year has proven that our leaders can put their diverse skill sets to work in a cooperative manner under very challenging circumstances — pivoting quickly as the circumstances of the pandemic changed and ensuring the health system stayed focused on our core values at the same time.

HCB News: Are there any initiatives of special projects you are undertaking, or planning to undertake?
MM: Continued growth is vital to serving our community. I’m planning an extensive expansion of our cardiac and vascular service line in the next few years, including additional procedures not currently offered in the Coachella Valley, greater access for patients, and significant expansion of clinic space, procedural spaces and cardiac rehabilitation space. We are in the planning stages now and I look forward to seeing it come to fruition over the next five years or so. We are also engaged in strategic planning for expansion of our cancer, orthopedic, and surgical services service lines.

June 2021 Magazine

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