8: Conversations with Our CEO, Part 1

Meet Norman Regional Health System’s President & CEO, Richie Splitt! Richie joins the Vedalas for a special two-part episode. In part one, the three talk about Richie’s career and his calling into healthcare and administration, why he calls Norman Regional employees healers, the Inspire Health strategic plan, things that excite him about the future of Norman Regional and more. Tune in to Conversations with Our CEO, Part 1 to hear this insightful episode. In the famous words of Richie Splitt, Be Well.

Guest Bio: Richie Splitt, FACHE is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Norman Regional Health System. He leads a team of more than 3,500 healers to fulfill the health system’s mission of serving its community as a leader in health and wellness care.

Splitt joined Norman Regional in 2013 as the chief administrative officer of the Norman Regional HealthPlex (168 beds) and Moore Medical Center (44-beds). After one week on the job, an EF-5 tornado destroyed the beloved Moore facility. This tragic and momentous event revealed Splitt’s character as a strong, effective and engaging leader in times of crisis. Splitt helped Norman Regional and its communities find hope, healing, pride and even joy in the face of adversity.

In 2017, Splitt was appointed to chief executive officer of the Norman Regional Health System. During his time as President and CEO, NRHS has received numerous clinical recognitions and experienced tremendous growth. Norman Regional has a net revenue of $450 million, 555 licensed beds at its two main campuses, 17 primary care clinics and 25 specialty clinics. Splitt has also led new growth in areas such as population and telehealth – including a direct-to-consumer app called Norman Regional Virtual Care, primary care clinic expansion, and a new transformative campus plan named Inspire Health.

Helping others to heal has always been a passion for Splitt. He began his career as a physical therapy technician, providing care to patients for nearly a decade before transitioning into management.

Splitt earned his Master of Science in Health and Exercise Science from the University of Oklahoma and his Master of Business Administration from Oklahoma City University. He is board certified in healthcare management and an American College of Healthcare Executives fellow. In 2020, Splitt was named Oklahoma’s Most Admired CEO by The Journal Record in the non-profit category.

Links:
Norman Regional Health System
Norman Regional’s Team
Inspire Health
Richie’s LinkedIn

This podcast is for educational purposes only. The information in this show is not to be used as medical advice. If you are needing medical care, please consult with your physician.

Norman Regional is hiring! See all our open opportunities here: https://careers.normanregional.com/careers-home/

Transcript

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Welcome, friends.

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This is DR’s Krishna and Veer Vedala.

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And we are the Vedala Bros.

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So in this podcast, we'll be discussing
important medical topics

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that affect your community.

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We'll be looking into medical research
Health and wellness tips

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and also available health

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care resources brought to you
by the Norman Regional Health System.

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That's right.

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And in each episode, we'll also be joined
by medical professionals,

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local community leaders
and even some of our friendly neighbors

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as we talk through various issues
that are affecting our community.

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So if you want to lead healthy lives
or learn about the new healthy trends,

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we want this podcast to be your
go to resource.

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Welcome back, my friends. Dr.

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Veer Vedala again
here, joined by my co-host, Dr.

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Krishna Vedala and we are the Vedala Bros.

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Thank you again for joining us for yet
another episode

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of Vital Visions,
where we discuss all things vital.

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Norman Regional Hospital opened its doors
to patients on June

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2nd, 1946, led by one of Norman's own, Dr.

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John L Day.

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It was a hospital that started with 61
beds with a staff of 29 employees.

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Now it is a leader in health care for
the residents of South central Oklahoma.

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With more than 3000 employees
spread across four main campuses,

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more than 30 clinics and offices,
and recognized with dozens

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of national and local awards
and five accredited centers of excellence.

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But the success of organization

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is not solely determined
by its products or services,

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but by the collective passion, dedication
and vision of its leaders

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and one such leader is with us today,
our very own CEO and president, Mr.

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Richie Splitt.

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Thank you so much for being here
today, sir.

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Krishna, please give our guest an intro.

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Thank you so much, Dr. Vedala. So,

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this gentleman that we're

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about to hear talk today,
someone that, I've come to know

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over the last year and a half

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since I started working here at Norman
Regional, And I have to say,

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for being the president and CEO, Mr.

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Splitt is one of the most relaxed,
one of the most genuine

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and one of the most friendliest CEOs
that I've ever met in my life.

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And it's kind of surprising
because the first thing he always says is

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Call me Richie,
and you do not see that a whole lot.

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and so without further ado, Mr.

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Richie Splitt.

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Thank you so much for being here.

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I'm so happy to be here.
Thank you for that introduction.

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thank you. Thank you.

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so tell us,
what got you interested in health care

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and specifically what got you interested
in health care administration?

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You know, it's, It was a long road

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to health care administration
for me, so I had

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a summer job in 1987.

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That was physical therapy.

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And it was literally
two weeks into the job.

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And I knew health
care was was somehow in my blood.

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It sounds odd to say, but I knew that
I was being called to the profession

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and I was because of

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even in that short amount of time,
seeing the impact

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that I could have on a patient's day,
a patient's experience,

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and really how special health care
providers are

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who are working in that field,
trying to help others to be

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the best version of themselves, to heal
and to recover.

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And I knew it was special
and I knew I had to be a part of that.

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That's wow, that's just amazing.

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just goes to speak that
some of us have a calling, you know?

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So I've been a little bit more active
on LinkedIn recently, sir

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and something that popped up recently
is that you're celebrating your ten year

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anniversary at Norman Regional.

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And, and it was seven

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of those years of being CEO, am I correct?

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Yes. Seven years or there about.

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Yeah.

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And I think that's that's amazing, right?

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I mean, you know, working in different
hospital corporations for residency

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and then our very first jobs and stuff
and you know we talk to leadership

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and learn about things
and, and, you know, so

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talking to one of my friends who was also
in health care administration, Mr.

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Dillon Clark, shout out, anyways,
he was telling me like the average,

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span, tenure

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as a CEO is like around
five years or so and you're at seven.

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And so

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I would think that

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it's a very stressful job.

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And I was curious to see like what,
what is your, obviously

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have a passion for this
and you found your calling, but

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can you describe to us like,
how do you do this every day? And.

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Sure, Yeah.

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Well probably in a in a similar way

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that you both do your jobs, you get up,

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you've got a spring in your step because
you know you can make a difference.

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Yeah.

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That you are connected to a purpose
that you're connected

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to the mission of an organization
who's doing good work.

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And so you know,

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until you bring that up,
that's why I had to think about that.

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How long has it been?

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And it really seems like yesterday
that I was given the opportunity

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and in this amount of time
to see the progress

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that's been made for our health system,
it's truly remarkable.

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So in my life,
I am fulfilled every day when I wake up.

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No matter the challenges, it just.

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There's something inside that

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draws me to our organization
and to the work that we do.

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And the patients. That's what it is.

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Ultimately.

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It's how
we can improve their circumstances.

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And we have some of the best people
to make that that happen.

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And so one of the things that as a CEO
that was apparent to me

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and it really started in my mind
after the tornado of May

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20th, 2013,

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in seeing our people in action,

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our caregivers doing the things they did
in spite of the losses

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that they suffered and the challenges
they were experiencing personally,

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that they were more than just employees,
that they were healers.

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That was that was our job.

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That was a part of that calling.

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And really, that's where
it started in my mind and before that

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in my heart, and just began to talk
about that throughout the organization.

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And as I became the CEO,
I really wanted to breathe

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life into that term healer,
because I believe when you're doing this

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work, it's sacred, it's important,
it's meaningful, it makes a difference.

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And that term captures what we're called
to do in the health care profession.

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Wow. Well,

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you know, you
talked about the importance of healers.

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And, but one of the things
like moving on that

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that we really wanted to talk about
today is about Inspire Health

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and so we're wondering,
you know, what really brought that upon?

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and, can you,
can you give the can of, of our audience?

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Kind of a brief overview of what
the what Inspire Health is all about.

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Sure.

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Inspire Health is a strategic plan
for Norman Regional Health System.

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And it it includes five
big construction projects that are roughly

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a million square feet for the purpose
of transforming our organization,

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modernizing what we do,
how we do it, where we do it.

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And so it's it's really about
the transformation of our health system

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and the people who serve in that in those
locations and the care that we provide.

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So it really it started before it started

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my first week on the job,
my second Monday on the job. Wow.

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And that's when that tornado of May 20

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of 2013 destroyed
our beloved Moore Medical Center.

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So we began thinking about

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how do we reposition the organization,
what do we build back?

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We knew we were coming back

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and we were going to be better than before
and stronger than before.

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And so it really started there.

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And then that led to thinking

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about how health care
was evolving over time.

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So when I was named CEO,

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I really wanted to have
and formulate a strong strategic plan.

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So we did that with our healers.

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It truly was their coauthoring.

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It was a collective co-authorship
of what the strategy looked like.

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And what should the strategy for Norman
Regional be for the next 5 to 10 years?

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And it was truly a remarkable journey.

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They we had what was called healer forums
where they were able to hear

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ideas, share ideas, and then validate

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the ideas and thoughts that we had.

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And we formulated a plan.

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That plan started out as

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it was a phrase that we used called BHAG

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BHAG is an acronym for Big, Hairy,
Audacious Goal.

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And so it literally is a moonshot.

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Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great
and a number of other books,

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that's his term, his phrase.

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And he's always inspired me
to, as a business mind,

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as a strategic thinker,
he's inspired me to emulate his principles

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in in a lot of what I like to do
and what the organization can do.

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So BHAG came from Jim Collins
and it was just simply applied

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to what we were trying to do
in terms of writing a strategy

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and then going out and achieving
that strategy.

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Inspire Health came later
and that was a process where our healers

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had the opportunity to provide the input,
what do we call BHAG, what does our BHAG

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need to be called as we roll it
out to the community and Inspire

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Health was born.

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That's really cool.

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Yeah, that's a really, really cool story.

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What do you think
are some of the challenges

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right now
that our health care system is facing?

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They're numerous and they're

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they're more intense than
they've ever been before, in my opinion.

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And they're happening across the country.

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We're all facing very similar
things and inflation is a part of that.

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Obviously,
rising costs, expenses are out of control.

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We're getting some control
of those expenses.

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But supply chain supply
costs, pharmaceuticals,

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the cost of those medications,
the workforce

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shortages, we are
we are challenged on every front.

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And I believe that it's an honor
and a privilege to be able to

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to work to address those challenges.

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Again,
we're all facing it across the country.

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It's not the only Norman
Regional's problems or issues to overcome.

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It's a maybe global issue
in terms of health care.

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So I'm I'm inspired by the opportunity
to get up every day

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and make a difference for our patients
and to be a leader in addressing these

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these headwinds that we're we're faced
with each and every day.

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So there is such great potential
for our organization.

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And when we work together,
we come together and focus

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on the right thing,
starting with the patient.

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Then I just don't know too many things
we can't overcome.

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Great, right?

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You know, like when you speak, sir, like

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you can just experience

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the visionary in you and it's inspiring.

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again, thank you for being here.

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So a lot of our listeners,
we're hoping, are going to be,

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students and learners looking into

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and being inspired by our guests
to start their own career journey.

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So would you mind

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telling go back a little bit
and talking to us about like what exactly?

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you know,

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your career trajectory
looked like with your, with your schooling

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and what health care administration is
and how are students that are interested?

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How did they get involved in that? Sure.

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So I mentioned that I started my health
care career as a summer job

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as a physical therapy technician and knew
I needed to be a part of that.

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So I proceeded to enroll

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in all the right courses to prepare me
for a potential physical therapy.

220
00:11:57,671 --> 00:12:02,803
Career and physical therapy
is a very competitive field to get into.

221
00:12:02,803 --> 00:12:06,403
There weren't a lot of programs
and there were more people than spots

222
00:12:06,503 --> 00:12:08,969
highly competitive,
and I was just sure and confident

223
00:12:08,969 --> 00:12:10,336
that I was going to be selected.

224
00:12:10,336 --> 00:12:15,435
Had a great career of of physical therapy
technician work

225
00:12:15,535 --> 00:12:18,468
and I applied for PT school.

226
00:12:18,468 --> 00:12:20,268
It was not accepted.

227
00:12:20,268 --> 00:12:22,634
And I was, you know,
a little confused by that.

228
00:12:22,634 --> 00:12:26,833
But I you know,
I continued to work in physical therapy,

229
00:12:26,933 --> 00:12:31,000
completed my undergraduate, applied for PT
school, did not work

230
00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:34,632
out, was accepted into a master's program
in health and exercise science.

231
00:12:34,632 --> 00:12:37,265
And I was also a college athlete.

232
00:12:37,265 --> 00:12:40,732
I wrestled at the University of Oklahoma
and had a wonderful time there.

233
00:12:40,798 --> 00:12:45,598
And sports psychology
was was in the forefront of my mind.

234
00:12:45,598 --> 00:12:48,797
And so I was in my graduate degree,

235
00:12:48,897 --> 00:12:52,963
was pursuing motor learning,
motor development and sports psychology.

236
00:12:53,063 --> 00:12:55,730
And when I finished, I applied

237
00:12:55,730 --> 00:12:58,629
when I was finishing that program,
I applied to a Ph.D.

238
00:12:58,629 --> 00:13:01,696
program and physical therapy school. Again,

239
00:13:01,796 --> 00:13:04,762
I did not get into physical
therapy school, but I was accepted

240
00:13:04,762 --> 00:13:10,594
into a PhD program in South Carolina,
and my wife and I got pregnant.

241
00:13:10,661 --> 00:13:13,027
So we changed our plans.

242
00:13:13,027 --> 00:13:15,327
We stayed in Oklahoma.

243
00:13:15,327 --> 00:13:17,960
I and I enrolled at Oklahoma
City University

244
00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,993
and completed my Master's
of Business administration.

245
00:13:22,059 --> 00:13:27,392
And as I was completing my MBA,
I was still working in physical therapy

246
00:13:27,459 --> 00:13:31,158
in a copy room in the hospital
where I was working.

247
00:13:31,158 --> 00:13:34,924
I was copying my patient list
and a gentleman from the one of the

248
00:13:34,924 --> 00:13:39,790
business areas in that hospital asked me,
Do you know somebody with direct

249
00:13:39,790 --> 00:13:44,023
patient care experience
who might be interested in administration?

250
00:13:44,123 --> 00:13:46,556
And I said, Well, I'm
a month away from completing

251
00:13:46,556 --> 00:13:49,556
my MBA
and I'd love to talk to you further.

252
00:13:49,556 --> 00:13:52,289
Two weeks later, I'm working in decision
support.

253
00:13:52,289 --> 00:13:56,455
I'm running profit and loss statements
and staring at a computer.

254
00:13:56,522 --> 00:13:57,221
Wow.

255
00:13:57,221 --> 00:14:03,121
Traded in my scrubs for coat
and tie and missed my patients mightily.

256
00:14:03,187 --> 00:14:05,720
I just knew that wasn't a role for me.

257
00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:11,053
I couldn't sit behind a desk or at a desk
behind a computer for too long

258
00:14:11,153 --> 00:14:14,153
without having that interaction
and impact with patients.

259
00:14:14,253 --> 00:14:18,419
So I studied and learned
and continued my career in health care

260
00:14:18,419 --> 00:14:21,952
and said yes to a number of opportunities
until ultimately

261
00:14:22,018 --> 00:14:25,484
getting to this role
as chief executive officer.

262
00:14:25,718 --> 00:14:31,384
And I realized I, I could have
a tremendous impact on patient care

263
00:14:31,450 --> 00:14:32,617
as a CEO if

264
00:14:32,617 --> 00:14:36,416
I was making an informed decision
for the right reasons

265
00:14:36,416 --> 00:14:39,916
and for our patients, then

266
00:14:40,016 --> 00:14:43,015
I could affect the lives of
so many more patients.

267
00:14:43,049 --> 00:14:46,748
Whereas in physical therapy,
it's a great opportunity

268
00:14:46,748 --> 00:14:51,348
to connect with the patient one patient
at a time, several patients in a day.

269
00:14:51,448 --> 00:14:54,614
But as CEO, I can have a broader effect.

270
00:14:54,714 --> 00:14:58,813
And so that's what I do as a CEO
today, is try to make informed

271
00:14:58,813 --> 00:15:01,346
decisions, always remembering
why we're here.

272
00:15:01,346 --> 00:15:02,779
And it is for the patient.

273
00:15:02,779 --> 00:15:08,712
And if I can do that well, then I can
accelerate the healing process and I can

274
00:15:08,812 --> 00:15:10,812
I can open up opportunities for those

275
00:15:10,812 --> 00:15:14,045
who are providing
that care inside our health system.

276
00:15:14,111 --> 00:15:15,478
And we appreciate you for that.

277
00:15:15,478 --> 00:15:16,744
Sir. Yeah. 

278
00:15:16,744 --> 00:15:19,344
Thank You for Everything that you do on a
on a daily basis.

279
00:15:19,344 --> 00:15:23,143
I'm assuming it's
mostly a 24 seven 365 day job.

280
00:15:23,143 --> 00:15:23,977
It can be, yes.

281
00:15:23,977 --> 00:15:26,943
And that's
you know, that can be difficult.

282
00:15:26,943 --> 00:15:29,376
And just knowing that, well,
you know, Saturday morning

283
00:15:29,376 --> 00:15:31,876
I want to sleep in, but maybe
there might be something else coming up.

284
00:15:31,876 --> 00:15:36,508
And that man, I just can't imagine
putting myself in that shoes.

285
00:15:36,575 --> 00:15:39,575
And this is just kind of a question
that I have personally.

286
00:15:39,608 --> 00:15:43,207
I'm getting more and more interested in
in the administration

287
00:15:43,207 --> 00:15:44,674
component of health care.

288
00:15:44,674 --> 00:15:46,407
And so I'm working on getting an MBA.

289
00:15:46,407 --> 00:15:49,940
How important
do you think for future students,

290
00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:54,073
How important do you think having an MBA
or some kind of administrative educational

291
00:15:54,073 --> 00:15:58,372
experience is if they want to, you know,
get into health care administration?

292
00:15:58,439 --> 00:16:00,305
I think it's very important.

293
00:16:00,305 --> 00:16:03,305
It's vitally important to to know what

294
00:16:03,305 --> 00:16:06,138
what theory is to know what

295
00:16:06,138 --> 00:16:09,771
how you can apply that theory
in a real world experience.

296
00:16:09,837 --> 00:16:12,204
So as a physician, you see it every day.

297
00:16:12,204 --> 00:16:13,903
You know how things are working.

298
00:16:13,903 --> 00:16:16,603
You have to
you get connected to the patient

299
00:16:16,603 --> 00:16:19,603
and how your your clinic is operating,

300
00:16:19,636 --> 00:16:22,735
but you don't always know and realize
the impact outside of the clinic.

301
00:16:22,735 --> 00:16:26,568
How does it roll up into a hospital,
into another another setting?

302
00:16:26,568 --> 00:16:32,867
And that's what an MBA can help you to
understand, help all of us to understand.

303
00:16:32,934 --> 00:16:33,701
I've long

304
00:16:33,701 --> 00:16:37,400
said that, you know,
the most important things that led

305
00:16:37,500 --> 00:16:40,500
I believe that led me to where I am
today is

306
00:16:40,666 --> 00:16:43,266
when I you know, it was my faith.

307
00:16:43,266 --> 00:16:47,799
It was marrying my wife, having children
and my education.

308
00:16:47,799 --> 00:16:51,398
And that MBA was the last degree
that I achieved.

309
00:16:51,398 --> 00:16:55,698
And that was vitally important
for me to understand where I was going

310
00:16:55,698 --> 00:16:58,164
and how to apply the skills
that I had acquired over time,

311
00:16:58,164 --> 00:17:02,897
that I had no idea why I was doing it
or how they would come together.

312
00:17:02,963 --> 00:17:05,596
But those were the things
that led me to where I am today.

313
00:17:05,596 --> 00:17:11,262
And I think that MBA, that that education
is vitally important to our success.

314
00:17:11,329 --> 00:17:12,762
Yeah.

315
00:17:12,762 --> 00:17:17,028
Well, sir you seem like a person
that enjoys reading books.

316
00:17:17,095 --> 00:17:21,794
And, and a question for me
is I have, in medical school.

317
00:17:21,928 --> 00:17:24,761
We didn't get to read for fun very much.
And so now.

318
00:17:24,761 --> 00:17:26,627
Now, now we have time to kind.

319
00:17:26,627 --> 00:17:30,593
Of pick it, picking it up and,
and a couple of things that again, things

320
00:17:30,593 --> 00:17:33,193
that we didn't learn in medical
school is one, personal finance.

321
00:17:33,193 --> 00:17:36,559
So we're we're learning about that now,
trying to figure that out.

322
00:17:36,559 --> 00:17:38,192
And that's important. Yes sir.

323
00:17:38,192 --> 00:17:41,692
And then and then developing
leadership qualities.

324
00:17:41,792 --> 00:17:44,791
As you know, those are useful in,

325
00:17:44,925 --> 00:17:49,391
in any field and as, as physicians
and especially Krishna
who’s

326
00:17:49,391 --> 00:17:54,623
looking into the admin world
becomes a quality that we have to

327
00:17:54,690 --> 00:17:57,923
practice and develop. And

328
00:17:57,989 --> 00:18:01,456
so, you know,
I was wondering if you had any,

329
00:18:01,522 --> 00:18:06,688
resources or books that you thought
were like, Wow, this is such a good read

330
00:18:06,822 --> 00:18:10,388
that we could share our list
for our listeners.

331
00:18:10,454 --> 00:18:13,287
Well, for me,
there is so much happening in health care.

332
00:18:13,287 --> 00:18:16,054
The health care
landscape is changing every day

333
00:18:16,054 --> 00:18:19,020
during our time together, I'm sure there's
legislation that's been passed

334
00:18:19,020 --> 00:18:22,386
and other changes
that are impacting our world.

335
00:18:22,386 --> 00:18:27,386
And so it's there are trade journals,
and so I'm continuously reading

336
00:18:27,486 --> 00:18:32,352
trade journals, modern health
care, Becker's finance and Becker's payer.

337
00:18:32,418 --> 00:18:35,584
There are a whole host
of those trade journals that are out there

338
00:18:35,584 --> 00:18:39,551
that that keep me apprized
of current events.

339
00:18:39,617 --> 00:18:42,550
And then behind that there are
I mentioned Jim

340
00:18:42,550 --> 00:18:45,816
Collins, who's a great author
and and thinker.

341
00:18:45,883 --> 00:18:50,449
Malcolm Gladwell is another
author that I really enjoy.

342
00:18:50,516 --> 00:18:51,249
Those things are

343
00:18:51,249 --> 00:18:56,882
directly applicable to business
and to finances and are important,

344
00:18:56,982 --> 00:18:59,581
and then you have to go find opportunities
to learn more.

345
00:18:59,581 --> 00:19:04,814
I also, like I enjoy hearing speakers
when there's a conference or events

346
00:19:04,814 --> 00:19:05,347
that are out there.

347
00:19:05,347 --> 00:19:09,847
I like learning from those who
who've been in similar situations,

348
00:19:09,913 --> 00:19:14,579
always keeping my ears open
and my eyes open for those opportunities.

349
00:19:14,579 --> 00:19:17,012
And so I would just encourage
everybody to be a sponge.

350
00:19:17,012 --> 00:19:19,645
Yeah, And that helps you to stay current.

351
00:19:19,645 --> 00:19:23,411
It helps formulate your ideas,
it helps promote

352
00:19:23,411 --> 00:19:26,078
a networking and conversation
that's broader than yourself.

353
00:19:26,078 --> 00:19:29,077
Check your way of thinking
and and see where you can

354
00:19:29,144 --> 00:19:33,177
where you can develop something further
from what you've read. But

355
00:19:33,277 --> 00:19:34,777
that's a that's an important tool.

356
00:19:34,777 --> 00:19:40,376
I think we should all be open
to the opportunity to learn more.

357
00:19:40,376 --> 00:19:41,409
Yeah.

358
00:19:41,409 --> 00:19:43,242
So that's, that's amazing.

359
00:19:43,242 --> 00:19:47,075
Like, I feel like that is like time
and time again is what we hear is always

360
00:19:47,308 --> 00:19:49,175
be prepared to learn more
because you know.

361
00:19:49,175 --> 00:19:49,908
It never ends.

362
00:19:49,908 --> 00:19:53,307
Learning is a never ending process. Yeah.

363
00:19:53,407 --> 00:19:55,440
what do you think?

364
00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,140
are things that are that excite
you about the future of Norman Regional?

365
00:19:59,207 --> 00:20:00,107
there are so many things.

366
00:20:00,107 --> 00:20:03,773
I've touched on a few of those items,

367
00:20:03,839 --> 00:20:05,772
and maybe if,

368
00:20:05,772 --> 00:20:10,305
if I were to try to break it down
into simple terms,

369
00:20:10,372 --> 00:20:15,404
first and foremost, it's our patients
how we can impact and help our patients.

370
00:20:15,404 --> 00:20:19,204
It's the people, our people
at Norman Regional that we call healers.

371
00:20:19,204 --> 00:20:23,137
So patients, people, it's the progress
we're making.

372
00:20:23,137 --> 00:20:26,736
We talked a little bit about inspire
health and we're nearing completion.

373
00:20:26,736 --> 00:20:31,169
One part of that project,
that strategy is in place

374
00:20:31,269 --> 00:20:35,802
with our Norman Regional Nine facility
and others are about to come online.

375
00:20:35,802 --> 00:20:38,601
So that progress is really exciting.

376
00:20:38,601 --> 00:20:41,601
It's really important to the organization

377
00:20:41,801 --> 00:20:45,500
and so that, those are the things that are

378
00:20:45,600 --> 00:20:49,267
that are important to me
and that are on my radar every day.

379
00:20:49,333 --> 00:20:52,566
And then I would say from there,
we again talked a little bit

380
00:20:52,566 --> 00:20:55,566
about the challenges in health care today.

381
00:20:55,566 --> 00:20:58,032
Our potential is off the charts.

382
00:20:58,032 --> 00:21:02,865
We are transforming our health system
and in doing so,

383
00:21:03,065 --> 00:21:06,064
it takes our people, our healers,

384
00:21:06,131 --> 00:21:09,031
to translate that vision into a reality.

385
00:21:09,031 --> 00:21:10,730
And we've got the best.

386
00:21:10,730 --> 00:21:13,363
You are two examples of that,
and I appreciate the work that you guys

387
00:21:13,363 --> 00:21:15,163
do.
Well, you are too kind sir.

388
00:21:15,163 --> 00:21:17,430
Thank you. That's the biggest compliment
I've received.

389
00:21:17,430 --> 00:21:18,496
It's it's true.

390
00:21:18,496 --> 00:21:22,062
And I you know, I have a loved one,
a family member who sees one of you

391
00:21:22,062 --> 00:21:26,562
for their care
and they greatly appreciate that care.

392
00:21:26,562 --> 00:21:29,561
And so you guys make a difference
each and every day.

393
00:21:29,695 --> 00:21:33,461
But that translates into the potential
for our health system.

394
00:21:33,527 --> 00:21:36,160
And if we're really focused on health
and wellness,

395
00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:37,694
we have to do it through our people.

396
00:21:37,694 --> 00:21:40,127
And we've got the best.

397
00:21:40,193 --> 00:21:41,160
I don't know if you meant to

398
00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:44,559
do that, sir, but that was just excellent
wordplay because it's a four ps.

399
00:21:44,593 --> 00:21:47,459
It's it's patients,
people, progress and potential.

400
00:21:47,459 --> 00:21:50,425
There you go. Yeah, that was accidental.

401
00:21:50,425 --> 00:21:52,225
That was great.

402
00:21:52,225 --> 00:21:54,491
heard it on the podcast.

403
00:21:54,491 --> 00:21:55,824
You heard it here first.

404
00:21:55,824 --> 00:21:57,824
So

405
00:21:57,824 --> 00:22:03,523
Another thing is is one of the goals
of our many goals with this podcast.

406
00:22:03,523 --> 00:22:08,123
But it's to get to know,

407
00:22:08,189 --> 00:22:09,089
our Norman Regional

408
00:22:09,089 --> 00:22:13,422
our our health care system or providers
our leaders a little bit more personally

409
00:22:13,489 --> 00:22:17,188
to kind of bridge that gap
right between the patients or listeners.

410
00:22:17,188 --> 00:22:21,821
And us and so, I hope you don't mind
asking some personal questions.

411
00:22:21,888 --> 00:22:25,954
I'm just curious like interested in
like what are some of your hobbies

412
00:22:25,954 --> 00:22:29,687
that you do to, to kind of de-stress
or go enjoy yourself?

413
00:22:29,687 --> 00:22:31,086
And that's a great question.

414
00:22:31,086 --> 00:22:34,253
And I believe we all need to know
what that is for ourselves.

415
00:22:34,386 --> 00:22:37,619
It will be, you know,
any number of things, but for me,

416
00:22:37,719 --> 00:22:41,518
it's important
that I can get out and do some road work.

417
00:22:41,618 --> 00:22:41,818
Okay.

418
00:22:41,818 --> 00:22:43,285
I don't like to run.

419
00:22:43,285 --> 00:22:46,384
I don't call myself a runner,
but I run as often as I can.

420
00:22:46,418 --> 00:22:47,118
Yeah.

421
00:22:47,118 --> 00:22:51,250
And I just want to get a 5k in
and and it's my time to pray

422
00:22:51,250 --> 00:22:55,816
and I may listen to a podcast on occasion
while I'm running and to think

423
00:22:55,883 --> 00:22:59,549
and clear my mind and not have to worry
about the other stressors.

424
00:22:59,549 --> 00:23:01,482
It's just one foot in front of the other.

425
00:23:01,482 --> 00:23:06,282
And so I really,
I try to make that a priority

426
00:23:06,348 --> 00:23:08,881
and it helps, it helps me, helps clear

427
00:23:08,881 --> 00:23:11,881
my mind, helps me think more

428
00:23:12,048 --> 00:23:15,047
strategically
when I focus on those areas,

429
00:23:15,181 --> 00:23:19,480
helps me to think more deeply
about my family and that sort of thing.

430
00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:21,880
So I really like to run.

431
00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:25,379
I enjoy reading, but that takes some time
away from other things as well.

432
00:23:25,379 --> 00:23:26,646
But yeah,

433
00:23:26,712 --> 00:23:27,212
a little bit of

434
00:23:27,212 --> 00:23:30,379
health and, and just get out on the road.

435
00:23:30,379 --> 00:23:31,645
That's awesome.

436
00:23:31,645 --> 00:23:37,244
So you do, you do like the Oklahoma City
five K and stuff or.

437
00:23:37,244 --> 00:23:41,210
I've done that in the past
and I haven't done it in several years.

438
00:23:41,210 --> 00:23:43,777
It just seems too much competition
for time.

439
00:23:43,777 --> 00:23:44,210
That's true.

440
00:23:44,210 --> 00:23:47,510
Yeah, but that's a remarkable event
and I'm so grateful.

441
00:23:47,510 --> 00:23:51,976
Having lived through that time
in our state's history, I cared

442
00:23:51,976 --> 00:23:57,008
for patients literally as they came in
for the first time into our E.R..

443
00:23:57,075 --> 00:23:57,342
my gosh.

444
00:23:57,342 --> 00:24:00,741
And working with them
in physical therapy again and.

445
00:24:00,841 --> 00:24:03,607
my gosh, it's just I can't imagine
what that must have been like.

446
00:24:03,607 --> 00:24:04,941
Yeah.

447
00:24:04,941 --> 00:24:07,740
But no, I don't get to the
I don't I have no desire to be a part

448
00:24:07,740 --> 00:24:10,040
of a marathon or a half marathon.

449
00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:11,573
What's your favorite place to run?

450
00:24:11,573 --> 00:24:12,773
Just around the neighborhood.

451
00:24:12,773 --> 00:24:14,073
that's, that's that's great.

452
00:24:14,073 --> 00:24:14,873
It's like anybody.

453
00:24:14,873 --> 00:24:16,939
Anywhere that I'm safe, That's what I.

454
00:24:16,939 --> 00:24:19,005
Yeah, I. Like. And I had to,
I have to say.

455
00:24:19,005 --> 00:24:24,338
And then the feeling is mutual about
having no desire to run. And I haven't.

456
00:24:24,405 --> 00:24:26,004
We can't be triathletes like Dr.

457
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Sadler. Yes. that's. That's hard to do.

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that takes commitment.

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This has been a very insightful episode
with our CEO Mr. Richie Splitt.

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Today we learned a lot about Norman
Regional's past, present and future.

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This episode is very near and dear to us
and we can't fit it all in just one.

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So join us soon for part
two of our conversation with our CEO

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00:24:49,201 --> 00:24:51,268
on your Vital Visions podcast.