James_Jan-Feb_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 47
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evin Brown didn’t expect to leave Seattle. After years of leading a successful healthcare
organization in the Paci昀椀c Northwest, he was certain he’d found a long-term home.
His career was thriving; his community was established; the idea of relocating across
the country hadn’t crossed his mind. Then Piedmont Healthcare called. Curiosity led
him to Atlanta. What he discovered on that visit would reshape his career— and
ultimately transform healthcare in Georgia.
“I never thought I’d leave the organization I was with at the time,”
Brown said. “But when I visited
Piedmont, I was impressed by the
strong culture around quality, the
caliber of the physicians, and the
talented board of directors.”
Beyond the rain he left behind
in Seattle, there was something
new and exciting in Atlanta:
opportunity. It was the chance
to build, to expand access and to
create a model of care that could
deliver high-quality and affordable
services across the state. It was the
rare combination of mission, talent
and timing, he says.
More than a decade later, the
decision has propelled Piedmont
from a respected Atlanta hospital
network into a statewide clinical
powerhouse.
From Regional Brand
to Statewide System
When Brown assumed leadership in 2013, Piedmont Healthcare was a modest Atlanta-based
healthcare system with five hospitals. Today, it spans 27 hospitals
and more than 2,000 clinics and
care locations, serving 4.5 million
patients a year in communities
representing 85 percent of Georgia’s population. It is also one of the
state’s largest employers and one
of the nation’s top-performing notfor-profit health systems.
“We are growing to get better,
not just to get bigger,” he emphasized. The philosophy underpins
every partnership, acquisition, and
expansion. Piedmont has walked
away from as many potential
partners as it has accepted, Brown
said, because alignment matters
more than size. “First and most
important is whether the partnering organization is a cultural fit. Do
they emphasize quality first, as we
do, and put the patient first?”
The second question he always
asks about a potential partner:
What value can Piedmont add?
Brown says sometimes that
value brings world-class expertise
to communities previously forced
to send patients elsewhere. Other
times, the value flows in reverse.
Efficiencies and innovations developed in smaller markets have
strengthened the entire system, he
says.
Partnerships in Macon and
Columbus are examples where
new administrative and clinical
strengths enhanced behavioral
health and oncology capabilities
system-wide. “A ‘best of both’ approach has created an even stronger and well-functioning system,”
he emphasizes.
The outcomes are measurable.
Piedmont has become the statewide leader in clinical quality and
safety, outperforming other A-rated
health systems nationally. Its cost
per patient is lower today than
when Brown arrived.
Innovation with Discipline
Innovation is not just a buzzword at Piedmont; it’s a tactic. Its
CEO insists that Piedmont never
invests without a measurable plan
to increase quality or reduce cost.
“We have several criteria for
the approval of new innovations,”
Brown explained. “Some of these
include measurable improvements
to quality, improvements to the
work environment for our clinical or
administrative staff, and a plan for
offsetting any incremental cost.”
To keep decisions grounded,
Brown notes that Piedmont employs
a data-centered balanced scorecard,
a monthly performance transparency tool that compares quality,
service, talent and stewardship
across the entire organization. “If
a new initiative can’t demonstrate
improvement on the scorecard, it’s
not implemented,” Brown said. As
a result, Piedmont has driven costs
down while driving quality up.
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