The Value Circle: A Profile of J. Richard Gaintner, MD. (Physician Anger)‪.‬

THE ARRIVAL OF A CEO generally signifies a major transition, as organizational styles merge and a new culture forms. In April 1997, J. Richard Gaintner, MD, became CEO of Shands HealthCare, the clinical enterprise associated with the University of Florida. He faced the usual complement of internal divisions and conflicts, reflecting an underlying uncertainty about mission, frustration over the lack of alignment among the system's components, and the natural tendency to try to fix blame rather than confront the fundamental changes underway in health care. He took the helm of a major academic medical center buffered in a college town of about 150,000 in north central Florida. The seismic change of major urban markets and the relatively pristine climate of Gainesville presented a major strategic challenge. Success would depend very heavily on the ability to help people see the predicament clearly, a challenge made more difficult by the fact that Gainesville was just beginning to experience the sweeping change already underway elsewhere. His role was to teach, as well as to lead and manage.