"Helping Rochester's healthcare community reimagine itself rapidly to keep patients and staff safe, and pushing innovation forward to deal with numerous challenges over the past few years" is how the Rochester Business Journal describes its honorees, fitting right in with Bob Russell's credo of "disrupting the norm".
RHSC is very proud to share that Bob Russell, who has been the President & CEO at Rochester Hearing & Speech Center for four years, has been named to the RBJ's 2024 Power List for Health Care. This list includes individuals considered to have played a significant role in helping to improve the health of the Rochester community. "Being included in this distinguished group of 43 leaders in the health care industry is very humbling for me", says Russell. "As I always say, the work that we do is a complete team effort, and I would not be included in this list without the ability to work alongside our incredibly talented and dedicated staff, and our supportive and committed Board of Directors".
There are many accomplishments he is proud to say his team at RHSC has achieved over the past year. "Having the opportunity to raise public awareness for the challenges that our patients face each day and creating a dialogue in our community. This starts with Early Intervention services for children with developmental and learning disabilities, as the number of kids needing services continues to grow beyond the capacity of the number of clinicians in our area", says Russell. "On the audiology side of our agency, it has been creating awareness around the dangers of untreated hearing loss for all ages, which can lead to other cognitive disorders, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s." He goes on to mention that "RHSC was recently named a Preferred Hearing Health Provider by the NFL Players Association’s Professional Athletes Foundation which allows us to educate players and fans alike on ways that they can protect their hearing at games.
Russell goes on to acknowledge the challenges facing the healthcare industry going forward. "Our industry continues to face workforce shortage challenges, for recruitment and retention. A decline of clinical professionals available to meet the growing needs in our community has led to longer wait times for appointments and services. Early Intervention rates in New York State continue to be under funded, leading to fewer providers trying to see more children. Medicaid reimbursement rates are also very low, and with an aging population in our region, it is challenging to serve these needs, while maintaining a financially stable environment for non-profit agencies like ours."
As far as changes he would make to the healthcare industry, he includes "reviewing and restructuring reimbursement rates for services provided. As the only non-profit in Monroe County that provides the scope of services that we offer, dealing with clients ranging from newborns to seniors, the reimbursements have not grown at the same rate or speed as the need and demand for these services. This vast gap makes it challenging to maintain staffing, yet we continue to offer the highest level of patient care that we have been known for over the past 100 years."
For more, including Russell's advice he'd give to professionals just starting out in his field as well as his favorite things to do in Rochester, you can read his complete interview at the Rochester Business Journal's website by clicking HERE.
Comments