UMC Health System - Physician Notes

FOR OUR NEW CEO, NEW UMC HEALTH SYSTEM PRESIDENT AND CEO MARK FUNDERBURK, M.B.A., R.H.I.A., F.A.C.H.E., HELPED REMAKE OUR CULTURE BY USING SERVICE AS BOTH COMPASS AND MEASURING TOOL. NOW, IT'S THE FOUNDATION OF HIS VISION FOR UMC'SˆFUTURE. FUNDERBURK IS A familiar face to nearly everyone at UMC. Before stepping into the top leadership role on Jan. 1, he was the health system's chief operating officer for 17 years. A health crisis Funderburk weathered as a young man helped steer him to healthcare administration. "I was in real estate and insurance in my late 20s, and it wasn't very validating," Funderburk said. "At age 27, I was diagnosed with cancer. Going through that at a young age made me question my career and future. I had to ask myself, 'If you don't like where you are, what are you going to do to change it?'" After getting an M.B.A. from Texas Tech University in 1991, Funderburk entered a fellowship at UMC that was supposed to last a year. Since David Allison gave him the opportunity to oversee a department — Funderburk chose Medical Records — his stay at UMC turned into 27 years and counting. As COO, Funderburk saw UMC grow from a county hospital into an academic medical center with a regional service footprint. He also led the Service is Our Passion transformation of our culture that earned UMC national recognition for patient and employeesatisfaction. "I'm driven to make employees' experiences gratifying and patients' experiences memorable," Funderburk said. "Meaningful work happens when people understand how their contribution makes a difference — it is that connection that allows great things to be accomplished. Every hospital that wants to compete for patients, as well as attract and retain talented staff, has to have a differentiating factor. For us, it's a strong patient- and employee- centric culture called Service is Our Passion." THINKING AHEAD Sustaining that culture is paramount as Funderburk steers UMC into the future. His top priorities support the UMC strategic plan: + Service — "I want to compete more aggressively in the marketplace," Funderburk said. "I believe we have to, in order to live out and uphold our mission of treating all patients and supporting our partners, such as Texas Tech. Competitiveness must be at the forefront of what we do — exceptional service is the key." 4 PHYSICIAN NOTES /// WINTER 2018

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