By Lois Thomson, South Florida Hospital News, for ACHE of South Florida

Hunter Hannan joined ACHE – the American College of Healthcare Executives – because he thought it would be a great networking platform, a place to meet new people in the healthcare industry. Hunter found that, but he also gained so much more.

Hunter, the Director of Health System Partnerships for US Acute Care Solutions (USACS), the largest physician-owned provider of Emergency and Inpatient Medicine services in the country, said he learned about ACHE from some of the clinical leaders he worked with who highly recommended it. “They said it’s a great place to meet leaders and like-minded individuals in the healthcare space.” What he found in addition is that “ACHE is such an incredibly collaborative organization of individuals in healthcare – potentially from competing markets – coming together with the same issues or challenges, and being able to openly discuss the solutions they’re finding.”

He said the organization provides a platform for everyone to learn and to grow, and the networking aspect in building new connections is extremely valuable. “ACHE has opened a lot of doors for me to be introduced to individuals in healthcare that align with my organization’s mission to care for patients.”

US Acute Care Solutions is a physician-owned practice that provides comprehensive, integrated acute care services to hospitals and health systems, treating more than 11 million patients annually with some of the country’s leading health systems. Hunter’s responsibilities involve working with the organization’s clinical leadership teams to help identify opportunities both for providing support and for expanding services.

Hunter admitted that healthcare was not his first career choice out of college. After graduation from the Florida Atlantic University with a degree in Business Administration, he initially signed on with an insurance underwriting company. However, he explained, “At that time my mother got very sick with cancer. My sister had worked in healthcare and I saw the value it provided to me and my family – it saved my mother’s life. I thought being in healthcare was something I wanted to devote my professional career to.”

He went on to say how much he appreciates the work of everyone in healthcare. “The work they’re doing is truly saving lives, and my opportunity to be a part of that is a strong motivator for me and something I’m proud of. It’s one of the more important things you can do in life, to be of service – that’s truly what I feel healthcare is about.”

Hunter has emphasized how ACHE has enhanced his work by connecting him with so many new individuals. “I’ve been able to build relationships where we come in and support, or at least have a better understanding of, the challenges they’re facing. I met leaders who I now call close friends and have supported me and my organization. The ACHE has directly increased exposure of the work we’re doing to improve patient care from a clinical perspective.”

Having been a member of ACHE for 4 years, Hunter is serving on the board of the ACHE of South Florida chapter this year as Sponsorship Chair-Elect. Since joining, he said he has been fortunate to meet a number of board members and see how engaged they are with the chapter, and he wanted to get more involved. In his position, Hunter said he supports the Sponsorship Chair with maintaining the chapter’s sponsors, as well as generating new ones. “Serving on our chapter’s board is an incredible honor and one I do not take lightly.”

He pointed out that in his role of growth and development with USACS, plus the fact that USACS became a sponsor of ACHE in the past year, “I was able to see value in the sponsorship personally for me and for the organization, and I thought what better person to help grow sponsors than someone who has experience and truly understands the benefits that come with it.”

Hunter said he “can’t recommend enough” joining ACHE, no matter what stage of career you’re in. Those just beginning their careers have the opportunity to interact with a number of healthcare leaders and grow their network while making meaningful connections. Whereas those more seasoned can collaborate with other executives who are experiencing the same challenges. That may result in opportunities to speak with others, learn how they’re addressing those challenges, and obtain ideas to apply to their own work.