By Dana Guzzetti
Thomas Harlan, president and chief administrative officer of John Muir Medical Center-Concord Campus, will give up his 80-hour work week for a little consulting, travel and his new winemaking endeavor, labeled August Truth.
Orinda resident Harlan, 63, said, “We decided several months back that there are other priorities.”
He plans to begin retirement with his wife Ruth by visiting family in the eastern United States.
“I’m not going to just go to the beach and lie in the sun. I have gotten a few calls already (for consults),” he said.
Clearly, Harlan has savored his work as a health care administrator since joining then-Mt. Diablo Medical Center, part of John Muir Health, in 1999.
“I am most proud that we have reached our all-time highest patient satisfaction and quality scores,” he said. “We have been ranked in the top five hospitals in California for cardiac surgery for the past two years, and the Concord Campus ranked best in San Francisco, Oakland and Contra Costa for overall cardiac services and cardiac surgery.”
He was referring to scores by HealthGrades, a hospital rating system that also ranked the John Muir Health system in the top five in California for the past two years. Harlan expects when the new ratings are announced, they will be equal to or better than the results of the past.
Harlan considered the development of a long-range master plan for the Concord hospital and the groundbreaking for the six-level patient care tower at the Concord campus as other satisfying career landmarks.
J. Kendall Anderson, president and chief executive officer of John Muir Health, listed accomplishments under Harlan’s leadership – – the successful financial turnaround of the Concord campus in 2002; establishment of the hospitalist program; implementation of a new Emergency Department physician contract; consolidation of obstetrics at the Walnut Creek Campus; improvement in patient satisfaction; and donation of the Intuitive daVinci Robotic Surgical System — among the reasons for Concord City Council’s approval of the Cardiovascular Institute and new Emergency Department projects.
Harlan earned the American College of Healthcare Executives Senior Leadership Award during his career in Concord.
“Anyone who knows Tom has great admiration and respect for his intellect, thoughtfulness and composure. These leadership traits are consistent, whether he’s addressing real tough times or just normal tough times,” said Ken Meehan, executive vice president of hospital operations.
“Tom took the chief administrative officer job, at what was Mt. Diablo Medical Center, during a time of crisis and was able to set a tone of both understanding and honesty that earned him the trust of the physicians and employees.”
Harlan also made community involvement a cornerstone of his management style. Among groups he supported were the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, the Contra Costa/Alameda Section of the Hospital Council (chairman in 2005), the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California, and the American Heart Association East Bay.
Prior to joining the John Muir health system, he served 18 years as a senior executive at Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center (now California Pacific) in San Francisco, and eight years as chief executive officer of Chinese Hospital and Chinese Community Health Plan in San Francisco.
Since Sept. 3, Harlan has been busy helping his interim replacement, Thomas Hayes, become familiar with the position to be filled Sept. 27.
“There is a wonderful person who will be here,” Harlan said about Hayes.
With 25 years in hospital administration, Hayes retired last year from Fremont-Rideout Health Group in Yuba City, where he administered three acute care hospitals.
Harlan said he believes it will take a few months to find a permanent replacement.
“After 40 years in executive-level health care management, my decision to retire at this time has been very difficult.”
Having said that, Harlan then looked forward to his next challenge, describing how he and his wife, Ruth, chose the name, August Truth, for their new winemaking venture — “Truth came from Tom and Ruth.”
(c) 2008 Oakland Tribune. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.
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