UPDATED: Monday, April 11 at 4:17 p.m.
Last week, you voted Intermountain Healthcare CEO Marc Harrison as the champion of our #FierceMadness competition.
Harrison told me that #FierceMadness may be "the only tournament" he ever wins, but that the victory ultimately reflects more than just his own efforts. The health system, which includes about 60,000 employees, has put a focus on gathering feedback from its frontline workers to address the industry's biggest challenges.
Harrison said last year alone the company implemented 50,000 ideas from its frontline workers.
"I represent their hard work and their ambition to serve people more effectively," Harrison said.
In the final round, Harrison took 61% of the vote to claim the crown. The votes highlight industry peers' view of Intermountain as an industry leader.
Harrison said that reach and influence are critical to transforming healthcare and pushing for real, substantial change. Rethinking healthcare requires more than writing papers and having internal conversations about new approaches, he said.
"Intermountain provides us with a bully pulpit to share our views around how healthcare can be higher quality, more affordable, more equitable," Harrison said.
Harrison added that one of his early goals in taking the CEO role at Intermountain was to move the health system away from a holding company model, and that it had already established frequent rounding and check-ins across its teams before the pandemic began.
Once COVID-19 hit, Intermountain was well-positioned to nimbly respond to the demands of the pandemic.
What advice would Harrison have for other leaders? "Be courageous," he said. Addressing healthcare's biggest pitfalls requires leaders to have the courage to stand up and talk about them.
"I'd just ask people to follow their hearts and their brains, they know what to do," Harrison said.
UPDATED: Wednesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m.
We have our winner!
After gathering 2,299 votes over the last two days, it's official: Intermountain Healthcare CEO Marc Harrison, M.D., is our #FierceMadness champion.
Harrison defeats Cerner CEO David Feinberg, M.D., with 61% of the vote. Both competitors have taken down top contenders on the way to the finals, with Harrison knocking out infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci as well as Kaiser Permanente CEO Greg Adams.
Feinberg counts victories over Epic CEO Judy Faulkner and CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch.
Harrison has been CEO of Intermountain since 2016, and under his leadership the health system has launched a number of new initiatives to combat healthcare's greatest challenges. Chief among them is the 2018 launch of Civica Rx, a nonprofit drugmaker that aims to produce low-cost generics for some of the most in-demand medications.
Intermountain spearheaded the Civica project, and the company has signed on plenty of other massive health systems including Mayo Clinic, Trinity Health and HCA Healthcare.
Intermountain boasts some 59,000 employees. Harrison is also a pediatric critical care physician.
Was Harrison your pick to win it all? Let us know on Twitter at @FierceHealth.
UPDATED: Monday, April 4 at 1:18 p.m.
We've officially reached our #FierceMadness championship.
Over the past two weeks, you've weighed in to help us whittle down the field of powerful people in the provider, insurance, health tech and regulatory spaces. And now, it's time to crown a winner.
Marc Harrison, CEO of Intermountain Health, has officially ended CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch's streak of dominance, and he advances to the finals with 54% of the vote. Cerner CEO David Feinberg defeats infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci as well, earning 59% of the vote to make the final round.
The results mean that the Fierce Healthcare teams' brackets are all officially busted. Senior editor Heather Landi was the last one standing, but Lynch's defeat also knocks out her bracket.
Voting for the championship round begins now and will close on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET. Submit your votes at this link or in the poll embedded farther down this article.
To help you decide, here's a look at our finalists:
Marc Harrison vs. David Feinberg
Marc Harrison stepped into the CEO role in 2016 at Utah's Intermountain Healthcare.
David Feinberg stepped into the CEO role at Cerner in August 2021. He had a leadership role at Google Health and served as president and CEO of both UCLA Health and Geisinger Health.
UPDATED: Wednesday, March 30 at 6:15 p.m.
After nearly two weeks of your votes, we've reached the Final Four in our #FierceMadness competition.
The Final Four crowns the winners of each of our bracket wings, and now the competitors will advance to meet an executive from another sector of the industry.
The major theme of the voting results this round? Consistency. Each matchup was decided by a similar margin and there were no huge blowout victories this time. Intermountain CEO Marc Harrison won by the largest margin, besting Mayo Clinic chief Gianrico Farrugia with 66% of the vote.
Karen Lynch, CEO of CVS Health, defeated Anthem CEO Gail Boudreaux with 64% of the vote. Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, advances as well, beating Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure with 57% of the vote.
This round's tightest matchup determined the victor in the health tech wing. David Feinberg, CEO of Cerner, defeated Teladoc CEO Jason Gorevic by earning 54% of the vote.
Voting begins now for the Final Four. Determine our top two by voting at this link or in the embedded poll farther down in this article. Get your votes in by 6 p.m. ET on Friday.
Here's a look at this round's matchups:
Marc Harrison vs. Karen Lynch
Marc Harrison stepped into the CEO role in 2016 at Utah's Intermountain Healthcare.
Karen Lynch became the CEO of CVS Health, the parent company of Aetna, in 2021.
Anthony Fauci vs. David Feinberg
Anthony Fauci, M.D., is an infectious disease expert and chief medical adviser to the president.
David Feinberg stepped into the CEO role at Cerner in August 2021. He had a leadership role at Google Health and served as president and CEO of both UCLA Health and Geisinger Health.
UPDATED: Monday, March 28 at 3:50 p.m.
Well, it's official: My bracket is busted.
I had banked on UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty going all the way and winning our #FierceMadness crown. However, he was bested by Anthem chief Gail Boudreaux in our Sweet 16. Boudreaux has won another close round, this time taking down her opponent by just three votes.
@FierceHealth. (Questex)
At least I'm not the only one on the Fierce Healthcare team going bust with Witty's loss — reporter Rebecca Torrence had also picked him as our champion.
Boudreaux does not stand alone with a three-vote win in this round, either. Teladoc CEO Jason Gorevic also advances to the Elite 8 with a three-tally victory, besting Anne Wojcicki of 23andMe.
Witty was not the only heavy hitter to fall short on the path to the Elite 8. Greg Adams, CEO of Kaiser Permanente, bows out in the Sweet 16 as well, falling to Intermountain Healthcare CEO Marc Harrison. Harrison earned 69% of the vote in this round.
Adams' loss busts reporter Anastassia Gliadkovskaya's bracket, leaving senior editor Heather Landi as the last woman standing for Fierce Healthcare. Send us your picks and let us know if your bracket has also gone bust.
Heather is betting on CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch to take the prize, and her pick seems an increasingly shrewd one. Lynch dominated the opening round and repeated that feat in the Sweet 16, defeating Health Care Service Corporation CEO Maurice Smith with 82% of the vote.
And it looks like Google Health's Karen DeSalvo may be making a donation to the Cerner Charitable Foundation. Cerner CEO David Feinberg threw down the gauntlet with his colleague and competitor on Twitter, suggesting that the winner of their matchup make a donation to the charity of the other's choice. Feinberg advances to the Elite 8 with 69% of the vote.
Voting for the Elite 8 round begins now and will close at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Get your picks in at this link or through the poll embedded farther down in the article.
To help you decide, here's a look at this round's matchups:
Providers
Marc Harrison vs. Gianrico Farrugia
Marc Harrison stepped into the CEO role in 2016 at Utah's Intermountain Healthcare.
Gianrico Farrugia has served as the CEO of Mayo Clinic since 2019.
Payers
Gail Boudreaux vs. Karen Lynch
Gail Boudreaux is the CEO of Anthem, a role she's held since 2017.
Karen Lynch became the CEO of CVS Health, the parent company of Aetna, in 2021.
Policymakers and public health experts
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure vs. Anthony Fauci
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure was confirmed as Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator in May 2021.
Anthony Fauci, M.D., is an infectious disease expert and chief medical adviser to the president.
Health tech
David Feinberg vs. Jason Gorevic
David Feinberg stepped into the CEO role at Cerner in August 2021. He had a leadership role at Google Health and served as president and CEO of both UCLA Health and Geisinger Health.
Jason Gorevic has been CEO of Teladoc since 2009.
UPDATED: Tuesday, March 23 at 6:28 p.m.
Thanks to hundreds of you submitting your votes, we've narrowed the field to the Sweet 16.
at @FierceHealth. (Questex)
Several matchups in the initial round were quite tight. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure edged out Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, earning 51% of the vote to his 49%.
Brooks-LaSure's win hasn't totally busted my bracket but did knock out a contender I had making the championship round.
In the payer wing, Anthem chief Gail Boudreaux earned a close victory over Humana CEO Bruce Broussard with 53% of the vote.
The biggest victory? Teledoc CEO Jason Gorevic earned a whopping 83% of the vote to defeat Zus Health CEO and athenahealth co-founder Jonathan Bush. CVS Health CEO Karen Lynch also solidified herself as a force to be reckoned with in this competition, earning 77% of the vote to defeat longtime Centene chief Michael Neidorff.
So we're asking you to vote again to whittle things down further to our Elite 8. Click this link to submit your vote, or scroll to the poll farther down this article. Voting closes at 6 p.m. ET on Friday.
Here's a preview of the matchups in this round:
Providers
Greg Adams vs. Marc Harrison
Greg Adams is the CEO of California-based healthcare giant Kaiser Permenante, a role he stepped into in December 2019.
Marc Harrison stepped into the CEO role in 2016 at Utah's Intermountain Healthcare.
Rod Hochman vs. Gianrico Farrugia
Rod Hochman is the long-time CEO of Providence, a role he's held since 2016.
Gianrico Farrugia has served as the CEO of Mayo Clinic since 2019.
Payers
Andrew Witty vs. Gail Boudreaux
Andrew Witty became CEO of UnitedHealth Group in early 2021.
Gail Boudreaux is the CEO of Anthem, a role she's held since 2017.
Karen Lynch vs. Maurice Smith
Karen Lynch became the CEO of CVS Health, the parent company of Aetna, in 2021.
Maurice Smith is CEO of Health Care Service Corporation, a role he's held since 2020.
Policymakers and public health experts
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure vs. Robert Califf
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure was confirmed as Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator in May 2021.
Robert Califf was confirmed as Food and Drug Administration commissioner earlier this year.
Ashish Jha vs. Anthony Fauci
Ashish Jha, M.D., is a public health expert and dean of the Brown School of Public Health; he's been tapped as the White House's new COVID czar.
Anthony Fauci, M.D., is an infectious disease expert and chief medical adviser to the president.
Health tech
Karen DeSalvo vs. David Feinberg
Karen DeSalvo has been chief health officer at Google since 2019.
David Feinberg stepped into the CEO role at Cerner in August 2021. He had a leadership role at Google Health and served as president and CEO of both UCLA Health and Geisinger Health.
Jason Gorevic vs. Anne Wojcicki
Jason Gorevic has been CEO of Teladoc since 2009.
Anne Wojcicki has served as CEO of 23andMe since its founding in 2006.
In 2019, we tasked our readers with crowning the healthcare industry's biggest buzzword, and, in a tight competition, "Big Data" reigned supreme.
This year, Fierce Healthcare's #FierceMadness is back, and we want you to help us determine the industry's most influential person. In the spirit of March Madness, we're asking you to fill out a bracket with your picks and vote to help us name a winner.
Each round over the next several weeks will feature face-offs between healthcare power brokers, leading to a final victor.
We've compiled a list of 32 top executives, experts and policymakers across four segments of the industry: health systems, insurers, public health and policy, and health tech. For the first three rounds, our picks will compete against their peers in the same sector, paired at random, before meeting the champion of another sector in the Final Four.
On April 6, we'll crown the biggest titan of the industry.
Get your votes in now for round one. Then, fill out a bracket and share it with us on Twitter at @FierceHealth. We'll be retweeting your picks and sharing brackets filled out by our team as #FierceMadness kicks off.
at @FierceHealth. ((Questex))
Think we missed anyone on our initial list? Let us know on social.
Andm as a disclaimer: This is all in good fun. If you'd like to nominate a colleague or company for more formal recognition, keep an eye out for our Most Influential Minority Executives and Women of Influence, which will be awarded later this year.
Voting closes for round one at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Get your picks through the poll at the bottom of this article or at this link.
Here's a look at the matchups:
Providers
Greg Adams vs. Michael Dowling
Greg Adams is the CEO of California-based healthcare giant Kaiser Permenante, a role he stepped into in December 2019.
Michael Dowling has led New York's Northwell Health since 2002.
Eugene Woods vs. Marc Harrison
Eugene Woods has helmed Charlotte, North Carolina-based Atrium Health since 2016.
Marc Harrison stepped into the CEO role in 2016 at Utah's Intermountain Healthcare.
Samuel Hazen vs. Rod Hochman
Samuel Hazen is CEO of HCA Healthcare, taking that position in 2019.
Rod Hochman is the long-time CEO of Providence, a role he's held since 2016.
Tomislav Mihaljevic vs. Gianrico Farrugia
Tomislav Mihaljevic became CEO of Cleveland Clinic in 2017.
Gianrico Farrugia has served as the CEO of Mayo Clinic since 2019.
Payers
Andrew Witty vs. David Cordani
Andrew Witty became CEO of UnitedHealth Group in early 2021.
David Cordani has helmed Cigna as its CEO since 2009.
Gail Boudreaux vs. Bruce Broussard
Gail Boudreaux is the CEO of Anthem, a role she's held since 2017.
Bruce Broussard became the CEO of Humana in 2013.
Karen Lynch vs. Michael Neidorff
Karen Lynch became the CEO of CVS Health, the parent company of Aetna, in 2021.
Michael Neidorff has served as CEO of Centene Corporation since 1996 and plans to retire this year.
Mario Schlosser vs. Maurice Smith
Mario Schlosser has helmed insurance startup Oscar Health since its founding in 2012.
Maurice Smith is CEO of Health Care Service Corporation, a role he's held since 2020.
Policy makers and public health experts
Xavier Becerra vs. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
Xavier Becerra was sworn in as Department of Health and Human Services secretary in March 2021.
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure was confirmed as Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator in May 2021.
Robert Califf vs. Patty Murray
Robert Califf was confirmed as Food and Drug Administration commissioner earlier this year.
Patty Murray, D-Washington, is the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
Richard Burr vs. Ashish Jha
Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, is the ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee.
Ashish Jha, M.D., is a public health expert and dean of the Brown School of Public Health; he's been tapped as the White House's new COVID czar.
Rochelle Walensky vs. Anthony Fauci
Rochelle Walensky, M.D., is the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Anthony Fauci, M.D., is an infectious disease expert and chief medical adviser to the president.
Health tech
Neil Lindsay vs. Karen DeSalvo
Neil Lindsay is senior vice president of health and brand at Amazon, a role that oversees the company's health efforts, which he took on in 2021.
Karen DeSalvo has been chief health officer at Google since 2019.
Judy Faulkner vs. David Feinberg
Judy Faulkner is the CEO of electronic health record provider Epic, which she has helmed since its founding in 1979.
David Feinberg stepped into the CEO role at Cerner in August 2021. He had a leadership role at Google Health and served as president and CEO of both UCLA Health and Geisinger Health.
Jonathan Bush vs. Jason Gorevic
Jonathan Bush, the co-founder of athenahealth, has helmed Zus Health as CEO since 2020.
Jason Gorevic has been CEO of Teladoc since 2009.
Anne Wojcicki vs. Vivian Lee
Anne Wojcicki has served as CEO of 23andMe since its founding in 2006.
Vivian Lee became president of health platforms at Verily in 2018.