2010 Most Influential Women Honoree: Michele Schaefer

Michele Schaefer is a believer in the upside-down organization chart.

“I truly believe my role in the positions I’ve had is to serve others – a concept of servant leadership – so that they can best serve our patients and the community,” says Schaefer, senior vice president of regional operations for St. John’s Health System.

She is responsible for senior administrative oversight and integrations of St. John’s five regional hospitals, as well as long-term care, home health, hospice and durable medical equipment.

Schaefer’s résumé includes serving as CEO of Kansas City-based St. Joseph Health Center and chief operating officer of Blue Springs-based St. Mary’s Hospital and senior vice president and COO of St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.

In all roles, Schaefer says teamwork and collaboration have been essential.

“No matter what my official title has been, my job has always been to help others closest to the patient carry out the mission of the organization by helping them obtain the tools and knowledge necessary for their jobs,” she says.

Schaefer says one of her first accomplishments at St. John’s was bringing the First Touch program on board.

“This program allowed caregivers to get back to the basics of patient care and helped to improve our patient satisfaction scores significantly,” she says.

Since taking on her current role in December 2009, Schaefer has incorporated the new referral patterns to Springfield from the Joplin and Rogers, Ark., facilities and expanded durable medical equipment services to two additional markets.

Her proudest professional accomplishment, she says, was the part she played in the finalizing of an affiliation agreement between St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and St. John’s, allowing the research center to become a domestic affiliate.

“To be able to bring that level of expertise to the community, and to keep children close to home for cancer care is very satisfying,” Schaefer says.

Schaefer has bachelor’s degrees in business administration and health care administration from Wichita State University, Wichita, Kan., and a master’s in health administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Throughout her career, she says she’s shared her knowledge with others through mentoring. She also encourages others through public recognition of their accomplishments and empowering them in the workplace.

“Including others in decision-making allows them to gain experience and grow through those experiences,” she says.

Schaefer is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Missouri Hospital Association’s work force development committee. She has been involved with the American Heart Association, American Cancer Association and the United Way in the communities where she has lived.

“I have been an active board member of school, church, and professional societies and try to utilize my leadership skills and knowledge from health care and apply them as best I can to the particular organization,” she says.[[In-content Ad]]