Day in the Life with Max Buetow

Traffic at the National Avenue and James River Freeway diverging diamond interchange serves as the view for the typical start to CoxHealth President and CEO Max Buetow’s day.

On this Monday, Buetow has his usual view of morning traffic in his corner of south Springfield, and he’s joined in his office on the fifth floor of Hulston Cancer Center by CoxHealth’s executive vice presidents.

Buetow has an even-keeled disposition, keeping an ear open to listen to the executives’ upcoming plans while weighing in as needed and asking questions for clarity.

A portion of the meeting focuses on planned new hires for CoxHealth’s transition to Epic as its electronic health record provider, as well as a new class of physicians coming on board.

“I’d like to celebrate these people,” says General Counsel Charity Elmer, who is joined at the meeting by Chief Operating Officer Amanda Hedgpeth, Chief Financial Officer Jake McWay and Cox Medical Group President Dr. Timothy Jones.

Buetow seems agreeable.

“Maybe when we do the new physician baseball game, we could have a callout,” says Buetow, who gestures while talking. “We’re going to need more suites at the ball field.”

With the meeting over at 9:30 a.m., Buetow takes care of some administrative work, penning his signature to thank donors to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals at CoxHealth.

Reflecting on his day-to-day duties, Buetow says his team of executives are a “great group of leaders” who help him effectively lead the health system.

“I don’t deal with a ton of fires. If it comes to me, it is a forest fire at that point,” he says. “I don’t want to get caught off guard and definitely don’t want our board to be caught off guard.”

Just after 10, Buetow heads across the skywalk over National Avenue to the main hospital, where he’s slated to chat with new employees during their orientation. Buetow says he factors in a bit of time between tasks, as his style is to be approachable and talk with CoxHealth employees en route.

He arrives at Foster Auditorium around 10:14 for the employee orientation, where 34 people are learning the ins and outs of the health system.

In a Q&A talk with Tina Moore, CoxHealth learning consultant, Buetow introduces himself to the new employees.

“I love orientation because it’s the sound of the cavalry coming,” he says, giving facts about himself that include his hometown of Denver, his love of hockey and career highlights, such as his more than 12-year employment at CoxHealth.

Buetow points to the potential for career advancement opportunities, using himself as an example. He says he recalls sitting in orientation feeling a bit of impostor syndrome after previously working in the manufacturing industry with Sara Lee Bakery Group.

“I’m not an exceptional person. I just happen to be in an exceptional organization,” Buetow says of CoxHealth.

His advancement advice to the new employees: Be vulnerable, ask questions and “bloom where you are planted.”

The new employees are encouraged to ask him questions, and several speak up. One individual inquires about the security team at CoxHealth.

“Our security teams are second to none,” Buetow says, noting the health system has made “significant investments” in security over the last five years.

He concludes, “My job ultimately is to support you in your jobs.”

With his part in orientation complete at 11:19, Buetow heads back across the skywalk to the Ambulatory Infusion Center inside Wheeler Heart and Vascular Center. It’s part of a process Buetow calls “rounding,” in which he visits departments within the hospital to hear directly from employees about what’s working and improvements that are needed. He carries a red notebook with the words “Rounding Notes” written on the front, and he takes notes throughout his visit to the center.

The Ambulatory Infusion Center is bustling with activity. It’s an active case zone, and Buetow seeks to get the lay of the land as employees head from one side of the center to the other tending to patients.

“What do you need as a leader?” Buetow asks Ambulatory Infusion Center leader Thelma Feuerborn.

“Space is the big one. We want to grow, but we’re landlocked,” Feuerborn replies.

Buetow pens the request in his notebook.

“What about communication?” he asks.

Feuerborn responds, “I really think communication is great.”

Buetow is back in his office around 12:05 p.m. for lunch.

After munching on a sandwich, he uses the remainder of the lunch time for more administrative tasks, checking emails and preparing for afternoon meetings.

At 1 p.m., Buetow has a meeting with Jarad Johnson and Spencer Harris of website design and digital marketing company Mostly Serious LLC. Heather Swearengin, CoxHealth’s vice president of consumer experience, also is in the meeting, which focuses on how Mostly Serious can potentially help the health system improve its customer experience.

“We don’t just want to be the best in health care,” Buetow says. “We want to be the best, period.”

Johnson and Harris ask probing questions. The two organizations have been partnering for around a decade, starting with Mostly Serious’ build-out of CoxHealth’s website.

“What stops us from pulling this off currently?” Johnson asks of CoxHealth’s customer experience goals. “We have to tear all of the guardrails down.”

The CoxHealth leaders seem receptive.

The meeting pauses around 1:40, when Buetow, Swearengin and the Mostly Serious leaders head to the top of the adjacent parking garage for a view of the solar eclipse.

Similar to his trips across the skywalk, Buetow uses the opportunity for networking with colleagues.

At the parking garage, Buetow is joined by employees and patients who want to get a glimpse of the eclipse. Health care workers in scrubs are alongside people in suits, like Buetow, who dons his eclipse glasses as the moon crosses in front of the sun.

“It feels weird out here, doesn’t it?” he remarks as the bright light from the sun begins to dim.

Buetow offers to grab a photo for a group of employees before heading inside.

The meeting with the Mostly Serious leaders concludes just after 2 p.m., and all agree to have follow-up conversations.

The remainder of Buetow’s day at the hospital concludes similarly to the start, with meetings.

He holds a closed-door meeting with Cox Medical Group’s Jones, part of a regular series of meetings in which Buetow gets up to date with his leadeship team every other week.

“What do I need to be aware of? What are the obstacles?” Buetow says of the questions answered in the team meetings. “I try to be very intentional.”

After work, Buetow heads home, where he holds a men’s Bible study.

“We’re doing a study in Corinthians called ‘act like men,’” says Buetow, who is a member of Crossway Baptist Church.

He says the individuals at his home Bible study, ranging from doctors to small-business owners and barbers, are seeking to become better husbands, bosses and citizens through the lens of a First Epistle to the Corinthians passage that reads as follows: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

After the Bible study, Buetow leaves to catch the second basketball game in a double-header to watch the second youngest of his four children, Claire, compete at the Fieldhouse.

“She goes all out,” Buetow says, noting Claire got her passion for basketball, in part, from his wife, Laura, a former college basketball player.

Buetow enjoys some Chinese food back at his home with family, and his day wraps with a personal Bible study.

It’s back to CoxHealth on Tuesday.