Hospital Chief Knows Cooperation Versatility Marks New President Of Sacred Heart Medical Center

At his last job, he presided over the ongoing merger of two hospitals - one Catholic and one non-Catholic.

He did the Macarena on a lost bet. He sang karaoke at a company picnic. He cooked Mickey Mouse pancakes for his hard-working staff.

Ryland “Skip” Davis, 56, doesn’t like to sit behind a desk. He wears subtle polka-dot socks with subtle pinstripe pants.

Now he’s the new president of Sacred Heart Medical Center, the city’s largest private employer.

“Oh, you’re lucky,” said Maria Veronico-Ventura, a vice president at St. Catherine’s Hospital in Kenosha, Wis., where Davis last worked. “I’m jealous. Skip did so many things for St. Catherine’s and its employees.”

Davis started his new job Monday, replacing retired president Gerald Leahy. Leahy was the first lay president of the Catholic hospital, but he worked at Sacred Heart for 28 years before being named to the top job in 1988.

Davis will be the hospital’s first “outside” president, managing 2,900 full-time employees, 900 part-time workers and an annual budget of $340 million. He comes to Spokane at a delicate time, with the business of health care swimming in change.

Many in the medical profession are watching Davis, seeing which way he will take Sacred Heart. He isn’t being specific - yet.

“To be selected as an outsider to come to this institution and be responsible for its future … it’s flattering,” said Davis, holding his glasses in his left hand like a pointer. “It’s also an awesome responsibility.”

He plans to continue working together with other Spokane hospitals.

Sacred Heart and Deaconess Medical Center have combined their rehabilitation units and air ambulance service. They’re working on a doctor-hospital network and combining information services. They take turns treating trauma cases.

Sacred Heart works closely with Holy Family Hospital, as well. The Sisters of Providence operate both Sacred Heart and Holy Family on the North Side.

Davis wants to work with the other hospitals on a strategic plan for community health care. He sees mergers - or alliances, as he prefers to call them - likely years down the road.

“He’s an impressive fellow and has quite a resume,” said Tom White, president of Deaconess. “I think Spokane is fortunate to have somebody with his character and qualifications to lead Sacred Heart. We’ll be able to continue the work we’ve started, as far as collaboration.”

Davis has spent more than 28 years in the health-care industry, showing the versatility of a decathlete.

He served as the president of a Burbank, Calif., health-maintenance organization and helped restructure the company as it was absorbed by another plan. He led Catholic hospitals in Joplin, Mo., and Roseburg, Ore. He’s consulted on three major hospital mergers. He’s worked with clinics and hospital management firms.

Davis served as the vice president of Hospital Affiliates International, responsible for 17 hospitals in 13 states.

“Many hospital administrators have been fundamentally in hospitals,” he said. “By moving out of there, along with consulting, I bring some experience to the table probably not found.”

He also brings some serious flight time. Since 1979, Davis has commuted every week from his job, wherever it’s been, to his home in Sacramento, Calif., to avoid uprooting his family.

The children are grown now, and Davis and his wife have moved to Spokane. This will be the first time in 17 years the couple will live together full time.

Like his life, health care is in the middle of profound change. It’s facing contractions and reorganizations, but also offering more care options, Davis said.

He wants to ensure that Sacred Heart is positioned for the future. Most troubled hospitals he’s worked with haven’t planned for change, streamlining and reorganizing to meet the challenges of new technology and managed care.

“Then major surgery has to occur to put them back on-line,” Davis said.

He would not reveal his salary. The hospital’s non-profit tax filing with the Internal Revenue Service won’t include it yet.

Davis most recently worked as a senior vice president with The Hunter Group, a Florida-based hospital management firm. As part of that job, he managed six hospitals in transition.

His last assignment was in Kenosha, Wis., where a short stint to merge two hospitals turned into 16 months. St. Catherine’s and the Kenosha Hospital and Medical Center still haven’t merged, but they’re close, awaiting state approval.

The staff at St. Catherine’s describe Davis as more than a consultant. They say he was a mentor, someone who demanded a lot of work but gave as much in return.

“I’m going to get real emotional here,” Veronico-Ventura said. “He’s probably the best boss I’ve ever had. He brought stability. He brought honesty, truly a sense of caring about us and St. Catherine’s and our history.”

He also had a sense of humor, betting the biggest Packers fan at the hospital twice that his 49ers would beat Green Bay. He lost both times. The first year Davis lost his job for a day. The second year he did the Macarena for the staff.

“Here in Wisconsin, we’ve got our own version,” said Ron Edquist, a huge Packers fan and the director of environmental services. “It’s the Packer-ena.”

When Davis left, his going-away presents included a karaoke machine that came with a pair of sunglasses and enough Green Bay Packers’ souvenirs to choke a fan. He arrived at his new office on Monday to find a lot of the old still around. Former co-workers conspired with new ones to cover the office in Packers’ paraphernalia.

There’s AstroTurf from a practice field on the desk, a Packers pencil, a Packers banner, a candy dish full of green-and-yellow candy and a street sign for Lombardi Avenue, in honor of the celebrated coach Vince Lombardi.

Davis also received an 8-ball with a floating triangle that answers all yes and no questions. It sits on his new desk.

“Any important decision, will be made by that,” he joked.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo