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HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 19 Spotlighting healthcare industry power players W hile the pandemic is in the rearview mirror, the health- care industry still faces a host of challenges. Whether it's labor shortages, inflation, rising drug costs or competitive challenges, numerous factors are creating financial and other pressures on healthcare organizations. In this week's issue, Hartford Business Journal publishes its fifth annual Power 25 Health Care list, which identifies leaders who are playing significant roles in address- ing the many challenges facing the industry. This isn't an awards section. HBJ's Power 25 Health Care list was chosen by HBJ's editorial team, and it includes a mix of es- tablished players as well as some fresh faces to our region. We're curious to know what you think. Feel free to send feedback. Power 25 Health Care will be back next year with some new names and faces, so be pre- pared to make suggestions. Greg Bordonaro Editor gbordonaro@hartfordbusiness.com Jeffrey Flaks J effrey Flaks is one of the most influential healthcare leaders in Connecticut, and he's been a major cheerleader not just of Hartford but the state as a whole. He's been pushing for Connecticut to be considered a national leader in health care. In an op-ed published earlier this year, Flaks argued the state has the "technology, the tools and the talent to showcase Connecticut as the health care capital of the nation." He pointed out statistics, including that America's Health Rankings ranks Connecticut No. 4 in the nation for overall health. A few months after penning the op-ed, in June, Flaks joined the board of Advan- ceCT, a nonprofit economic development organization that works to attract compa- nies to the state. Flaks, who has been with HHC since 2004, has helped oversee a gradual transformation of the system into a much larger, decentralized organization with hospitals, physician practices, surgical centers and urgent care facilities spread throughout the state. Efforts to coordinate that care statewide are centered in Hartford, at HHC's new downtown headquarters, which serves as a node for scheduling, imaging, electronic health records and other technology in one location. Flaks oversees a statewide health system that recorded $5.4 billion in operating revenue in fiscal 2022, which represented 34.6% of the operating dollars collected by all Connecticut health systems combined. HHC is the second-largest health system in Connecticut, behind Yale New Haven Health. With its 2019 purchase of Bridge- port-based St. Vincent's Medical Center, HHC made a big play in Fairfield County, investing millions to renovate the aging facility. It's also been aggressive in purchasing physician practices and surgical centers, which has, at times, drawn the ire of competitors, including Trinity Health Of New England, and patient consumer groups. A key focus for Flaks in the last few years has been on partnerships and innovation. In June, Hartford HealthCare announced plans to expand its relationship with Manhattan-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, including building a new cancer center in Fairfield. This past spring, HHC and medical tech- nology company GE HealthCare extended a partnership that will enable the health system to frequently upgrade its imaging devices to the latest technology. POWER 25 | Healthcare POWER HEALTH CARE 25