Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 13, 2025 17 5 TO WATCH 'Inflection Point' Agwunobi returns to UConn Health, aiming to reduce system's reliance on state aid By Andrew Larson alarson@hartfordbusiness.com L ike a boomerang, Dr. Andrew Agwunobi is back in his former role as CEO of UConn Health — which includes the 234-bed John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington and its dental and medical schools — at a time of significant change. He left in early 2022 to become president of Home Solutions at health insurer Humana, after starting with UConn Health in 2014. Agwunobi, a pediatrician with an MBA from Stanford University, spent less than two years at Humana. On May 31, he returned to UConn Health as chief executive and exec- utive vice president of health affairs. He was selected after an extensive national search. Agwunobi's decision to reprise his UConn Health role was for "a combi- nation of personal and professional reasons," he said in a recent interview with the Hartford Business Journal. "I really enjoyed my time at Humana, and I learned a lot," Agwunobi said. "I was managing their in-home provider care, and it was very interesting, great work. But on a personal level, my wife and I love Connecticut." Agwunobi and his wife continued to live in their Westport home while he commuted to and from his Humana job in Boston via Amtrak each week. "I left for this national-level posi- tion, in which I knew I would learn a lot and be involved in the transforma- tion of health care at a national level," Agwunobi said. UConn, however, remained in his heart, he said. "When the search committee reached out to me and said, 'This position is open,'" Agwunobi recalled, "I thought about it and said, It checks a lot of boxes for me in terms of being back in a system that I really love, that is doing amazing work for the state of Connecticut, and also is at an inflection point in UConn Health history." The inflection point involves moving UConn Health — a public entity with 6,104 employees that is part of the University of Connecticut — toward a model that is less dependent on state funding. He said that shift could involve a number of public-private partnerships to help generate more revenue and reduce costs. 'Open-minded approach' Agwunobi has rejoined UConn Health following years of financial problems that led Gov. Ned Lamont's administration to hire healthcare investment banking firm Cain Brothers to identify the causes of the system's longstanding deficits. Cain Brothers' report was made public last June, less than a week after Agwunobi was announced as the health system's new CEO. Between fiscal years 2020 and 2023, UConn Health reported cash flow losses averaging $140 million per year, the report found. Cain Brothers concluded that the "largest reason for the lack of profitability is UConn Health's employee benefit costs, which are materially higher than the rest of the marketplace." It also said UConn Health is one Dr. Andrew Agwunobi has returned as the CEO of UConn Health, after a short stint in an executive role with health insurer Humana. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO of the smallest academic medical centers in the nation, and will not be able to "achieve necessary scale nor overcome market consolidation that is happening both nationally and across the state." The report laid out three main options to improve the system's Powell-Stafford said St. Francis is in good shape financially. According to its 990 tax filing for the fiscal year that ended in September 2023, the latest available, St. Francis reported $931 million in revenue and net income of nearly $4 million. Her additional priorities, however, "are really focused on meeting the needs of the community," she said. That includes expanding the hospi- tal's investment in technology, such as its surgical-robotics program. "We know that when you have a minimally invasive program, it leads to less complications, and people return to their life a lot quicker," she said. As an example, she cited the hospi- tals' thoracic oncology program, "which has significantly improved the way we care for lung cancer patients in our community." St. Francis was the first hospital in the state to use the Ion surgical system for COVID-19 lung biop- sies, she said. The system uses a thin catheter that can be maneu- vered more deeply into lung tissue than traditional methods, allowing for more precise biopsies. "Our physicians have completed over 750 procedures, which is the highest in the country," Powell-Stafford said, adding that the system is also used for bariatric, gynecological, orthopedic and general surgical procedures. The hospital also was the state's first to implant Aveir pacemakers, which are dual-chamber, leadless pacemakers that treat patients with abnormally low heart rate rhythms in a minimally invasive way. St. Francis Hospital is also known for its Connecticut Joint Replace- ment Institute and Spine Institute of Connecticut programs. Healthgrades named the hospital one of the 50 best for joint placement and ortho- pedic surgeries nationwide. "St. Francis was chosen to be a surgeon observation site for spine surgeries, the only one of its kind in New England," Powell-Stafford said. Patient experience Another priority she cited is improving the experience for patients. "That's a huge focus for us as well," she said. "We just opened up our new patient and visitor parking garage (in 2024), and have gotten a lot of great feedback from our patients and visitors. Again, it's that first impression of our hospital." St. Francis also wants to improve its directional signage to help visitors navigate its campus. "We have nine buildings here, … and so how can we further enhance our patients in a visual experience here? Or they're coming for an appointment or procedure or visiting a loved one," Powell-Stafford said. "We know that when you come to a hospital, you're usually anxious, right? You're scared, there's anxiety. How can we make that experience better for our folks? That's really what we're focused on." ANDREW AGWUNOBI CEO & EVP of Health Affairs UConn Health Education: Medical degree, University of Jos (Nigeria)/ pediatric residency, Howard University Hospital; MBA, Stanford University financial condition: • Leasing unused space at John Dempsey Hospital; • Scaling back-office operations with another hospital; • Merging with another hospital system. Agwunobi said he's still weighing the options contemplated in the report, but believes UConn Health should form public-private part- nerships in order to grow its reach across the state. "We're going to be very open- minded in terms of what those partnerships might look like, because we believe that being responsible stewards of the healthcare dollar is Continued on next page

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