Chris Van Gorder, FACHE President and Chief Executive Officer

From the boardroom to the backcountry, Chris Van Gorder thrives on challenge. Whether running a $1.7 billion corporation or leading a search and rescue team to find a lost hiker, Mr. Van Gorder applies his trademark tenacity to every endeavor.

As president and CEO of Scripps Health since 2000, Mr. Van Gorder has led the not-for-profit health system through a remarkable financial and cultural turnaround, and in the process repositioned Scripps among the nation’s leading health care institutions.

Based in San Diego, Calif., Scripps operates five acute-care hospital campuses, 13 outpatient clinics, and regional home health care services with more than 2,600 affiliated physicians and 11,000 employees. Mr. Van Gorder oversees all functions of the corporation.

When he was suddenly named CEO shortly after arriving at Scripps in 1999, Scripps was in trouble. It was losing $21 million a year, its medical staffs had voted no confidence in management and employee morale had hit bottom. He responded to the crisis much in the same way he responded to dispatch calls when he was a police officer: with a steady hand, sense of urgency and clarity of purpose.

He implemented a transparent, participatory management style and created a physician leadership cabinet, which dramatically improved physician relations and is now a model for other health systems. He streamlined business operations, built strategic alliances, enhanced internal efficiencies and improved employee satisfaction. Today, a reinvigorated Scripps is in the midst of a $2.2 billion growth and expansion plan across the region.

Mr. Van Gorder’s rise to health care executive has been unconventional. His journey began as a hospital patient, when as a police officer he was critically injured during a family dispute call. After a lengthy recovery and starting a new career in hospital security, Mr. Van Gorder continued his education in health care management and rose to levels of increased responsibility. Today, Mr. Van Gorder continues to serve the public as a reserve commander in the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Search & Rescue Unit and as a licensed emergency medical technician (EMT). His volunteer work was honored in 2006 with the Maltese Cross Award: Spirit of Courage by the San Diego County Fire Chiefs and again in 2007 with the MedAssets Outstanding Humanitarian Award.

Mr. Van Gorder received his master’s degree in public administration/health services administration at the University of Southern California, completed the Wharton System CEO Program at the University of Pennsylvania and earned his bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles. Board certified in health care management and a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), Mr. Van Gorder serves as ACHE governor for District 5, encompassing the 12 Western states.

In March 2006, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Mr. Van Gorder to the California Commission on Emergency Medical Services. In January 2007, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reappointed Mr. Van Gorder to the U.S. Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).He currently serves on the board of directors of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corp. and is a member of the American Hospital Association’s regional policy board (region 9). He is a clinical professor in health administration at the University of Southern California, where he also serves on the health care administration advisory board of the university’s school of policy, planning and development. In 2007 Mr. Van Gorder received USC’s prestigious Guardian Award for his significant achievements in health care and his commitment to the community. Also in 2007, he was named as one of the nation’s “100 Most Powerful in Health Care” by Modern Healthcare_magazine.

In addition, Mr. Van Gorder is a member of the editorial boards of _HealthLeaders_and the Governance Institute; a member of the San Diego Center for Patient Safety advisory board; and a board member of the Whittier Institute for Diabetes.

Mr. Van Gorder was part of medical history following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, M.D., asked a Scripps medical unit to staff a temporary clinic for hurricane survivors in the Houston Convention Center. The request for Scripps’ assistance marked the first time the federal government asked a private health care organization for long-term support for a nationally organized disaster relief plan.

Critical Care: How Chris Van Gorder Won Back the Professional Staff and the Bottom Line at Scripps Health (PDF, 320 KB)
Smart Business San Diego, October 2006