By Neill Marshall, Chairman, HealthSearch Partners and Kurt Mosley, Associations Practice Leader, HealthSearch Partners
Shane Cerone (pictured above) is President and CEO of Kada Health, in Omaha, NE. He provides health system leadership and board advisory services to healthcare organizations seeking to achieve best-in-class performance in care quality, accessibility, and affordability. Using the Kada Health Operating System, he leads rapid transformation on a large scale for his healthcare clients seeking to transform their operating and financial performance. He is a passionate advocate for the importance of engaging the entire workforce in both rapid and sustainable performance improvement that achieves excellence for the long term. Prior to his current position, Cerone spent many years in executive leadership positions, including President and CEO, for large hospitals and health systems in Michigan, Missouri, and Iowa.
Small Changes, Big Impact – Driving Success Through Incremental Improvements
At the heart of every successful healthcare organization are its people—the nurses, physicians, administrative staff, and support personnel who keep the system running. But too often, their voices and ideas are underutilized. Shane Cerone, CEO of Kada Health and a seasoned turnaround leader, has spent decades challenging that norm.
Cerone is a contrarian in one key way: he doesn’t believe in silver bullets.
“Great organizations aren’t transformed by one big idea,” he says. “They’re built through thousands of small, smart improvements, made consistently by people closest to the work.”
One of his favorite examples? Ambulance diversion at a large academic medical center.
The problem had persisted for years but in just six months, the team had eliminated diversion for the organization — not due to a single heroic solution, but through hundreds of changes such as repurposing underutilized spaces, adjusting staff schedules, modifying workflows and more.
The Power of Focus: Kada Health’s Six Goal Domains
At Kada Health, every change is aligned with one of six organizational goals:
- Patient Safety
- Care Quality
- Customer Experience
- Efficiency & Margin
- Growth & Impact
- Stability
Departments are expected to own one or two measurable improvements. That clarity sharpens focus and fuels momentum.
“Everyone rowing in the same direction creates speed,” Cerone explains. “And when goals are shared, wins compound.”
Culture Is the Long Game: Building for the Future
By making improvement a daily habit rather than a top-down mandate, Cerone builds what he calls a “culture of improvement” leveraging the importance of organization focus and a culture of continuous improvement at the front line using the principles of the Toyota Production System.
“Think of an Amish barn move,” he says when asked about the importance of focus in an organization. “With hundreds of hands working together, you can accomplish things that seemed impossible.”
Why This Works:
- Engagement: Employees see their input matters so morale and trust improve.
- Speed: Ideas can be piloted, refined, and scaled quickly.
- Resilience: Improvement becomes embedded in how people work, not just what they’re told to do.
A Final Thought: The First 90 Days Are for Building Momentum, Not Grand Plans
Cerone’s first 90 days are a master class in leadership by listening. His approach isn’t about control, it’s about influence. It’s not about significant changes—it’s about thousands of small ones that build on each other.
In a sector where complexity reigns, simplicity, structure, and trust in your people may be the most radical leadership play of all.
And it works.
Stay tuned for more insights as we continue exploring the innovative tactics used by healthcare leaders to make their first 90 days count.
If you have adopted this tactic, or any others featured in this series, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us to share your story.
