Greg Benjamin

Oversaw financial and operational management of the Main Operating Room, on-campus Day Surgery Center, and off-campus Surgery Center, including a for-profit joint venture. Managed separate P&Ls, licensing, and new initiatives. Led monthly close, budget analysis, and course corrections with five direct reports and oversight of 110 employees.

• Led and oversaw all aspects of a $9M capital project to reengineer seven operating rooms, including developing two advanced neuro-surgical ORs. Delivered the project ahead of schedule and under budget, resulting in significant service line growth and continued success.
• Developed system-wide KPIs with leadership, displayed on an EPIC dashboard for real-time performance tracking. Managed monthly close and presented remediation plans to executives and investors. Led the project to bring a very successful Interventional Nephrology program to the Day Surgery Center. It is currently in its third year and continues to grow in volume and is one of the most profitable service lines at the ambulatory surgery center.
• Collaborated with orthopedic surgeons and administrators to realign the Ortho Co-management strategy, linking quality metrics with financial performance. Optimized supply chain, contracts, and vendor relations reducing costs and driving shared profits and savings for surgeons and the organization
• Resolved $90K in past due invoices and implemented a new process that saved $60K annually, reducing audit time by eliminating unnecessary cataract consigned lenses.
• Created a strong Lithotripsy partnership with a national company, optimizing services for both government and managed care patients to benefit the organization and investor partners financially.
• Led a project with Anesthesia partners through the Perioperative Home Committee, implementing national best practices via EPIC workflows. This reduced patient length of stay, post-op nausea and vomiting (PONV) below the national average, and decreased discharges to skilled nursing facilities.

• Aligned operating and capital budgets between the two largest AMITA Acute Care Hospitals, enhancing care standards and achieving economies of scale. Standardized budgets to save over $900,000 annually through cost-saving initiatives.
• Co-Chaired and then served as Chairman for the Walk With The Brothers annual employee appeal, leading the team to surpass donation goals and previous years' levels, supporting employee funds and community initiatives.
• Co-facilitated over 10 lean improvement processes across two hospitals, cutting patient experience time from over seven hours to four hours on average. Enhanced patient satisfaction and reduced nursing overtime by $124K annually through strong executive support, continuous improvement, and effective staff engagement.
• Collaborated with stakeholders to develop a stronger vendor policy, ensuring timely loaner tray delivery to the Sterile Processing Department (SPD) and Operating Room (OR). This enhanced patient safety and improved case start timeliness from 84% to 92%, leading to increased revenue, higher staff and patient satisfaction, and more efficient scheduling.
• Coordinated and led construction activities at both sites to replace SPD cart washers, completing the projects on time and 11% under budget, saving $82K at each site.
• Served as National Chairman for the Ascension Health Surgical Decision Team, overseeing contracting initiatives for 120+ hospitals. Led efforts to achieve collective bargaining and secure the lowest costs from major vendors, projecting $78 million in savings for the system in the first year.
• Led AMITA hospitals in reaching consensus on key operational metrics for Operating Room success. Standardized metrics across the system by securing stakeholder agreement on calculation methods.
• Urgently addressed a culture, lacking teamwork and constant accusations by leading and motivating a team of 109 staff, shift supervisors, and managers from the SPD and the OR. Fostered collaboration between departments and ancillary teams, enhancing safety culture and improving staff satisfaction scores.

• Managed the planning of Operating and Capital budgets for six departments, including negotiating and assembling all Capital packages and explaining monthly budget variances to executives. My streamlined processes and workflow automation reduced the Finance department needs by .25 FTE, previously required to support these complex areas.
• Led the Central Sterile Department (25 employees, 24x7 operation) responsible for processing all sterile items for the Operating Room and ancillary departments. Received commendation from The Joint Commission for maintaining a safe and impeccable department during instrument tracer inspections.
• Key member of the Clinical Conversion Team and New Technology groups, interacting with clinicians, surgeons, and sales representatives across the entire Health System.
• Hospital leader for the Ascension Health Surgical Decision Team/Value Analysis, overseeing discussions on trials and contract situations for clinically acceptable products across all Operating Rooms.
• Investigated defective disposable products and managed reporting through the hospital’s Quality Management System (Quantros), with direct reporting to MedSun (FDA) as needed. This approach reduced patient risk, minimized litigation potential, and emphasized continuous improvement and socially responsible reporting.
• Selected by Hospital leadership as one of five High Reliability Organization (HRO) leaders and trainers for the Chicagoland health system.

• Responsible for working with the Administrative Director of Perioperative Services concerning many other initiatives like comparing metrics through Solucient Action O/I.
• Designed and implemented a system for tracking receipt, storage and disposition of all Human Tissue used in the Operating Room which had also been adopted by other areas of the Health System. This is a key focus, and I was the lead for this aspect when The Joint Commission visited the hospitals.
• Responsible for Clinician, Sales Representative and Surgeon interaction when New Products must be evaluated prior to approval of usage in the Operating Room.
• Appointed to two-year term on the Premier Surgical Services Contract Committee to make contract decisions for over 1000 Premier GPO hospitals.