How The Christ Hospital Health Network is preparing for the future
CFO Theodore Scherpenberg and Guidehouse Partner Eric Kammer shared lessons learned from the health system’s recent transformation.
The Christ Hospital Health Network is a critical provider for the Greater Cincinnati region. As the health system has successfully emerged from the pandemic, leaders have recognized a need for a major transformation to reinvigorate its mission and fund its next chapter.
This desire to accelerate a bold vision for the future spurred leaders to partner with Guidehouse to launch Forward 2.0—a transformation program that would advance its mission, operations, and financial strategy to enable growth and resilience.
In a recent episode of the American Hospital Association’s Bringing Value podcast, Theodore Scherpenberg, the health system’s Chief Financial Officer, and Eric Kammer, a Partner at Guidehouse, shared how their teams worked together to align strategy, finance, operations, and culture to help the health system create long-term value and advance its vision for the future.
A clear “why” drives alignment
Transformation began with clarity. “We had a lot of clarity on the why—both short-term and long-term,” Scherpenberg said. “We take a lot of pride in our mission—what we mean and what we deliver on to the community.”
A shared understanding of purpose helped unify stakeholders across the organization—from physicians to executives—and created a foundation for long-term change. Both Scherpenberg and Kammer noted that it was particularly important to engage the health system’s board early and often, defining goals and outlining key themes of the transformation.
“We made this a living and breathing process because we acknowledge that things are going to change and not every plan is going to be executed as perfectly as you said they would need to be,” Kammer said.
Governance and culture as catalysts
A structured governance model supported accountability and transparency. Executive steering committees, board subcommittees, and physician-led workstreams facilitated a transformation that wasn’t just top-down—it was organization-wide.
The Forward 2.0 approach emphasized cultural awareness. “The Christ Hospital has a very special and unique culture,” Kammer noted. “We intentionally talked about how to embrace and work within the culture—not be a blunt object against it.”
Continuous reporting held The Christ Hospital Health Network and Guidehouse leaders accountable for outcomes—not just financial KPIs but also operational and clinical quality metrics.
Communication that builds momentum
A standout feature of the transformation was its communication strategy. Led by Jenny Collopy, the health system’s Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, messaging was intentional, consistent, and most importantly, two-way. Updates weren’t just status reports, they were opportunities for feedback, discussion, and shared ownership.
“It’s never been something we’ve done off the side of our desk,” Scherpenberg said. “We embarked on a thorough roadshow…talked to the board, talked to many team members, talked to our management team, talked to physicians—just to create awareness around the why.”
The inclusion of a marketing executive on a transformation leadership team was unique, Kammer pointed out, and signaled the importance of communications and change management in this project.
Transformation is a “long game”
While many leaders want to measure success in weeks, months, or quarters, real change takes time, Kammer said. Leaders recognized that the transformation could not be rushed or reactive—it needed to be intentional and mission-driven.
“Transformation is not a quarter-by-quarter thing,” Kammer said. “There’s a long game and it takes time. It’s hard and it requires a discipline, routine, and focus from the leadership team.”
At The Christ Hospital Health Network, that discipline has been present from the top down. Scherpenberg said he and his leadership team are focused on engraining key changes from this transformation into the health system’s culture and operations so that it can maintain its success. With an enhanced foundation in place, the health system is now well-positioned to build new opportunities to strengthen its future, with technology at the core of those efforts.
The path forward
The Christ Hospital Health Network underwent transformative change to enable its vision for the future. By aligning strategy, finance, operations, and culture, The Christ Hospital Health Network and Guidehouse are proving that sustainable change is possible, even in a challenging healthcare landscape.