Newly appointed President & CEO Steve Baker stepped into the role at Columbus Regional Health (CRH) officially this April, following former Chief Executive Officer Jim Bickel’s announcement to retire, made in late 2024.
Baker has served in various roles, including most recently Chief Operating Officer, at CRH for 20 years collectively, but his career also included positions at large academic medical centers and with the U.S. Air Force. Those experiences gave him a unique perspective when Cleveland Clinic invited CRH to join its exclusive Cleveland Clinic Connected program.
Read more about Baker’s career trajectory, his new role, and how Cleveland Clinic Connected will help CRH go “further, faster.”
Q: How did your time outside CRH inform the way you approach your current responsibilities?
Working in large academic medical centers in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Indiana helped me understand and navigate all the resources that those institutions can offer. I served in various non-clinical roles, including information technology, security, and infrastructure.
When I returned to CRH in 2016, I was able to apply my knowledge to implement Epic, our comprehensive medical records system. By the time I became COO in 2022, even though it was my first clinical role, I had already been immersed in the clinical side of healthcare for many years.
My time away from CRH made me appreciate the benefits of working in an independent community hospital. We have a more collaborative, open culture than a large academic medical center. It’s a little more agile and a lot more fulfilling.
Q: How has the Cleveland Clinic Connected partnership made a difference so far?
Even though Cleveland Clinic is a global healthcare system, our cultures work well together and complement each other. Our strategic teams have been working to identify ways that we can share best practices, and we’ve already been able to recruit high-caliber physicians to CRH because of this partnership.
Q: Have there been any unexpected insights as you began working with Cleveland Clinic?
We’re delighted that the Cleveland Clinic regards this as a two-way relationship. They were particularly impressed by their tour of NexusPark, and they came away with ideas that they will be implementing in their own hospitals. It has been heartening to see that we truly share values of teamwork, integrity, diversity, and innovation, and that we are committed to growing together.