Celebrating 30 Years of Service to our Members

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I always come to LI events thinking I cannot afford the time. I always leave thinking I cannot afford to miss LI.
- Health System CMO
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The continuity of membership and highly talented, quality members are the enduring strength of LI.
- Health System EVP
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I appreciate the support, the friendships and the professional development opportunities LI has provided for me.
-Thomas Auer, M.D., Chief Executive Officer
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Best set of meetings I attend; great content, practical and applicable ideas, including strategies or tactics to avoid; great networking opportunities; fine staff who attend to both big picture and details of successful meetings, and excellent conference venues.
- Health System Chief Strategist
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The general insight from the seasoned LI membership on conceptual issues is very useful…networking is one of the most valuable attributes of LI.
- Health System CFO
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First, I am a tough grader, and I can’t think of any other outside organization I give higher marks to. Big value is from getting away with team and getting perspective in honest discussions.
- Health System SVP
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History

The Leadership Institute (LI) was established in 1992 as an exclusive membership organization dedicated to advancing the governance and management of integrated health systems. LI was inspired by the Clinton administration’s health reform efforts to address healthcare in the United States through integrated, value-based models. Senior executive teams from LI member health systems collectively address health and care from a comprehensive, community-based focus. LI is differentiated from traditional siloed membership organization options for healthcare leaders by its executive team-based focus and programming..

The Leadership Institute is distinguished by the methodology it employs when bringing together LI member system leadership through highly interactive Roundtable sessions and virtual forums. LI plays a significant role in advancing governance and management of health systems by offering a range of services to members to support them in their key decision-making roles. Several annual Roundtable meetings, monthly peer forums, webinar series, and a daily literature service are among the two dozen services provided.

Richard E. Wesslund is the Founder and Chairman of The Leadership Institute. He is also the Founder and Chairman of BDC Advisors, LLC, a healthcare consulting practice. Mr. Wesslund’s client work was a catalyst to establishing a forum for health system leaders to collectively explore the challenges facing their organizations.

Rebecca L. Harrington is Co-Founder and CEO of The Leadership Institute, which she has led since its inception. She was responsible for the original planning, development, and launch of The Leadership Institute. Ms. Harrington oversees executive management of all Institute operations and leads thought leadership, programming, and Institute development.

The Leadership Institute grows only through trusted referrals and sponsored invitations. LI continues to have a best-in-class presence among informed healthcare leadership.  To ensure maximum benefit for LI members, leading health systems are grouped into non-competing clusters. In addition to the Founding Group, a second membership cluster, the Millennium Group, was established in 2000 to extend membership to additional systems; LI’s third membership group, the Horizon Group, was launched in 2004.

By sharing with each other, and building best demonstrated practices in healthcare delivery, LI encourages responsible innovation and leading industry standards. As The Leadership Institute expands its membership and services, it will continue to affiliate with the pre-eminent health systems in each major region of the country through a process that maintains current member quality and compatibility.