Interview with Gregory W. Hart

Abstract

Gregory Hart begins his interview with a brief overview of his early life and education, with a particular emphasis on his time in the MHA program and his residency at University Hospitals and Clinics. He discusses the competition around the patient care dollar and the renewed emphasis on patients in the 1960s and 1970s as well as the creation of the Hospital’s Board of Governors at the University. He then reflects on the emergence of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), his work on InterStudy, the organization that developed the HMO concept, and changes the University experienced as a result of HMOs. He then discusses the following: technological change in the Hospital; cost controls; prospective payment and diagnosis-related groups (DRGs); regional health planning; University Hospital’s relationship with area hospitals; town/gown relations; long range planning for Academic Health Center (AHC) renewal; labor issues and nursing shortages; comparative work for hospitals and gender equity; the organization of the University of Minnesota Clinical Associates; the emergence of HIV/AIDS; the leadership styles of General Directors of the Hospital and work with the legislature; Lyle French as the Senior Vice President for the AHC; the impact of the ALG scandal; the creation of the University of Minnesota Health System; the Hospital’s mission; and the Hospital’s sale to Fairview. He concludes by reflecting on the collaborative environment at the University and the relationships between the different schools within the AHC and the Hospital.