In this interview with Becker’s Hospital Review, Michael J. Dowling, president and CEO of Great Neck, N.Y.-based Northwell Health, formerly North Shore-LIJ Health System, talks about his much admired tenure  at the big New York City area system and changes in healthcare.

Becker’s asked him:

“If you could eliminate one of the healthcare industry’s problems overnight, which would it be?”

He answered:

“I would say to reduce the conflicting and over-burdensome array of regulatory demands on healthcare organizations. We are inundated with a plethora of micro-regulations, and that, I think, just makes the business much more complicated than it needs to be. It consumes excess resources and doesn’t do enough to improve outcomes for patients. This is not to suggest that I’m against compliance, but the constant development of dozens of regulations on an ongoing basis makes the machinery of progress move much more slowly than it could.”

And:

“What do you consider your greatest achievement at North Shore-LIJ/Northwell Health so far?”

He answered:

“I think our greatest achievement is the product of multiple players. When you’re part of a team, success isn’t the result of the actions of one person. I would have to say I’ve been very happy with being part of the creation of a culture of innovation, creativity and teamwork. We are an organization that looks forward on how to improve and advance — not constantly looking in the rearview mirror.

“I also believe that, irrespective of how successful one is, you should never be completely comfortable or happy, but always raising the bar. This culture and mindset is what builds long-term sustainability in the organization and allows you to make a difference.”