Wright Medical Center's financial picture started to stabilize with its conversion to critical-access status roughly six years ago. The same could not be said, however, for the hospital's work environment and senior leadership. "We were very reactive and putting out a lot of fires. It wasn't a real pleasant place to work," says Chief Executive Officer Steven J. Simonin.

In 2004, the senior management team at Cabell Huntington (WV) Hospital decided it was time for some major upgrades at the 268-staffed-bed teaching facility. Some areas of the physical plant had not been significantly updated since the 1950s, and the hospital's culture was also in need of repair after suffering a contract-related work stoppage.

A strong leadership team can't successfully lead a medical group without a talented, dedicated staff willing to follow. Recognizing that teamwork must permeate throughout the organization, the six-person administrative team at Radiological Associates of Sacramento Medical Group agreed on a mission: to be the "employer of choice," as well as the preeminent imaging services provider, in the greater Sacramento area.

John Erickson's goal has always been to create a nurturing, caring, comprehensive retirement community. That was his dream when he opened his first Erickson Retirement Community in the Baltimore area in 1983, and that was the reason his company partnered with EverCare/UnitedHealthcare to create Erickson Advantage Health Plan.