Jeffrey Flaks, president and CEO of Hartford HealthCare, continues to lead the state’s second-largest health system as it expands its statewide footprint and adopts new technology.
Flaks, who became CEO in 2019, has emphasized growth, innovation and workforce development during his tenure.
He oversees an organization that includes seven hospitals, physician groups and hundreds of outpatient sites located throughout the state. And that footprint will likely expand.
Flaks is leading Hartford HealthCare’s efforts to purchase Manchester Memorial and Rockville General hospitals, which have been mired in uncertainty amid their parent company Prospect Medical Holdings’ bankruptcy case.
The additions will grow HHC’s patient base and operating revenue, which totaled $6.5 billion in fiscal 2024, according to audited financial statements. That was up 8.3% from a year earlier.
HHC this year received the American Hospital Association’s Quest for Quality Prize, which is awarded to systems showing progress in patient safety and care standards. HHC reported a 70% reduction in hospital-acquired infections between 2015 and 2023.
It has also expanded its use of artificial intelligence through a Center for AI Innovation in Healthcare, partnering with MIT, Oxford and Google to integrate new tools into clinical practice.
In August, HHC held an inaugural AI summit that attracted 300 people. The event focused on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the healthcare industry.
Flaks joined Hartford HealthCare in 2004 as MidState Medical Center’s chief operating officer. He earned a master’s degree in health services administration from George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College.