President
Iowa Health System
www.ihs.org
e-mail: leaverblog@ihs.org
(515) 241-3600
Bill Leaver is a change agent in the health-care industry.
As the president and CEO of Iowa Health System, Leaver maintains a relentless focus on quality of care while leading efforts toward achieving the health system’s vision of delivering the Best Outcome for Every Patient Every Time.
This is no easy feat for an organization that serves nearly 2 million patients every year, has a presence in more than 70 communities in Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska and employs nearly 20,000 people.
Leaver doesn’t lead from behind a desk. He’s a champion of process improvement. He helps develop the best work environment for doctors, nurses and other providers so they can stay focused on doing what they love to do – caring for their patients. He also is working to attract quality health-care providers to Iowa and advance the use of electronic medical records.
Leaver is a dedicated volunteer and hands-on philanthropist who lends his time and support to several organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Girl Scouts and United Way. He also participates in several professional associations such as the Iowa Business Council, Health Management Academy, Greater Des Moines Committee and Greater Des Moines Partnership Chair’s Circle.
In his early days, Leaver considered two career paths – ministry and politics. That’s until a hospital career captured his attention and made a convincing case that a career in health care was a little bit of both. He has been in the health-care business for more than three decades.
When he’s not at the office, Leaver enjoys spending his time with his family and six horses at his home just outside of Des Moines.
If you’d like to chat with Leaver, he can be reached at LeaverBlog@ihs.org. Iowa Health System’s Web site is www.ihs.org.
