Dr. John Kenagy knows health care. He’s a vascular surgeon and physician executive with 30 years of experience. He’s smart, compassionate, and resourceful. He’s seen health care from both sides--consumer and provider. There’s no question. It’s a broken system.
While climbing a tree with his son in 1992, Dr. Kenagy fell out of a tree. Suffering from a broken neck, he spent three months in a halo brace and another three disabled and in therapy. This experience showed him the view from the other side of the privacy curtain: as the patient and he fell into a new perspective on healthcare.
In his book, Designed to Adapt: Leading Healthcare in Challenging Times, Dr. Kenagy has made Adaptive Design his life’s work. He dedicates his time to teaching managers and frontline caregivers how, working together, they will make a difference. It’s an inspiration and a revelation to see that patients can get exactly what they need at continually lower cost. It’s the way to fix healthcare.
“To say that your presentation was a hit is an understatement! In fact several have asked if we could post your slides on our Convocation web site.” -Director, Conference Planning and Facilitation, large national health system
Dr. John Kenagy has unique experience as a physician, healthcare executive, scholar, advisor, and patient. After receiving his MD with distinction from the University of Nebraska Medical School, he trained in General and Vascular Surgery at the University of Washington and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons with board certification in General and Vascular Surgery.
In addition to 20 years’ experience as a vascular surgeon, Dr. Kenagy has been Chief of Surgery, Chief of Staff, and Regional Vice President for Business Development with PeaceHealth, a multistate healthcare delivery system.
Dr. Kenagy's Harvard research included developing disruptive innovation healthcare strategies with Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen and applying methods employed by such companies as Toyota, Intel, and Apple to the healthcare system. His research and teaching also focused on innovative companies who excelled when others failed to adapt and change.
Dr. Kenagy, MD, speaks, and leads workshops on Adaptive Design across the country. His unique experience and knowledge empower groups to use Adaptive Design to expand the possible. Dr. Kenagy has presented his ideas to over 200 organizations, including Mayo Health System, Harvard University, U.S. Army Medical Command, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, and Microsoft.
Dr. Kenagy’s management workshops are geared toward executives and managers (from C-suite to frontline), board members, clinical leaders, staff, and physicians with organizational interests or responsibilities in healthcare and related industries. Dr. Kenagy offers half-day and full-day workshop options. Both courses include copies of Dr. Kenagy’s book Designed to Adapt: Leading Healthcare in Challenging Times.
“Thanks for an inspirational and motivating presentation to our management team and board. We have huge potential for improvement with Adaptive Design and it was very meaningful for our team to hear the story from you. You helped make it ‘come alive’ for us.” -Rick Seidler, President and CEO, Trinity Regional Health System
In searching for solutions to what he saw as systemic problems in healthcare, Dr. Kenagy earned a management degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School. He was then appointed a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Business School from 1998 to 2002.
This was the seventeenth annual Fall CIO Forum and based on the program evaluations, this will be remembered as one of the most successful events in CHIME’s history! Your keynote presentation was incredibly well received. Our group was captivated by your insight and the entertaining style with which you delivered your message. Thank you again, Dr. Kenagy, for contributing to the tremendous success of this key event for CHIME!
On behalf of the National Blood Foundation, I want to thank you for your talk at the AABB/NBF CEO Summit. Your participation was well received and the reviews of the program have been very positive...I have had numerous requests for copies of it. I think you did a fantastic job of preparing for our audience and making it specific to the blood banking community.