Decades Interview with Bill Hyslop M'75, FACHE

Bill Hyslop ’75, FACHE
Principal
Hyslop Hughes LLC

“Throughout our country, there is a great need for more purpose-driven leadership.” So says Bill Hyslop ’75, FACHE for whom developing strong leadership has formed the bedrock of his career.

A native Texan born in Del Rio, Bill’s early ambition was to become a physician like his father. However, struggling through chemistry at North Texas State convinced him otherwise. After graduating with a science degree in 1969 and expecting to be drafted—Viet Nam was escalating— Bill bided his time supervising 20 technicians at Scott &White Hospital in Temple, Texas. While there, he took advantage of the eight-month-long opportunity to learn “a great deal about leadership roles in hospitals.” Prior to his release from the U.S. Army, he learned about Trinity’s HCAD Program which he completed in 1975, thus beginning a long and distinguished career in the health care industry.

An administrative residency at Parkland Hospital in Dallas was followed by a number of leadership positions including ER Administrator, Assistant Administrator, COO, VP and CEO at hospital systems throughout Texas culminating with Memorial in Houston and St. Luke’s in San Antonio. In the wake of a number of hospital mergers and consolidations during the early 90’s, Bill left hospitals and started a consulting and business development company with his brother. The venture attracted clients from across the country and initiated two successful start-up companies. After consulting for five years with MD Anderson, his largest client, he chose to join them full time as Vice President of their supporting companies: MD Anderson Physicians Network and the MD Anderson Services Corporation. He would remain there for the next 18 years, the final eight as President and CEO.

During his tenure, Bill oversaw the development of the MD Anderson Cancer Network, a group of more than 40 hospitals across the country and several international ones. The Cancer Network was designed to extend MD Anderson’s mission to eliminate cancer by affiliating with excellent hospitals to share its intellectual property, best practices, faculty and research in meaningful and data-driven ways. For patients, that meant many could receive the best possible cancer care without leaving their own communities. While justifiably proud of the Cancer Network, which is recognized as the largest and premier cancer network in the country, he adds “never losing sight of mission and its moral purpose in all my leadership roles is a very personal sense of accomplishment that gives me pride.” In February 2017, Bill’s contributions to health care were recognized with a congratulatory proclamation read in the Texas House of Representatives.

Although Bill retired from MD Anderson earlier this year, he has not abandoned his focus on health care and leadership. Together with his friend and colleague Bill Hughes, he recently launched Hyslop Hughes LLC, a consulting and business development initiative intended to share their life’s experiences, knowledge, skills and expertise with health care organizations across the country. They are building a team—currently numbering five and counting—of highly experienced health care professionals. “We are a boutique firm with great depth and reasonable fees and our goal is to make a difference, transform health care, support meaningful leadership and have fun.”

When there’s time for fun, Bill can be found on the golf course or enjoying boating and water sports with his wife and blended family of five grown children and six grandchildren. Also active in his community, Bill serves on the Houston Hospice Board of Directors and the Board of the local ACHE chapter. Last Spring, he taught a graduate course on the basics of the U.S. health care system in the School of Allied Professionals at MD Anderson. He lauds the Trinity HCAD Program for Trinity having always opened doors for him and has served as a preceptor for graduate students, a guest lecturer on campus and a mentor to many. His bi-monthly column on leadership appears in national business journals (www.bizjournals.com), noting “improving young leaders and supporting C-suite leadership remains an important focus for me.”