Sam Rossmann is proud of the recognition earned by TOPS Surgical Specialty Hospital, where he has served as CEO since 2011. Accolades include a five-star rating from HCAHPS for overall quality of care, “top performer on key quality measures” recognition for multiple years from JCAHO, and the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award for patient experience for five years running.

Even so, Sam says, he wanted to round out his nearly 15 years of professional healthcare experience with “an elite educational experience.”

As he began exploring his options, the MMHC program at Vanderbilt rose to the top of his list. Vanderbilt, he says, “enjoys a well-deserved reputation in the business world for graduating top-notch professionals year in and year out. From a structure point of view, there is nothing else like [the MMHC program] in the U.S. I researched several elite universities, such as Harvard, Stanford, and Duke, and none of them offered a one-year business degree with a healthcare focus. This program is truly a unique offering.”

Another plus: Though he works in Houston, Samuel was able to “attend” classes and engage with faculty and other students via the program’s interactive video technology.

Other than the reputation and structure of the program, Sam chose the MMHC for the network he knew he would build and the insights he would gain from working with colleagues from varied backgrounds. “As someone who has worked only in private, for-profit healthcare,” he says, “it has been rewarding to engage with classmates who bring a diverse set of viewpoints and experiences into the classroom. Several of them come from an academic medical center background. Interfacing with them on the challenges they see on a daily basis has provided me with a viewpoint I would not have experienced on my own.

“I have also benefited from the perspective that each of the faculty members has shared about the state of the healthcare landscape. It’s going to take strong leadership to guide the healthcare industry over the next several years. The program has prepared me for the changes ahead.”

Fun Fact: Both of Sam’s parents were healthcare professionals.

I researched several elite universities, such as Harvard, Stanford, and Duke, and none of them offered a one-year business degree with a healthcare focus. This program is truly a unique offering.