What OU Health’s Founding CEO Learned Building a New Health System

Why It Matters

The rapid scaling and financial turnaround of OU Health demonstrates how strategic cultural focus can drive growth in academic health systems, positioning the organization as a dominant, integrated care, education, and research hub in Oklahoma and setting a model for other distressed health networks.

Summary

Richard Lofgren, MD, stepped down as OU Health’s inaugural president and CEO after guiding the newly formed academic health system from a $1.6 billion revenue base and $1.4 billion debt load to nearly $3.6 billion in revenue, 22.3% higher admissions and almost 1 million outpatient visits. He emphasized cultural transformation, focusing staff on care quality, patient experience and operational efficiency, which helped stabilize finances and fund major investments such as a $200 million pediatric heart program and expansion of the Stephenson Cancer Center. Under his leadership, OU Health grew to 11,000 employees and the state’s largest physician network of more than 1,300 providers. Effective July 1, COO Jonathan W. Curtright will succeed Lofgren as president and CEO.