When Robert Meyer stepped into the CEO role at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in 2003, the organization was on the brink of bankruptcy. Facing a $68 million loss and pressure from bondholders, many doubted the hospital’s ability to survive as an independent institution. Meyer, then a consultant with Ernst & Young, had already seen the depth of the challenges. But when the board asked if he believed Phoenix Children’s could be turned around, his answer — and the course of Arizona’s pediatric healthcare — changed forever.

“Phoenix Children’s was the dream of the Maricopa County pediatric association,” recalls Meyer, who retired from Phoenix Children’s in October. “The physicians were 100% committed to the future of Phoenix Children’s. That support gave us time and we made it work.”

Within a

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