Knowledge on the Go Podcast

Roadmap to Top Performance

VizientPodcast
18 min readJun 29, 2026

What separates top performing health systems from their peers? For the past two decades, Vizient has explored that question through research focused on leadership, culture, and practices that drive organizational performance. Julie Cerese, Group Senior Vice President of Performance Management and National Networks at Vizient, joins host Shannon Hale to discuss how this work has evolved and why it continues to shape healthcare organizations today.

Guest Speaker:
Julie Cerese RN, MSN, PhD
Senior Vice President Member Networks and Performance Management Programs
Vizient

Host:
Shannon Hale, MHA, RN, CPHQ
Senior Program Director, Performance Improvement Programs
Vizient

Show Notes:

[00:07] Introduction and the origins of the Roadmap to Top Performance research

[01:03] Healthcare leaders asked what separates top performing organizations from their peers

[03:01] Building the Quality and Accountability ranking using STEAP principles

[04:41] The blinded research process that uncovered clear differences between top and middle performers

[05:27] One specific healthcare system applied the research findings to achieve sustained excellence

[07:25] Researchers observations during site visits to top performing organizations

[09:01] Leadership, culture, and why visible executives create accountability throughout an organization

[11:49] Vizient's Roadmap to Top Performance benchmarking survey

[15:16] Participating organizations are learning from the survey

[17:01] Reflecting on twenty years of research and its continued impact on healthcare performance

Links | Resources:
Contacting Knowledge on the Go: picollaboratives@vizientinc.com

Subscribe Today!

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

Android

RSS Feed