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December 10, 1999
Providing quality health careis NUMC administrator's priorityKief started jobin New Ulm in SeptemberBy TONY ZIEBOL Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- A framed quote from Margaret Mead hangs in Administrator Brian Kief's office at the New Ulm Medical Center. It reads: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Although Kief may not be out to change the world, he and his team of hospital managers and physicians aim to provide the best health care possible for New Ulm. New to the hospital staff, Kief came on board in early September. "My job is to really guide the organization to make the right strategic decisions so we can provide high quality health care for the community," he said. "I'm just another person on the team trying to make it all work." Raised in a small town in northern Wisconsin, Rhinelander, Kief attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he received a double-major undergraduate degree in economics and international relations. Being from Wisconsin, he has endured his share of ribbing from his co-workers for his loyalties. "I am quite a (Green Bay) Packer fan, yeah," Kief said. "I get a hard time about, but that's OK." After working different jobs for about five years, he went back to school, this time to the University of Minnesota, to get his master's degree in health care administration. After working for three years as the administrator for Blue Earth Medical Center, Kief was offered the job at the New Ulm Medical Center, where he started on 9-9-99. "And there were no major computer glitches," he joked. When he was younger, Kief dreamed of being an entrepreneur and maybe owning his own restaurant or ski shop. "I really didn't dream of being in hospital administration," he said. "But some of the things I do here are tailor-made for my personality, so in the long run everything has worked out great." As an administrator the tools for the job are people, Kief said, which suits him well. Running a hospital is like running a business, but there is much more to the role a hospital plays in the community. "You're really giving something to families, to individuals and even sometimes giving them life," he said. "Most of the people I work with are highly educated. That makes the job very rewarding and very challenging, but it's one of the things that excites me about it. While at other jobs earlier in his career, Kief said it was tough just to get up for work some days. However, as a hospital administrator, he has few complaints. "When taken as a whole, I really have a lot of energy for this job," Kief said. One of the few negatives about his new job has been that his family is still in Blue Earth and won't move to New Ulm until Dec. 18. His wife, Beth, is a "stay-at-home mom," but she also teaches aerobics and gymnastics. The couple has two kids, Jared, 4 and Anna, 2. Kief has been staying at a local doctor's house during the week and going to see his family during the weekends. "It's hard, particularly on the kids," he said. "They miss their dad. We'll be glad to get together." Moving into a new house just before Christmas will be a challenge, Kief said, and as a result, shopping for gifts has had to be done early. "For the first time, I purchased something on the Internet," he said. As far as New Ulm Medical Center Hospital goes, Kief wants to see it grow and improve. He meets with physicians to help make their day more efficient so they can see more patients. His long-term goals include improving the financial performance of the hospital so it can reinvest in the organization, renew focus on patient access and other customer service issues. "The wait times to get into the clinic are just too long," Kief said. More than anything, he wants to offer more than just the basics. "What I'd like to see is for us to take health care to the next level," he said. Now at the hospital for three months, Kief said he has been accepted warmly. "I've felt like I've been welcomed, not only to New Ulm Medical Center, but also to the community," he said. "I think overall, it's been a good honeymoon period."
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