A year into her job, Texas Health’s senior vice president and chief compliance officer is leading her team into the new frontiers of healthcare in a pandemic with resilience, creativity and experience — not to mention lessons learned from swimming and improv.
Rebekah Stewart, J.D., M.B.A., CHC, CHRC, LPEC, ACC, hasn’t even had time to redecorate her new office. Hired Jan. 4, 2021, she has found herself working from home at times as COVID-19 surges come and go. Stewart has had no time to waste.
As Texas Health met challenges with innovation, she and her team dove into major new initiatives including telehealth and urgent care clinics. They also stayed on top of employee questions about everything from emergent care to interpreter services as federal regulations flexed to accommodate the public health emergency.
“It’s a great team we have at system Compliance,” Stewart said. “They have pitched in during this unprecedented time — being remote, then coming back to hospitals, and they’ve been able to be flexible. You can have the most competent people in the world, but a lot has to do with personality and drive and just being able to have that attitude that says, ‘I’m going to pitch in and do what’s necessary.’ Those are things you can’t teach.”
Compliance touches almost every facet of the organization — for example, the team makes sure virtual care is done in a manner that is not only compliant with outside regulations, but also with Texas Health’s own quality and patient care initiatives; makes sure privacy laws and regulations are met across the organization; supports service lines in terms of auditing, making sure “the money we take in is the money we keep,” Stewart said.
In addition, the team knows the industry, keeping an eye on proposed regulations and making sure Texas Health is prepared if and when they go into effect.
CEO Barclay Berdan said Stewart’s energy, experience and deep knowledge of the intricate rules, regulations and processes of healthcare compliance have been vital over the past year.
“We knew when we chose Rebekah that we were bringing in a strong, knowledgeable leader,” he said. “Her experience and drive to keep Texas Health successful in all the areas Compliance touches are invaluable.”
Swimming and improv
Stewart — who has wanted to be in healthcare compliance since she was in law school — uses life experiences to strengthen her capabilities in the field she loves.
For example, as an avid swimmer, she learned early on to keep her core stable for better efficiency and speed.
“I kind of think of Compliance as akin to swimming,” she said in an interview with CEO Barclay Berdan during an episode of “CEO Corner.” As she sees it, Compliance stays steady with the Mission and Vision, but also needs to be nimble in helping the organization evaluate risks.
“And then we all kind of propel through the waters of healthcare because we don’t know where it’s going to go in the next five years.”
Stewart said improv, which she discovered two years ago, has also polished her career skills.
“Because I really love regulations and data, most people wouldn’t anticipate I do improv,” she told Berdan. “But it really allows me to be creative and always to ask, you know, what else is possible.” She said she looks for ways to set up Compliance and the entire organization for success.
June Gerson, senior director and privacy officer, said Stewart leads with change in mind.
“Rebekah uses different management styles, but primarily I see her style as transformational,” Gerson said. “She encourages creative thinking and problem-solving, not just keeping the same processes or just answering questions. It’s important to pause and consider whether there is still value in continuing to perform certain functions.”
