MUSC Health's chief physician executive makes prestigious list

Eugene Hong, M.D., chief physician executive of MUSC Health, has made Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of “180+ chief medical officers to know.”

The medical industry trade publication says the officers on its list “play a pivotal role in advancing patient safety, maintaining high-quality standards, bridging the gap between leadership and medical staff and managing risk.” It calls them key drivers of improvement who have won accolades for their hospitals and health systems.

Hong has another description for himself. “I call myself an academic physician who knows how to read a spreadsheet because I've had to learn.”

Hong didn’t set out to become the top-ranking physician at MUSC Health. He went to medical school to specialize in sports medicine. But dating back to his time as a division chief fellowship director, Hong’s leadership abilities have been clear. After the fellowship director role, he became a department chair, which took his career in a new direction. 

“You have to give up some of your own professional goals in order to serve others and help them meet their professional goals. I got that advice as I was stepping into that role many years ago. And it's absolutely true. And I was OK with it.”

Hong’s time as an endowed department chair and professor, chief of the Division of Sports Medicine, chair of the University Physician Board and associate dean for Primary Care and Community Health at Drexel University helped prepare him to become the chief physician executive at MUSC Health in 2018.  

Since his arrival in Charleston, he’s maintained his fast pace. In its description of Hong, Becker’s notes that Hong is co-champion of 18 clinical service lines at MUSC Health. The term service lines refers to different areas of health care such as heart, cancer and orthopedics. 

Hong has had a financial impact, too. The academic physician practice plan he leads has seen clinical revenue growth of 56% over the last five years. 

And Hong continues to put his expertise in orthopedics and sports medicine to good use. He’s the chief medical officer for athletics at Clemson University and the chief medical officer for World Lacrosse. Becker’s is taking notice, saying that Hong is “a leading authority on concussions, cardiac issues in athletes, overuse injuries and sports-injury prevention.”

Hong loves the challenges of juggling his various roles. “I think busy people get more things done.And I like being busy.”

He also likes thinking strategically about how best to serve MUSC Health and its patients. “I have four pillars in my mind. The first one is excellence in patient care. That has to be a fundamental priority for a leader,” Hong said.

“Another pillar is overage, creating overage to reinvest back into the organization.” 

“Culture is another pillar. And communication is another.”

With those pillars and other guidelines, Hong knows he’s creating a template for those who follow. “I'm the first person in this role for the health system. So I've had the privilege of building the airplane as we're flying it, so to speak.”

He’s flying it in an outstanding way, according to Becker’s.