Dr. Robert Insoft, Neonatologist and Chief Operating Officer at Franciscan Children’s Campus, Boston Children’s Hospital System

Summary

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Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Conversation with Dr. Robert Insoft

Guest: Dr. Robert Insoft, Neonatologist and COO, Franciscan Children’s Campus, Boston Children’s Hospital System
Host: Scott King, Becker's Healthcare
Date: September 28, 2025
Duration: ~10 minutes

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Episode Overview

This episode features a concise but insightful conversation with Dr. Robert Insoft, a practicing neonatologist and the Chief Operating Officer at Franciscan Children’s Campus, part of the Boston Children’s Hospital System. Dr. Insoft shares his journey in healthcare leadership, diving into the unique challenges of integrating smaller healthcare entities into larger systems, the evolving role of the COO, and his personal philosophy on supporting staff for optimal patient care.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dr. Insoft’s Background and Experience

• [00:37] Dr. Insoft is a practicing pediatrician and neonatologist with over 25 years of experience.
• He has held chief roles at two major perinatal centers, served as a health system Chief Medical Officer, and now serves as COO.
  • Quote: "I'm trained as a pediatrician, which is still near and dear to me because I still practice." — Dr. Insoft [00:37]

2. Biggest Responsibility as COO

• [01:18] Managing a team of leaders and ensuring staff are empowered to provide efficient, compassionate care.
  • Quote: "My biggest responsibility is managing a team of leaders...making sure they’re doing the best job possible in providing the best care to our patients and families." — Dr. Insoft [01:18]

3. Proud Accomplishments: Integration and Cultural Transition

• [01:57] Leading staff through integration into a larger healthcare system, navigating both excitement and apprehension.
  • Emphasis on respecting the history and culture of smaller entities during the integration process.
  • Quote: "Just because you're bigger doesn't mean you're always better, but you are different...what our staff has learned and been through is respected." — Dr. Insoft [02:41]

4. 2025 Organizational Goals

• [03:34] Divided into:
  • Efficiency goals focused on cost-effective care.
  • Departmental integration into the larger healthcare system.
  • Maintaining a high-quality patient experience amidst organizational transitions.
  • Quote: "We're looking at certain key efficiency goals…departmental integrations…delivering high quality patient experience." — Dr. Insoft [03:34]

5. Delivering High-Quality Care

• [04:29] Dr. Insoft’s philosophy has shifted: staff engagement is now prioritized as the foundation for excellent patient care.
  • Quote: "You have to have an engaged, high quality, positive thinking staff. Because if you don’t have that, then high quality care is not something you’re ever going to achieve." — Dr. Insoft [04:29]

6. Challenges for Healthcare Staff

• [05:28] Main headwinds:
  • Doing more with less in a resource-constrained environment.
  • Adapting to new, fluid organizational structures instead of traditional hierarchies.
  • Flexibility is key: roles and reporting structures change rapidly based on institutional needs.
  • Quote: "You need to be fluid and malleable as to how you need to set up your organization to meet whatever your specific goals and needs are." — Dr. Insoft [05:28]

7. The Evolving COO Role

• [06:29] Distinctive feature: maintaining oversight and integration across all organizational segments.
  • COOs must ensure departments don't work in silos and that all decisions align organization-wide.
  • Quote: "You have to let people know that they can’t work in silos...Everything touches each other." — Dr. Insoft [06:29]

8. Multitasking & Time Management as COO

• [07:45] Both multitasking and efficient time management are crucial; self-awareness about work style is important for success.
  • Quote: "To be an effective chief operating officer, you have to be somebody who is willing to and excited by multitasking." — Dr. Insoft [07:45]

9. Leadership Evolution & Listening

• [08:19] Personal growth means embracing feedback, listening more, and empowering staff.
  • Quote: "Like every other healthcare leader hears, listen more, speak less. That’s first and foremost." — Dr. Insoft [08:19]
  • Staff empowerment and support are essential for strong organizational relationships and outcomes.

10. Learning from Other Leaders

• [09:09] Dr. Insoft reflects on learning both positive and negative lessons from past healthcare leaders, shaping his own leadership approach.
  • Quote: "You learn what works well and what doesn’t. And that’s the part about growing in any particular healthcare role." — Dr. Insoft [09:09]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Just because you're bigger doesn't mean you're always better, but you are different." — Dr. Robert Insoft [02:41]
• "You have to have an invested, high quality, well trained, again, happy staff because that's going to be what you need to deliver high quality care." — Dr. Insoft [04:29]
• "Listen more, speak less. That's first and foremost." — Dr. Insoft [08:19]

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Summary for Non-Listeners

Dr. Robert Insoft offers a candid look inside the transition and integration process as a pediatric leader and COO, thoughtfully describing the importance of staff engagement, adaptation in leadership roles, and respecting institutional histories during mergers. His practical insights emphasize that true healthcare quality starts with investing in and uplifting staff, not just patients. Dr. Insoft’s evolution as a leader is rooted in active listening, openness to change, and learning from both inspiring and challenging examples in his career.

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Transcript

[A]

Hi, everyone. This is Scott King with the Beckers Healthcare podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by Dr. Robert Insoft, Chief operating officer at Franciscan Children's Campus at Boston children's hospital system. Dr. Insoft, how are you doing today? Thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

[B]

Yeah, doing very well. Always busy in healthcare, but appreciate that you reached out and look forward to contributing.

[A]

Absolutely. You know, it's always busy. It's a busy time especially. So I definitely appreciate your time and want to get your expertise on a lot of big trends and topics in healthcare. But before we do that, before we dive into the conversation, wondering if you could please just share a little bit about your background.

[B]

Sure. I originally trained. I'm trained as a pediatrician, which is still near and dear to me because I still practice. I'm also a newborn intensive care specialist. So as a neonatologist newborn specialist, I've been practicing for over 25 years and have actually directed and been chief of two major perinatal centers and also serve as a chief medical officer of a large health system and now in the role of chief operating officer.

[A]

Well, it sounds like you certainly wear a lot of hats, as do most COOs of health systems. In addressing that, I'm just curious what you think is your biggest responsibility out of all the things you do and manage as a coo.

[B]

You know, it's interesting. I look at my role very differently. I think my biggest responsibility is, is managing a team of leaders, which I'm extremely proud of, to making sure that every single day they're doing the best job possible in providing the best care to our patients and families in the most effective and efficient way of caring for our families, for our staff. And that's what I'm most proud of.

[A]

Absolutely. I think, you know, across health care, we hear about happy staff leads to happy patients. So that's wonderful. That's a priority for you in getting more to your health system. Can you detail what the biggest accomplishment from the past year was for you?

[B]

Yeah. In our particular, health hospital is part of a growing healthcare system within. What I'm most proud of is that I'm helping to lead a very large group of staff while they're transitioning into a larger healthcare system. You know, healthcare integrations are going all over the country, and when you're a smaller entity and. And you're becoming part of a bigger healthcare system, there's a lot of nervousness, apprehension, et cetera, as well as excitement. And I think what I'm most proud of is that I've been able to help with the cultural changes that we need to make so that we can make our integrations more seamless and more positive.

[A]

What do you think the most difficult part of an integration like that is?

[B]

I think again, every system is different, every group of professionals is different. But I think the most difficult part is, and also most rewarding is making sure that you always remember the history. You appreciate the history and respect the people that are merging into a bigger health care system and that you allow them to bring what is essential for them into that larger health care system. Just because you're bigger doesn't mean you're always better, but you are different. And we want to make sure that what our staff has learned and been through is, is respected as their part as they go through this integration journey.

[A]

I think it's a great point, kind of no matter the system and the size of that system, there's certainly a rich history there. So absolutely great point. What were the big organizational goals you set for your system in 2025 and how are you tracking on those goals now?

[B]

Yeah, I think our goals are pretty much divided up into multiple categories, like other hospitals and healthcare systems. You know, we're looking at certain key efficiency goals, just trying to, you know, making sure that care can be provided for in a more efficient and yet cost effective manner. So that's the first set of goals. Another set of goals is specific, you know, departmental integrations, how we actually achieve those goals, certain departments being integrated into a larger healthcare system. There's a lot of boxes to check off in terms of getting there. And that's been a big part of what we've been doing every single day. And the third part is delivering, you know, high quality patient experience, making sure that with all the business that we're doing in the background, that we're not forgetting our primary goal and that's making sure that we deliver the best care to our patients in the least disruptive of an environment.

[A]

What are you, what are the top things you think lead to that kind of that, that high quality care that you just mentioned?

[B]

I think there's a number of factors. First of all, you have to again, and this is something that has changed with me in my career, have having navigated healthcare system through Covid a couple years ago, we used to always think that the patients come first and of course they're the highest priority. But for me, it's the staff. You have to have an engaged, high quality, positive thinking staff. Because if you don't have that, then high quality Care is not something you're ever going to achieve. So we always think about focusing on the patients first and foremost. But that, to me philosophically, sometimes leaves the staff at a disadvantage. I look at it from a different lens. You have to have an invested, high quality, well trained, again, happy staff because that's going to be what you need to deliver high quality care. So the focus is on the staff that delivers you what you need in patient care?

[A]

Absolutely. What are the headwinds or challenges you anticipate for the next year or two for your staff?

[B]

Yeah, I think the biggest headwinds. And again, it's not just for our staff, but it's for our healthcare in general. Is that again, nothing new, nothing novel? You have to learn to do more with less and also to be open. This is actually something I'm learning in my own career. You have to be able to be open to new ideas about structure, about organizational structure. Classic ways of, you know, who reports to whom and why. I think really need to be thought about differently. And you need to be fluid and malleable as to how you need to set up your organization to meet whatever your specific goals and needs are. You know, coming into an organization, I can tell you firsthand, those that reported to me and those departments that reported to me, it's changed about 50% in three years. And the reason for that is because the needs of the, of the institution has changed and therefore you have to kind of flex with it and be able to go with that to accommodate those needs.

[A]

You know, the COO position is one that certainly evolved over time in healthcare. How have you seen that role change?

[B]

You know, it's interesting. I'm new to the COO role as of three, almost four years ago, and I was a chief medical officer for almost a decade before that. And there is a lot of, you know, obviously overlap. But what I think makes the COO role distinctive is that again, you have to have your hands in every piece of, of the organization in terms of making sure everything is running well. You have to let people know that they can't work in silos. They can't be making decisions over in one corner without understanding the effect on the other corner. And I think that's what makes the CEO role very exciting and very unique, is that you have to be that role that looks at all the corners of the room to making sure that whatever is decided, any one particular entity, works for everything else. Because as you know, in, in healthcare, not any one thing is independent of the other. Everything touches each other so again, that's the exciting part of being a coo is that you need to be somebody who wants to and thrives on linking everything together to make sure your healthcare organization runs as effectively as possible.

[A]

Yeah. And I know you said you're a bit new to the COO position with all the things you have to do, all the responsibilities. Do you think you learn to multitask better the last few years or do you get better at managing your time more efficiently?

[B]

I think both, actually. Multitasking is absolutely an essential piece of this role. And I would say to anybody in looking at roles like this that you have to be honest with yourself in terms of what your style of work is. Obviously there are certain roles that I would never undertake because it doesn't fit my own personality. I think to be an effective chief operating officer, you have to be somebody who is willing to and excited by multitasking and in being able to be a little bit of a jack of all trades.

[A]

And the last question I have for you, Dr. Insoft, how are you evolving as a leader?

[B]

Great, great question. I think I'm learning from feedback that again, like every other healthcare leader hears, listen more, speak less. That's first and foremost. I think by hearing everyone's viewpoint, you engage your staff more. You don't want to jump out and make decisions in front of your your team without hearing what their opinions are because otherwise you're going to sway the direction in which they're going to think. So again, listening more, saying less, and engaging your directors and managers so that they feel empowered and most importantly, they feel supported by you. They need to know that they care about that you care about them. And I think that is actually a factor that sometimes is a make or break in terms of healthcare systems and healthcare system leadership relationships.

[A]

Were there any leaders that, that you learned from, that you drew some things from?

[B]

Yeah, I actually do have. Just like everybody else, I've learned a lot of, of, of what works and what doesn't work from previous healthcare leaders that I've had to work with, work under. For the most part, it's been on a positive side. Sometimes it has not been. I think everyone learns things that they want to avoid from previous relationships. On the other hand, you learn what is most effective for you and your institution. So again, when I say you learn, you learn what works well and what doesn't. And that's the part about growing in any particular healthcare role.

[A]

Dr. Insult, thanks so much for a great conversation. Appreciate you joining the podcast. I look forward to working with you again soon.

[B]

Great. Thank you so much.