Igniting Vision, Mindset, and Grit: From Healthcare Facilities to Financial Resilience at HFMA Metro NY

By Scott Burrows: Inspirational Keynote Speaker | Author | Resilience Expert

Last month, I delivered back-to-back keynotes that reminded me why I speak: to equip healthcare leaders—the unsung architects of patient safety and financial sustainability—with tools to turn relentless pressure into breakthrough performance.

First, at the 10th Annual New York State Healthcare Facilities Conference (Turning Stone Resort Casino), I opened for 300 facilities directors, engineers, architects, and emergency managers from across NY’s hospital systems. These are the pros ensuring 24/7 uptime, N+1 resiliency, and zero-disruption upgrades while wrestling aging infrastructure and razor-thin budgets. My Vision, Mindset, Grit message hit home: standing ovations, a packed book-signing (200 pre-purchased copies gone in 30 minutes), and one director who said, “I’m finally tackling that deferred maintenance backlog—your story gave me the grit to start.”

Prior to the event, I joined a strategy call with HFMA Metropolitan New York—1,000 members strong, spanning Long Island to Manhattan. Their theme? Bolder. Brighter. Better. Their reality? Finance leaders knee-deep in revenue cycle trenches, battling staffing shortages, burnout, hybrid care reimbursement fights, and patients now price-shopping like never before.

Here’s what ties these audiences together—and why Vision, Mindset, and Grit is the operating system every healthcare organization needs right now.

The Common Battlefield: Nothing Is Easy

Facilities Leaders (ASHE)	Finance Leaders (HFMA)
24/7 operations, code compliance, Joint Commission audits	Revenue cycle chaos, payer denials, telehealth reimbursement
Aging HVAC, limited capital, zero-downtime upgrades	Staffing shortages, early retirements, remote-work burnout
Infection prevention + emergency preparedness	Patient price-shopping, hybrid care models, M&A integration

Both groups are fighting for the same North Star: Deliver exceptional, personalized care while staying financially afloat.

And both are exhausted.

Vision: See the Hybrid Future—Then Build It

Pre-COVID, telehealth was a pilot. Today, it’s table stakes. HFMA leaders told me patients now demand convenience on their terms—texted results, virtual follow-ups, price transparency. Facilities teams are retrofitting clinics for hybrid workflows while keeping ORs sterile.

My Vision Playbook (used in both keynotes):

Paint the 3-Year Picture – What does a Bolder, Brighter, Better patient journey look like in your system? (One HFMA member texted appointment reminders; patient show-rate jumped 18%.)
Reverse-Engineer It – Map every touchpoint (registration → billing → discharge) and ask: “How do we make this frictionless?”
Prototype Fast – Pilot one digital upgrade (e.g., AI-driven prior auth) in 90 days. Fail fast, scale faster.

“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” – Japanese proverb I shared on stage.

Mindset: From Burnout to Breakthrough

HFMA’s Alyson Belz nailed it: “We’re working MORE hours remotely and burning out faster.” Facilities directors echo the same—Great Resignation gutted bench strength; McDonald’s is poaching techs with iPhones.

Mindset Shift I Drove Home:

Reframe “Nothing Is Easy” → “Everything Is Figureoutable.”
Example: When my brother’s fertilizer company lost 60% of U.S. sales, we pivoted to custom blends for Singapore golf courses. Result? New revenue stream in 11 months.
Daily Grit Ritual: One HFMA CFO now starts stand-ups with “What’s one bold move we’ll make today?” It’s cut decision paralysis by 40%.

Grit: The Daily Muscle That Wins Wars

Grit isn’t a speech—it’s showing up when you’re depleted.

Real-World Grit Wins Shared On Stage:

Facilities: A Syracuse hospital engineer rigged a temporary chiller in 48 hours during a heatwave—no patient transfers.
Finance: A revenue cycle analyst rewrote 400 denial letters into patient-friendly language—collectibles up 22%, complaints down 60%.

Actionable Grit Framework (handed out as a takeaway card):

Trigger	Grit Move	90-Day Win
Denial spike	Audit top 5 codes daily	+$1.2M cash
Staff turnover	Cross-train 1 backup per role	Zero coverage gaps
Telehealth pushback	Pilot 1 specialty	97% patient satisfaction

Key Takeaways for Healthcare Leaders

Vision: Draft your Hybrid Care Blueprint this quarter—map in-person + virtual touchpoints.
Mindset: Replace “We’ve always done it this way” with “What if we 10X’d convenience?”
Grit: Pick one high-leverage project (e.g., AI prior auth, sensor-based HVAC alerts) and ship a prototype in 90 days.

Meeting Planners: Book a Proven Closer (or Opener)

Whether you need a high-energy opener to ignite your national conference or a memorable closer to send 1,000+ attendees home armed with action plans, my Vision, Mindset, Grit keynote delivers:

Healthcare Facilities: ASHE chapters, AHRMM, IFMA Healthcare
Healthcare Finance: HFMA, AAHAM, NAHRI
C-Suite & Revenue Cycle: Becker’s, HIMSS, AHIMA

Proven Impact:

2,000+ Amway IBOs—highest post-event engagement scores in 5 years
Premier Inc. Top 100 Hospitals Gala—98% “extremely likely to recommend”
Standing ovations at Turning Stone (300+ facilities pros)

Watch my demo reel & book a discovery call: www.scottburrows.com

Let’s make your next event Bolder. Brighter. Better.

Follow @ScottVMG on X | LinkedIn for daily resilience tips

Scott Burrows is a quadriplegic keynote speaker who turned paralysis into purpose. His book, Stand Up: Vision, Mindset, Grit, is available at all events.

Scott Burrows, Keynote Motivational Speaker | Author
Office: 813-477-0862
Website: www.scottburrows.com