August 16, 2019 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
David Boucher, a 1982 graduate of the Department of Health Services Policy and Management’s Master of Public Health program, has been selected to serve as the Chief Business Transformation Officer for Bumrungrad International Hospital. This Joint Commission International accredited multi-specialty 580-bed hospital in central Bangkok, Thailand offers state-of-the-art diagnostic, therapeutic and intensive care facilities.
Bumrungrad serves 1.1 million patients annually, including 530,000 international patients from nearly 200 countries. Boucher was selected for the role due to his track record as an accomplished healthcare and hospital executive who has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to improve healthcare delivery and medical insurance operations through disruptive innovation, applied technology, proactive marketing and patient-centric operations.
He will lead the hospital’s transformational initiatives, including international insurance billing functions, appointment booking and consumer inquiry process, expatriate marketing, public presentations, digital initiatives and telemedicine services. Boucher's goals for this role are to understand the Thai culture, build relationships, accelerate the hospital’s digital journey in medical and preventive services and to try to bring out the best in the people that he feels privileged to work around.
“When I first traveled to Bumrungrad in 2006 to assess its capabilities for participating in the international medical tourism marketplace, I was duly impressed by its advanced technology, highly trained medical staff and quality outcomes,” Boucher says. “Since that time, the BIH approach has been further enhanced and today, the hospital is a beacon for international medical travel thanks to a patient-centric, people-first approach to delivering high quality care at lower costs.”
My professors and instructors at USC taught me the critical importance of listening and asking questions.
-David Boucher, 1982 MPH in HSPM alumnus
Boucher’s previous professional roles include serving as former president and chief operating officer of UCI Medical Affiliates and Companion Global Healthcare, which are subsidiaries of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. While working at Companion, he secured alliances with 22 overseas hospitals and promoted consideration for overseas procedures for insured members across America– enabling knee-hip replacements, heart valves, and spleen removals to become a lower cost option for patients while earning recognition as a pioneer in employer-focused medical travel benefits.
In addition, Boucher’s career trajectory includes experience as a senior administrator of Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital and as CEO of the Carolina Hospital System and Good Hope Hospital during his 14-year tenure at Quorum Health Group. This HCA spin-off owned 325 for-profit hospitals and managed non-profit hospitals nationwide.
Originally from New England, Boucher earned a Bachelor of Science in Community Health Administration from Slippery Rock University (Pennsylvania) in 1980 followed by a master’s degree from the Arnold School. At UofSC, Boucher connected with then-faculty member Alan Sear, who sparked Boucher’s interest in healthcare information technology and taught him to focus on content and then format – a formula he has applied throughout his career.
“My professors and instructors at USC taught me the critical importance of listening and asking questions,” Boucher says. “Lessons taken from my Health Economics, Quantitative Analysis, and Health IT have benefited me, without doubt, each and every day of my 40+ year career in healthcare administration.”
Boucher is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, and an advisory board member of the Health Core International Consultancy, Inc. His community service positions have included board positions on multiple Rotary Clubs and roles in organizations such as the Paul Harris Fellow & Society, World Affairs Council, South Carolina Philharmonic, SC Arts Foundation and the Columbia Free Medical Clinic. He also serves on the Master of Health Administration Advisory Board for the Arnold School.
“My current vision is to really support the overall hospital vision, which is to provide world class holistic healthcare with innovation, and improve customer stickiness,” Boucher says. “One of my personal visions is to continue to support the excellent doctors, nurses and other caregivers that we have – the actual folks that are hands on – as they offer a safe service to our patients.”
Related:
Exclusive Interview: Chief Business Transformation Officer, Bumrungrad Hospital