A COO’s Mission: An Ecosystem of Excellence

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Teddi Rae Barber explains how Florida Urology Partners treats the entire patient

In the dynamic world of healthcare leadership, Teddi Rae Barber has emerged as a beacon of innovation and compassionate management. At the age of 34, she assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Florida Urology Partners, one of the nation’s largest urologic specialty groups with nearly 20 offices, including two radiation oncology centers, and more than 50 providers. Teddi's journey to the helm of this remarkable organization is marked by a steadfast commitment to excellence, a focus on patient and employee satisfaction, and her dedication to advancing healthcare operations.

Teddi Rae Barber

With her early career spent in pediatrics, Barber quickly started becoming a household name in healthcare. Since then, Barber has become a recognized healthcare leader in transforming business processes and capitalizing on untapped resources in an effort to unlock synergistic opportunities ripe for maximization.

Teddi's impact on the healthcare landscape was acknowledged in April 2023 when she was recognized as a top female leader in the Tampa Bay area. Barber also received the Research Mission Award in May 2023 for her philanthropic contributions toward medical research in oncology.

Established in 2009, Florida Urology Partners has been a true pioneer in their human-centric approach to treating the “entire” patient throughout their care journey. With the adoption of leading-edge technologies, supportive programs, and world-class medical expertise, these foundational principles have garnered them national acclaim and recognition over the years.

Most recently, Florida Urology Partners was the first in the nation to offer a unique next-generation technology that protects the healthy tissue during radiation therapy treatment for prostate cancer; and was also the first in the state of Florida to perform a single port transvesical prostatectomy, among their other prestigious accolades in healthcare transformation. Under Teddi's leadership, the organization has continued its tradition of excellence, pioneering new treatments and technologies that transform patient outcomes.

“Florida Urology Partners takes immense pride in our unwavering commitment to quality, improved outcomes, innovative therapeutics and expanding patient access points across the region,” noted Barber. “It is our concerted effort to ensure patients who require traditional and highly specialized urologic care have the ability to receive the expert and targeted care they need.

“Our model, and cultural mindset is creating a ‘concierge-style’, or white-glove approach to delivering care,” explained Barber. “It is our core principle to ensure high levels of patient touch points and coordinated navigation throughout their care journey, as we truly view ourselves as a partner and advocate in care.”

As Florida Urology Partners continues to make noteworthy advancements in healthcare delivery across the state, Barber shared her personal philosophy on leading organizations in highly dynamic industries.

“It is imperative that leaders have a clear and defined vision that is transparent and applicable to all layers of the organization with palatable objectives, translatable across the value continuum. Every individual within the organization should have a clear and defined understanding on their unique value contribution to the global strategy of the organization,” explained Barber. “Without this understanding, leaders spend more time lobbying for buy in and champions when the ‘critical mass’ has already shifted. In industries such as healthcare, leadership cannot risk the one resource we can simply not regenerate – time.”

With the use of a hybrid decision-making model, comprised of data driven elements and human-centric inputs, Barber leverages a non-traditional approach to shifting cultures and realigning strategic visions. “As leaders, it is our responsibility to serve as a trusted custodian of the organizations in which we serve. We are the mechanisms called to scrutinize data, glean opportunities from retrospective trends and forecast future value-based models. What we often lessen, is the value attributable to the human component of our own experiences and the experiences of our team members.”

Barber further explained that senior leadership, including those in the C-suite, should be encouraged to spend ample time on the front lines of their organizations, understanding the varying vantage points and interpretations of problem-solving strategies, obstacle identification and resource allocations. “It is remarkable the amount of top-line growth that can be made from investing time across each ‘moment that matters’ throughout the patient journey. I have made more operational impacts from experiences on the patient floor, at the front desk, shadowing our care providers, and learning from our medical assistants that have created sustainable and ever-lasting positive change in both operations and patient retention.”

In looking toward the future of Florida Urology Partners, Barber radiates with a sense of enthusiasm and eagerness for all that’s on the horizon. “The providers, clinical staff, and team members throughout each of our four walls are truly remarkable. There is a shared sense of purpose, mission, and vision that pulses throughout our nearly 20 practices, two of which are standalone radiation oncology centers that are leading the way in the treatment of prostate and other closely related cancers,” said Barber.

In the next years to come, Florida Urology Partners is passionate about expanding patient access points in its secondary and tertiary service areas, deepening the breadth of services and treatments provided and continuing to innovate and drive leading edge care and treatment to the patients who depend on them.

“At the end of each day, as I close the door to my office and turn out the lights, I ensure that as a leader, I have demonstrated personal and professional strength, equity in action, emotional intelligence and above all else, integrity,” shared Barber. “I am honored to be with my colleagues at the helm of this remarkable organization and to watch our physicians and clinicians deliver monumental care.”