Elizabeth Linden is the chief operating officer (COO) at the Indiana University Health Medical Center, the largest hospital in Indiana and a nationally renowned 800-bed academic health center that features a Level I Trauma Center, Comprehensive Stroke Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In addition to her more than 20 years of experience as a healthcare provider and administrator, Linden spent the first 10 years of her career in the retail industry where she learned to lead effective teams and meet operational targets. After transitioning to a career in healthcare, Linden blended her business sense and results-oriented leadership skills with her calling to help others. Her leadership experience has crossed a broad spectrum of patient care—women’s services, pediatrics, Federally Qualified Heath Center operations, and the highest acuity adult care.
Linden earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice with a concentration in leading in complex healthcare systems. Her ability to develop strong, collaborative relationships across many levels of highly complex healthcare systems has been key to her growth and success. As the COO, Linden is a leader of leaders, serving as the leader responsible for all Medical Center operations. She is responsible for meeting organization’s comprehensive goals for quality care, financial growth, positive patient experiences, as well as staff retention and culture.
Linden uses her wealth of knowledge to support a team of over 6,000 healthcare professionals providing the highest quality care to the most acutely ill in Indiana and across the Midwest region. With oversight of the state’s largest emergency department, organ transplant program, and neuro critical care, Linden’s operational expertise has helped advance the Medical Center into a destination for medicine. On average, her team sees over 30,000 inpatients, 80,000 emergency room visits, 26,000 surgeries and procedures, and 264,000 outpatient visits annually. Linden oversees an annual gross operational budget of over $4 billion.
She also leads the steering committee for the new IU Health downtown hospital construction project. With a budget of $4.29 billion, the new, 864-bed hospital is considered the largest healthcare project in North America. As services between two existing hospitals are consolidated into one leading-edge facility, Linden is at the helm of care delivery transformation, driven by innovation and adaptability.
One of her greatest strengths is the ability to build effective teams. This was most evident as Linden spearheaded the Medical Center’s response to COVID-19. As the CNO at the time, Linden mobilized interdisciplinary teams to provide care based on demand, restructured care models, and developed a premium pay program to decrease traveler expense and maintain retention and team recognition. The program was a great success and was duplicated across the IU Health system for a variety of roles.
Always a nurse, Linden’s operational decisions are influenced by her understanding of the care provided at the bedside and she follows a people first philosophy. She advocates for the psychologically safety of her team, creates and sustains engaging work environments, and appreciates and respects diversity of thought, action and experience. Understanding it is when passion for people align with the goals of the organization that operational strategies come to life.
