2.8.18 – Tina Freese Decker

Tina Freese Decker, MHA, MSIE, FACHE

Tina Freese Decker is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Spectrum Health, a $6 billion not-for-profit integrated health system based in West Michigan. She is an experienced leader in strategic planning, business development, operations and governance. Tina is responsible for advancing the strategy and leading operations of the organization, including Spectrum Health Hospital Group, Spectrum Health Medical Group, human resources and information services among other departments. In her role, she will continue to help align leadership and operations in Spectrum Health to better meet the challenges and opportunities within the health care industry.

Tina joined Spectrum Health in 2002 as an administrative fellow and was named system director of planning and strategic development in 2003. She was promoted to vice president in 2006. During this time, Tina also served as executive director of the Regional Hospital Network, a group of 21 West Michigan hospitals.

Tina served as president of Spectrum Health United and Kelsey hospitals beginning in 2011, providing strategic direction for the hospitals and subsidiaries. In 2013, Tina was named senior vice president/chief strategy officer for Spectrum Health and in the summer of 2014, she was named president of Spectrum Health Hospital Group, responsible for strategy, operations and growth for Spectrum Health’s 12 award-winning hospitals (Butterworth Hospital, Blodgett Hospital, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, Gerber Memorial, Big Rapids Hospital, Ludington Hospital, Pennock, United Hospital, Kelsey Hospital, Reed City Hospital and Zeeland Community Hospital), and 180 ambulatory and service sites. In 2017, she was named executive vice president and chief operating officer.

As a health system, Spectrum Health was named one of the nation’s 15 Top Health Systems—and in the top five among the largest health systems—in 2017 by Truven Health Analytics®, part of IBM Watson Health^TM for the sixth time since 2010. This recognition was based largely on the strength of the Spectrum Health Hospital Group and our flagship tertiary/quaternary care center, Butterworth Hospital. In 2017, Spectrum Health received the Foster G. McGaw Prize, one of the most revered community service awards in health care, sponsored by the Baxter International Foundation, the American Hospital Association (AHA) and its non-profit affiliate Health Research & Educational Trust.

Tina is leading a care transformation initiative at Spectrum Health grounded in culture change, improved decision-making and patient-centric care coordination. She is leading an initiative called Nexus, a $300 million effort to transform care and move to one electronic medical record.

Tina earned her bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and two master’s degrees from the University of Iowa in Iowa City—one in health administration and one in industrial engineering.

Tina serves on the Fifth Third Bank Western Michigan Board of Directors, the Michigan Health & Hospital Association Board of Directors, the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids Board of Directors, the Grand Rapids Economic Club Board of Directors and the Spectrum Health/Michigan State University Alliance Board of Directors. She also is a member of the Grand Valley State University Office of the Vice Provost for Health Advisory Board and the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board 5. Tina participates in the Health Management Academy, the Healthcare Executive Study Society and the Talent 2025 CEO Council.

Tina was named among Crain’s Detroit Business 100 Most Influential Women in 2016 and Grand Rapids’ Business Journal’s 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan in 2016 and 2014. She also received in 2016 the Iowa State University Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Tina was honored as 2015 Modern Healthcare Up and Comer, as well as University of Iowa Outstanding Young Alumni in 2014. She also was recognized by the American College of Healthcare Executives in 2013 with the Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for Young Healthcare Executive of the Year, which awards outstanding achievement in the field of health care management.

Tina lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband, daughter and son.