Michelle Hensgens Adams

Healthcare Executive

Growth & Integration Strategy & Transformation Ambulatory Expansion

Only a provider touches the patient. That relationship is the frontline of healthcare, and it is where every life is saved, comforted, and changed.

Everything a health system does, every clinic it opens, every acquisition it integrates, every strategy it sets, exists to protect and strengthen that one relationship. For more than fifteen years, that conviction has guided my work. I lead growth, ambulatory expansion, and mergers and acquisitions across large health systems, aligning teams, stakeholders, executives, and boards so the people at the frontline can do what only they can do. I measure success by whether my work brings better care closer to the communities and patients who depend on it, especially those most in need.

Core Competencies

How I lead, and where I create value.

Leadership

Building and leading successful teams of diverse individuals, aligning them around a shared purpose. Former captain of a nationally ranked collegiate volleyball team.

Planning

An effective developer of bold ideas, grounded in real market, health-system, physician-ownership, and community experience.

Communication

Presenting information visually and verbally to varied audiences, from frontline teams to executives and boards, with clarity and engagement.

Areas of Focus

Healthcare Growth Strategy • Ambulatory Expansion & Redesign • Mergers, Acquisitions & Integration • Physician & Stakeholder Engagement • Operational Transformation & Culture Alignment • Strategic Planning & Execution • Innovative Care Delivery Models

Experience

System Vice President, Growth & Ambulatory

PeaceHealth • December 2020 – July 2025

  • Led growth and ambulatory strategy across a multi-state health system, including primary care, urgent care, specialty clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, diagnostics, and endoscopy.
  • Managed joint ventures and wholly owned for-profit entities for strategic alignment and strong operational performance.
  • Designed and executed a multi-state ambulatory growth plan that expanded patient access and strengthened market presence.
  • Directed teams to implement innovative strategies, driving operational efficiencies and increased engagement.
  • Forged partnerships to enhance the healthcare ecosystem, advancing integration and value-based care models.
  • Championed digital innovation, including the launch of a mobile application to streamline access, promote network integrity, and enhance the patient experience.
  • Led modernization and redesign initiatives to improve functionality, access, and performance in ambulatory settings.

Vice President, Business Development & Integration

Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLHS) • October 2018 – December 2020

  • Directed system-wide growth and integration efforts during a period of significant expansion.
  • Oversaw acquisitions of hospitals and physician groups, leading the cultural and operational alignment of newly acquired entities.
  • Developed ambulatory growth strategies without new inpatient beds, ensuring efficient capital deployment.
  • Used GIS-based analytics to select access points and guide system expansion planning.
  • Aligned medical group integration and service-line planning with system-wide objectives.
  • Built a dynamic structure to assess risk, support decision-making, and coordinate sustainable growth.

Divisional Director, Business Development

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center • October 2015 – October 2018

  • Provided oversight of strategic planning, business development, and property management across multiple service lines.
  • Expanded ambulatory access points and executed acquisitions, enhancing system reach.
  • Directed the development of an offsite emergency center and the integration of surgical services.
  • Led the transformation of the cancer center, strengthening regional oncology services.
  • Managed operational leadership of diagnostic sleep centers and a medical fitness center.

Manager, Business Development

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center • September 2013 – October 2015

  • Directed regional strategic planning, business development, and service excellence programs.
  • Designed and executed a new strategic planning framework, aligning leadership and system objectives.
  • Led the hospital's Baldrige Award journey, preparing applications and advancing performance improvement.

Manager, Service Excellence

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center • November 2011 – September 2013

  • Created personalized patient-experience solutions through integrated technology with real-time communication tools.
  • Established service standards and committee structures to analyze, improve, and communicate organizational change.

Telemedicine Coordinator

Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center • April 2009 – November 2011

  • Designed and implemented the Louisiana Stroke Network, expanding access to stroke specialists in rural communities through robotic telemedicine.
“Strategy, growth, and integration are means, never the end. The end is the patient, and the provider who never lets go of that bond. I lead so the people closest to the patient have what they need, and so care reaches the people who need it most.”

Education

Certifications

Community Involvement