Stephen R. Mason is the president and CEO of BayCare, a community-based health care system in the Tampa Bay area with more than 17,400 employees. BayCare connects patients to a complete range of services through its not-for-profit hospitals, outpatient and imaging facilities, and other regional services that reach beyond the Bay area. In 2007, BayCare provided $157 million in total community benefit.*

At the helm of BayCare since May 2004, Mason has successfully guided the health system through several major initiatives and system-wide improvements. Under Mason's leadership, BayCare launched a 7-year project to implement an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) throughout the health system. Once completed, BayCare's EMR, known as BEACON, will advance superior health care by transforming paper-based medical records into a fully electronic chart that provides clinicians with real-time access to patient information from all points of care.

Mason also successfully implemented the Six Sigma methodology at BayCare to enhance its existing Quality process and enable the health system to break through to even higher levels of customer service, patient safety and operational performance. Mason has continued BayCare's focus on Quality, championing the recent creation of its online Quality Report Card, a public-reporting tool that also helps patients become more involved in their health care.

Mason serves in leadership roles for several not-for-profit organizations. He currently serves as the board chair for the Tampa Bay Partnership and was the board chairman of the United Way of Greater Tampa Bay in 2008. Mason also is the vice chairman of the board of trustees for the Florida Hospital Association. In addition, he serves on the Florida Low Income Pool (LIP) Council and was the chairman of the 2005 Tampa Bay Heart Walk, hosted by the American Heart Association.
 
Mason has more than 20 years of experience in health care. Before coming to BayCare, Mason was the senior executive vice president and chief operating officer of Texas Health Resources (THR), a health system headquartered in Arlington, Texas. Mason played an instrumental role in the 1997 merger that created THR, which shares many similarities with BayCare. While at THR, Mason is credited with renewing emphasis on operating and performance improvement, expanding community health initiatives and enhancing information systems. He also championed patient safety, quality and employee satisfaction, and served in several senior management positions with the Harris Methodist System, a founding sponsor of THR. 
 
Mason has a master's degree in hospital administration from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's in business administration from Golden Gate University in San Francisco.  

*Represents unreimbursed costs for traditional charity care, Medicaid and county welfare programs, indigent care fund payments and unbilled community services.