By Vanessa Orr
When Pierre Monice, FACHE, was named CEO and president of Holy Cross Health this past May, he came into the position with three major goals: to stabilize and strengthen day-to-day core operations, build on Holy Cross’ impressive reputation, accelerate ambulatory growth and recommit to providing patients with world-class experiences and outcomes.
He’s wasted no time getting started.
A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Health is currently constructing a freestanding emergency department center in Deerfield Beach, FL, which will open in May 2026. Following that facility’s completion, another freestanding emergency department will be built at 200 East Sunrise Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
“We’re accelerating ambulatory growth because that’s where healthcare is moving,” explained Monice. “We are structuring our ambulatory strategy around access, affordability and appropriateness.”
He adds that Holy Cross plans to grow its primary care base and service lines, especially in the areas of oncology, cardiology, neuroscience and orthopedics. He is also looking forward to building upon its surgical platform.
“We want to stay relevant and current, and that means being equipped with the latest and greatest tools not only for clinicians, but to enhance patient outcomes and promote faster recoveries,” he said. “We’ve already leveraged this from an orthopedics and cardiology standpoint with the latest MAKO 4 and da Vinci Xi™ robotic surgical systems.”
Leading the Way
To ensure patient satisfaction, Monice believes that leadership visibility, including leadership rounding, is key. He also encourages his staff to take the results of Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) and Press Ganey patient surveys to heart.
“Our teams go through these surveys line by line, looking at both positive and negative feedback and creating action plans,” he explained. “There is a lot of visibility and a lot of immediateness around these action plans, and so far, we’ve seen great results. We are proud that from a patient experience standpoint, people continue to choose Holy Cross and trust us with their healthcare.”
In addition to providing direct consumer feedback, these surveys also provide a percentile rating, and Holy Cross has consistently ranked in the top quartile for its performance, communication, responsiveness, discharge readiness and improved first-available-appointment intervals.
He adds that Forbes magazine recently recognized Holy Cross in its “America’s Best Employers for Healthcare Professionals” listing.
“This is very exciting because we’re not just focused on being another healthcare facility; we want to be a place where people call home,” he said of making Holy Cross a welcoming place to work. “Every time I walk the halls, I interact with the physicians and staff, and I feel that.
“We want to make sure our staff and colleagues have a voice at the table—to know that we hear them and see them,” he added. “We want to ensure that they feel like family as they take care of our patients every single day.”
As a faith-based, nonprofit, Catholic healthcare system, Monice believes that Holy Cross’ focus on caring and inclusion is why it has remained a pillar of the Broward County community for the past 70 years.
“We do not take a one-size-fits-all approach,” he explained of the health system’s commitment to caring for diverse communities. “We meet each individual where they are.”
He noted that Holy Cross has been recognized for the past three years as a leader at the forefront of the LGBTQ+ community, serving as an authority and specializing in their care. The health system is also looking to expand its already robust clinic in the Wilton Manors neighborhood.
“Our greatest strength is being mission-rooted and focused on compassion and care,” said Monice, noting that it is also a priority of the health system to grow highly skilled physicians and associates. “We want to double down on clinical excellence and with that, expand access outside the four walls of this hospital.
“Broward County is a very special place with a very engaged community that cares about growth, the business community and healthcare,” he added. “We are proud to be a trusted health care partner in Broward County and beyond. Our goal, along with other health systems in our ecosystem, is to make Broward County the healthiest county in all of Florida and all of the country.”
