Ben Chacon

Ben came to a career in healthcare through family experiences with illness and caregiving, which taught him the importance of good patient care and drove him to study medicine. At the University of Utah, he explored pre-med, pre-dental, and economic and business courses, looking for the right fit. Eventually, he found it working in the University of Utah Hospital emergency room and cardiology departments, where he learned about both clinical and hospital business operations. That experience led Ben to a position in hospital administration as a quality and safety internal consultant. In that position, he sifted through data, and using Lean Six Sigma green belt certification skills, worked with administrative and medical leadership to identify system opportunities, provided recommendations, and led interventions. As a senior healthcare consultant, Ben now draws on his hospital and healthcare experiences to help ARUP clients understand and use data to effect positive system change. Ben loves the practical side of assessing complex healthcare issues, gaining an understanding of each client's specific issues, and utilizing data to drive solutions to benefit the system. However, his primary focus—improving patient care and health—hasn’t changed. When asked about his job, Ben said, “I tell people I’m fixing healthcare! It’s a big job, but creating excellence in the lab is one aspect that provides a large benefit to clinicians and the treatment of patients.” Ben enjoys reading, grilling and cooking, and time spent outdoors hiking, trail running, and fly fishing with his two dogs.