To Chris Tropp, chief operating officer at Arkansas Surgical Hospital in North Little Rock, leadership is not about conference rooms, corner offices, online surveys or paperwork — it is about being seen.
On a normal morning, Tropp can be found walking the halls of ASH, notebook in hand, greeting all the nurses, nursing assistants, physicians and other employees of the hospital. His habit, rooted in humility, has shaped the culture of ASH since the beginning.
“You can’t lead from behind a desk,” Tropp said. “You have to be there. If I don’t know who you are by name or face, that’s a problem.”
Tropp’s journey in health care began in 1994, after he earned his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Starting at Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock, he cultivated years of experience as a surgical nurse, learning the ins and outs of the operating room.
After a decade of growing his understanding of OR flow and staff dynamics, he was recruited in 2004 to help launch what was soon to be one of Arkansas’ largest orthopedic and spinal programs.
“They brought me in before Arkansas Surgical Hospital opened,” Tropp said. “I bought equipment, hired staff and helped write the policies. I wish they’d hired me a year earlier. There was so much to do.”
What began as a project quickly shifted into his long-term mission: offering incomparable health care. Over the next two decades, Tropp worked his way through the rankings and now oversees everything from surgical scheduling to supply chain contracts.
At the heart of Tropp’s approach is a relentless focus on culture. At ASH, every employee undergoes annual “culture training” — a refresher on standards, communication expectations and how to interact with patients.
“We teach things like the 10-5 rule,” Tropp said, referring to the practice of acknowledging others at 10 feet and verbally greeting them at 5 feet. “It seems simple, but it makes a difference. Every patient, every coworker deserves to feel seen.”
Other expectations include proper phone etiquette in hallways, standardized greetings for patients and families, and a “never list” outlining behavior that is grounds for termination.
“We want people who take ownership,” he said. “If you see something, you fix it. That’s the culture here. It’s not optional.”
Tropp also holds himself to the same standard. His routine hallway rounds are not just about visibility — they are about listening. He carries a notebook to capture feedback from staff or observations he wants to follow up on. It is a habit he adopted from a former boss, one he said transformed how he sees leadership.
Although Tropp places monumental importance on the workplace environment, efficiency is where Tropp’s operational mindset shines.
Under his leadership, ASH has grown to perform more than 9,000 surgeries a year, nearly 4,000 of which are total joint replacements. What sets ASH apart is not just volume but speed. While many hospitals average an hour or more to turn over an operating room, ASH does it in less than 15 minutes.
“Surgeons can do eight or nine cases here and still be home by 4 p.m.,” Tropp said. “It’s because the process is dialed in — same staff, same instruments, same routine.”
Influenced by his background in nursing, he anticipated surgical needs while thinking like an administrator. His dual perspective has spearheaded the ASH Direct program, a purchasing strategy that cuts out vendors, saving hospitals millions on implants and surgical supplies.
“I understand why a surgeon wants a specific instrument — and I also know how to get it at the right price,” he said. “That’s the advantage.”
One of the most consistent points of feedback Tropp hears from newly recruited physicians is how easy it is to work at ASH.
“We don’t just recruit them — we retain them,” he said. “We’ve brought on seven surgeons in the last 10 years, and they all tell me it’s the culture and the efficiency that makes them stay.”
ASH offers predictability — the same nurses and techs in every room, instruments that are triple checked, and minimal delays between cases. The consistency helps surgeons deliver better care and maintain a better work-life balance — a continual goal of Tropp’s.
“They don’t burn out here,” Tropp said. “They thrive.”
