Paul VerValin is the executive vice president and chief operating officer at the Sayre, Penn-based Guthrie Clinic.
Mr. VerValin will serve on the panel "Medical Group Management: Top Issues and Strategies for 2023" at Becker's 10th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable. As part of an ongoing series, Becker's is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference on Nov. 7-10 in Chicago.
To learn more and register, click here.
Becker's Healthcare aims to foster peer-to-peer conversation between healthcare's brightest leaders and thinkers. In that vein, responses to our Speaker Series are published straight from interviewees. Here is what our speakers had to say.
Question: What is the smartest thing you've done in the last year to set your system up for success?
Paul VerValin: The smartest thing we've done is to invest in our people and further develop staff model changes. Our people are what makes Guthrie "Guthrie." Our caregivers work tirelessly in supporting each other and caring for those seeking care here, and we need to recognize them and support them where we can. As an organization, we must do things differently and do different things to be successful and our caregivers help us do exactly that.
Q: What are you most excited about right now and what makes you nervous?
PV: I'm most excited about how our system has come together in a more integrated way. Guthrie has always functioned as an integrated delivery system, with a large medical group, five hospital campuses, and post-acute care division. Still, we've become more integrated than we've been historically and it continues to improve. My anxiety focuses on keeping up with the talent drain and cost inflation.
Q: How are you thinking about growth and investments for the next year or two?
PV: Our next few years focus on quality, safety and experience. We must focus our investments on inspiring our caregivers to deliver excellent care. We must be innovative in delivery and will promote affordability and operational efficiency to invest, as a team, in our future.
Q: What will healthcare executives need to be effective leaders for the next five years?
PV: As leaders, we must stay calm and inspire our people to be part of the solution to our challenges and we must motivate and inspire in ways that challenge mediocrity. Being open to new ideas and leading an agile organization will be key.