An Interview With Deanna Kyrimis, Healthcare Executive

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Here is our recent interview with Deanna Kyrimis, Healthcare Executive:

Q: Can you provide our readers a bit of insight into your professional background, including your work in the healthcare field?

A: You bet! I have enjoyed more than two decades of high-level experience in healthcare strategy and operations. It is an honor to contribute to the healthcare industry in seeking ways we can provide access to all, particularly for underserved, vulnerable, and special needs populations. In this, I have consistently championed innovative “whole person” models of care that are patient-centered, high-quality, and foundational for delivering care that is value-based across broad networks of integrated systems. It takes deep collaboration to deliver care across an integrated continuum, both clinically and administratively. Collaboration takes time and I am immensely grateful for the relationships built over the years with colleagues, physicians, staff and patients. Simply put, we cannot accomplish great outcomes in our complex healthcare industry without the contributions of others; relationships and meaningful engagement are key to this.

Q: Would you tell our readers about your educational background?

A: Throughout my career, I have been a lifelong learner and have been incredibly blessed to receive my education at distinguished institutions in the United States and abroad. These include Arizona State University, where I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, the University of Oxford, where I earned my Master’s in Organizational Leadership, and the University of California at Irvine, where I earned a Master’s of Business in Healthcare Administration. I am currently working toward a doctorate of science degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Q: Thinking back on your career, what are a few examples of how you have led successful outcomes?

A: First and foremost, I have had the privilege of working with world-class Boards of Directors and colleagues which have provided the foundation for cultivating exceptional leadership teams. The key to our collective success has been the combination of effective governance, strong leadership, collaboration and active engagement from our incredibly important front line team members. It is within that structure, truly visionary strategies are formed and executed. One that comes to mind is a multi-state health system strategy. I had the honor to lead and advance a complete integration of hospitals, medical groups, management services and payer strategies resulting in double-digit growth. This accomplishment required not only a profound understanding of integrating multiple hospital and medical group operations, but also the skill to navigate numerous stakeholders through collaborative efforts, both horizontally and vertically. I ensured that everyone involved was aligned with the overarching vision and worked diligently to execute the meticulously developed blueprint for success. That execution does not happen alone and it took the development of a strong, cohesive team of exceptional administrative and physician leaders to synchronize operations, work alongside our team members and deliver outstanding outcomes.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare?

A: As a young teenager, I volunteered at a nursing home in Arizona where I found my love of supporting patients, being attentive and compassionate to the needs of others. My continued work at a private nursing home as a certified nursing assistant helped me find my voice in healthcare and ensure that our most vulnerable patients are well cared for with dignity, compassion and quality. This passion carried me through to leadership positions where I have persistently focused on putting patients first and seeking to continuously improve our healthcare system.

Q: What changes would you like to see in healthcare in the coming years?

A: The pandemic put a very sharp point on the issues we have been challenged with for years from health equity to aligning models of care to resource shortages. As we seek to take healthcare back from the ravages of the pandemic, it is crucial that we align our models of care, legislation, reimbursement and resources.

We must return our focus to healthcare that is accessible, affordable and meets the patient’s at their area of need. It is incumbent upon this industry to transform our traditional healthcare delivery system into one that is truly value-based in every sense of that word. Value from the first interaction through to the care received and delivering an experience that is free from the hassles of patient self-navigation in a complex healthcare system. If we can seek to meaningfully align those that receive, deliver and pay for healthcare, we have a true opportunity to eliminate barriers in our current healthcare system and provide equitable healthcare across the patient continuum and throughout this nation.