Q&A:

Health care executive: As industry changes, providers must adapt

Toni Corbin, vice president of operations for Southwest Medical Associates.

Toni Corbin, vice president of operations at Southwest Medical Associates, has seen the health care industry change considerably over the past 24 years. Technology and competition have enhanced the experience in many ways, and Corbin has overseen the implementation of programs and projects that improve patients’ lives.

What have been your greatest accomplishments in your career?

Five years ago, two new health care companies arrived in Southern Nevada, creating the potential for competition within the senior segment of our market. At Southwest Medical, our success is based on our coordinated team care effort. To remain in our position as a leader, we developed new strategies to embrace our senior market to retain and grow our membership.

With my operations team, I led the creation of two lifestyle centers, in the west and east areas of Las Vegas. This substantial project was not something that existed in our organization’s strategic plan at that time but was launched in response to our patients’ needs and the changing dynamics of the health care marketplace.

The lifestyle centers offer services and opportunities for older adults to attend social events, make friends and learn about health topics important to this stage in their lives. Each center has a medical component devoted to comprehensive wellness checkups for our Senior Dimensions patients.

We also offer resource guidance with an onsite social worker who can assist with transportation, meal services and even getting help with medication costs. The social club is open to the community — you don’t need to be a patient of Southwest Medical to enjoy the activities.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

The ebb and flow of health care technology and our ability on the health care front to lead initiatives and foster solutions. Last year, Southwest Medical introduced NowClinic, a face-to-face video chat technology that allows patients to have a virtual visit with Southwest Medical providers for non-urgent conditions like allergies, swimmers ear, rashes, urinary tract infections, etc. We educate patients on this technological platform, and we’re seeing growing use of this new option, month over month. We also monitor patient satisfaction closely, which has been consistently more than 95 percent for this new offering.

What changes have you noticed in health care over your 24 years of service?

Across the health care community, there has been an emphasis on improvements and initiatives focusing on the quality of care, and that has been an essential part of Southwest Medical’s efforts, as well.

In health care, there is a set of quality measurements designed to allow consumers to compare health plan performance to other plans and to see how well a plan performs nationally (the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, or HEDIS). I am happy to say that Southwest Medical reached a five-star HEDIS rating in 2014 for quality results.

Another change is the advancement of technology, which we see both outside and inside the health care community. Technological applications of all types have improved health outcomes and the personal experiences of patients across the country and around the world, and each day seems to bring a new opportunity. I think we can enhance the human touch, even with the influence of high tech. Since we launched NowClinic on Jan. 1, 2014, we’ve surpassed 22,000 enrollments.

What community organizations are you involved in?

I have been asked to participate in numerous Southern Nevada boards and committees. I strive to be an active participant with any group I support and not simply take part in name only. If I can’t be successful in my contribution, I respectfully decline. I am very gratified to say I have been able to donate financially or provide volunteer support to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas and the American Red Cross of Southern Nevada, in addition to my board leadership and participation in Dress for Success of Southern Nevada. I also oversee the charitable giving of Southwest Medical, and I am a proponent of employee volunteerism projects in the community.

What has been the most rewarding part of your job?

Last year, I received the best Christmas present: I’d been helping to coordinate care for a patient over the previous six months, and the patient texted me on Christmas morning to thank me for saving her life. It was the best Christmas gift I could have received.

What are you reading right now?

For business, I am reading “Transforming Health Care” by Charles Kenney, which relates to a health care management certification I am pursuing. For pleasure, I am reading “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese, a saga of twin brothers and the life challenges they face.

What do you do after work?

Community service, and I am an exercise enthusiast. I enjoy all outdoor activities, especially snow skiing with my grandsons at Lake Tahoe. I’ve been married for 34 years and have a loving son and daughter-in-law with two beautiful grandsons, ages 6 and 3.

Describe your management style.

Influential management: I develop and set expectations for my team and I coach and mentor them to accomplish our goals. I work to gain consensus with my team and our physician leadership.

Whom do you admire and why?

I have the most admiration for my mother, Marilyn Gorski. She taught me you could have a successful career and raise a family. She did both and cared for my grandmother. At an early age, my sister and I lost our father. My mother went back to school to become a nurse to support her family, and she worked full-time for 35 years caring for patients with cardiac health issues before she retired. As a single parent, she found the important balance between her career and raising her two daughters. She imparted her philosophy to my sister and to me to live your life so in the end, you can look back, smile and say, “I did it all, and I did a great job.”

What is your biggest pet peeve?

When I recognize poor customer service. I am a patient advocate, and it triggers an immediate emotional response.

What is something people might not know about you?

I am an adrenaline junkie — I love to bungee jump and ride zip lines and crazy roller coasters.

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