Becker's Hospital Review

8 CFO / FINANCE 'Don't be afraid of change': Penn State Health CFO's advice to successor By Madeline Ashley A s Paula Tinch, CFO of Hershey, Pa.-based Penn State Health, prepares to retire on June 30, she is reflecting on a healthcare career spanning more than 20 years, including around six with Penn State Health. From mobilizing teams and command centers to managing regulatory and operational changes, one of Ms. Tinch's proudest accomplishments at Penn State Health was the system's financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she told Becker's. "We're all still dealing with the hangover of [the pandemic], but it was a couple of years of a lot of unprecedented change that, I think, facilitated some good things," she said. "It brought telehealth, virtual health and other access points to a forefront that hadn't been as explicitly pushed in the past. Hopefully, they stay." As the system continues its nationwide search for a new CFO and a new permanent CEO, Ms. Tinch is excited to hand off the work done to implement Epic systemwide, which will formally launch at the beginning of June. Penn State Health entered negotiations with Epic in September 2024 to transition from Oracle Health, formerly known as Cerner. e health system plans to start project team training by the end of March or early April, with a targeted go-live date at the end of 2026. "We've been pushing for change and kind of lobbying to engage the organization in a really big investment that's going to be transformational for us," she said. "It's great to have been part of all of that, getting it through, getting it approved and working through all of the right channels." As the CFO role continues to acclimate to a changing healthcare industry, Ms. Tinch stressed the importance for finance leaders to be a strong partner in removing barriers to ensure colleagues have a consumable and deep understanding of what is going on from the financial standpoint at a healthcare organization. "It's more than just the numbers," she said. "It's going to be really critical to be nimble, to be agile, to help influence the financial acumen of our partners so that we're pushing out information that may seem obvious … it's not always obvious to others that don't look at that all the time. So, how do we put the information in a way that's easy, consumable and digestible so that others can make decisions in their daily work that will benefit the patient, the organization and the system overall?" When asked what advice she has for the incoming CFO, Ms. Tinch said that she encourages a strong partnership with whoever the incoming permanent CEO is to ensure strong leadership amid system growth. "ey're going to have a new view, new ideas and I would say to continue to challenge the status quo," she said. "We, as a system, have morphed every year, over the last several years. We've acquired practices, we've opened new hospitals and now we're going to launch on a new EMR. We are not in a stabilization mode yet, we are in a continued growth and pace of change. For whoever comes in here, don't be afraid of that change. Embrace it and use it as the catalyst to bolt the organization even further forward." n The 'strategic move' helping Altru expand care access By Madeline Ashley G rand Forks, N.D.-based Altru Health System is making strides to expand healthcare access across its regions of service in 2025. "Altru is dedicated to enhancing market density and ensuring that our entire community has access to healthcare as close to home as possible," Altru CFO Derek Goebel said in a Feb. 21 statement shared with Becker's. "Our market includes many rural areas where telemedicine and outreach services are essential to reach patients." In mid-January, the health system opened a $470 million replacement hospital, which comprises 552,000 square feet and accommodates 226 beds, including a 16-bed observation unit, according to the system's website. Mr. Goebel also touched on how the hospital is in the process of acquiring a critical access hospital. In late June 2024, the health system signed a nonbinding letter of intent with Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health to acquire a critical access hospital in Devils Lake, N.D. "This strategic move allows us to serve patients closer to home and expand our market," Mr. Goebel said. Through Altru's strategic expansion and innovative care delivery efforts, Mr. Goebel said the system has positioned itself to meet growing patient needs while reinforcing its role as a leading healthcare provider in the region. "By providing access to high-quality healthcare services locally, we reduce the need for patients to travel long distances for medical care," he said. n

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