John Distefano
Principal
Ernst & Young
Excellence in Healthcare
In the first year John Distefano—a Principal in the Advisory Services practice—led Ernst & Young's Health Care Advisory Services for the Americas, the average account size of the top 10 accounts increased nearly 50 percent. Distefano's efforts helped re-establish Ernst & Young as one of the elite consulting practices in the healthcare industry and transformed the Health Care Advisory Services into one of the fastest growing sectors in the business.
Under his leadership, the business grew revenue more than 100 percent.
"My team and I are very grateful that Ernst & Young encouraged us to be very visible and vocal in the industry about the need to transform our healthcare system," he says. "I was able to work with dozens of healthcare executives, discuss new ways of working with hundreds of clients, and participate in conferences and other events that reached thousands of practitioners."
And while that market success is certainly something to be proud of, Distefano is also quick to point out that, at the end of the day, client impact is what it's all about. He points to a recent engagement as proof positive.
"In just nine months we worked closely with one of our key clients to create and launch a new enterprise platform for clinical systems to manage innovative health and wellness interventions for more than four million members," Distefano says.
"We devised and applied new analytics to identify and target members, leading to vastly increased potential for changing behavior and improving health."
In his 28 years in the healthcare industry, Distefano says he has constantly tried to challenge himself to embrace diversity of thought, ideas and experience and to work to build teams that share those beliefs.
"My colleagues and clients continually inspire and motivate me, and I strive to find better ways of serving them as they work tirelessly to champion the cause of healthcare transformation," he says.
And while he says the practice needs to change continually to respond to different requirements and situations, the principles always stay the same.
"I believe in shared accountability in order to achieve success and in meeting every challenge with positive energy and enthusiasm," he says. "A partner of mine says that true leadership is going first when you're not sure where you're heading… and I'd like to think that I'm willing to take that first step when it matters most."
Q&A: What stands out the most about the work you do?
"Each and every one of us could tell a story about how we or our families and friends have been failed somewhere along the line by our health care system. It's a great privilege to be working for a firm and with clients who share a vision for how things can be, and who are totally committed to improving the system and transforming it into something that genuinely meets people's health care needs through expanded access, increased quality and reduced cost."
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