The Quality Leader
The standard of excellence. As measured against others. Distinct attributes and characteristics achieved.
A noteworthy accountant for some of the world’s largest companies and tax management practices—including H.J. Heinz, Price Waterhouse, and Joy Manufacturing Company—Thomas M. Medwig is also a former active-duty Air Force Sergeant, Carnegie Borough Councilman, and devoted community leader whose ties are all but too robust to list. He has been a member of the board for 39 years, serving as Chairman of the St. Clair Health Board for the past 28.
“I’ve been very fortunate in life—lucky, you could surely say, growing up in Carnegie— because people have always helped me, and from a young age that instilled a want to give back to the community,” he says. “From the beginning of my time with St. Clair I felt a parallel of sorts imbued over how I could best contribute.”
For Medwig, time spent on special committees and subcommittees digging into the finite forensics of the organization made the answer abundantly clear.
“We formulated a good hypothesis early on that one of the best ways to turn potential problems into solutions was to ensure that we had the right people in the right places backed by the right training,” he says. “And the driving factor behind my keen interest in this everevolving healthcare system has been a focus on quality.”
Nicholas P. DiTullio, MD, CMD, Quality Committee Chairperson for St. Clair Medical Group (SCMG), says that for many industry leaders, the meaning of quality depends on how it’s measured—stars, numerical scores, insurance company and media outlet grades.
“Quality care equals excellent patient outcomes, and that’s what we do here,” he continues. “Our star scores are like the Super Bowl for me—but I want you to know that if you’ve never heard of a ‘quality score,’ then all you need to know is this: we send our families here.”
Dr. DiTullio adds that St. Clair exceeded organizational goals for 2022, for example, and for 2023—the data continues to accumulate through the beginning of the following calendar year—the numbers are going to be even better.
“That’s because we never let up on our focus to provide quality care,” he says. Examining how the system achieves top quality begins by taking a close look through the lens of learned experience. For Marion A. McGowan, BSN, MPM, PHD, SVP & Chief Operating Officer at St. Clair Health, that means evidence-based and national standards.
And assessing benchmarks against those begins with a multi-pronged question:
“What do we need to do in order to build systems, utilize advanced technology, prepare teams, and implement communication streams every day to deliver the very best for every patient?”
Rigorous accountability drives St. Clair’s relentless expectations while serving to answer the aforementioned question.
“That’s what motivates all of us to help the community understand and experience what makes St. Clair different. Here, we come together for a common thread—our shared purpose is resonant across every level of the organization because we are always speaking the same language,” she says. “Here, we make things personal knowing we are caring for our community.”
Dave Heilman, MBA, Chairperson of St. Clair Medical Group, formerly served as CFO/COO of Omax Health, a nutritional supplement company empowering people to live life to the max.
“I’ve volunteered throughout my career— at church, through the food bank, and March of Dimes. The opportunity at St. Clair was a combination of all those things, creating value locally in a service-oriented way,” he says.
With a business acumen developed from serving in executive positions spanning industries including autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and enterprise software for material handling, oncology drug sensitivity testing, and health and wellness, St. Clair’s strategic vision also drew him in.
“It’s all about the direct-to-consumer mindset,” he says. “Patients are consumers and we have to understand what they’re looking for today, which informs how we serve them tomorrow. At St. Clair Health, that means treating you when and where you want to be treated, and delivering solutions based on how you prefer to interact.”
Heilman joined the St. Clair Health board in 2004 and currently serves as Vice Chair. On a personal note, and, with a bit of a chuckle, the Upper St. Clair resident notes particular kudos for St. Clair Health’s Emergency Department.
“We’ve spent a good deal of time there with our children and grandchildren over the years, and it’s so nice to know that when an event occurs for your family, there’s something that good that close to home,” he says. “We’ve been very fortunate.”
A pharmacist by trade, Teresa Whalen, RPH, is by day the CEO of CytoAgents, a Pittsburghbased clinical stage drug development company. She currently serves as Chair of the St. Clair Hospital Quality, Safety, and Service Committee, Vice Chair of St. Clair Medical Group, and on the St. Clair Health Board of Directors. Whalen is also a member of the Medical Staff Development Committee.
Prior to founding CytoAgents, Whalen’s career featured more than 20 years across the spectrum of life sciences—as a biotech innovator, healthcare technology leader, investor, and clinical pharmacist. “My background brings a perspective that combines knowledge of the clinical care setting, an understanding of the complexities driving top-tier clinical performance, and leveraging technology to gain efficiencies,” she says.
Whalen, a South Hills resident since the mid-90s, is driven by a deep personal connection to the community and the desire to maintain St. Clair as a premier health system.
“I’ve witnessed St. Clair’s evolution into a top decile hospital and the reasons were so clear,” she says. “The focus and dedication of the entire organization to be that high-performing, quality-of-care hub for the community.”
She joined in 2019. And the intersection between her professional life and St. Clair’s goals was equally evident.
“From day one it was obvious how committed everyone is to patient safety and delivering quality patient outcomes,” she says. “St. Clair Health maniacally monitors healthcare trends and multifactorial data to create interdisciplinary clinical quality and operational efficiency.”
McGowan points to the St. Clair Health Pharmacy and Laboratory teams as prime examples working diligently to ensure patient safety.
“The combination of state-of-the-art processes and technology is designed to give patients peace of mind along each step behind the scenes all the way to their bedside,” she says. “There’s tremendous intent from ordering, filling, and delivering prescriptions to processing, chemistry, and tissue tracking.”
At St. Clair Health, safety and quality are tethered tightly to create cohesion across your care team.
“They’re completely interdependent—one doesn’t exist without the other,” McGowan continues. “And these foundational elements of patient care create a tremendous impact for the community.”
From Medwig’s unique perspective, top quality and top finances strengthen the braid.
“They don’t just ‘go together,’ you can’t have one without the other,” he says. “Quality care inspires patients to walk through that door, and the bottom line drives topline facilities, equipment, and the most critical element of all: people.”
Good begets good. Quality begets quality. As St. Clair raised its clinical profile, the organization settled into a groove at the intersection of recruiting and expanding.
“Good people bring in other good people—and that’s far greater than excellent doctors bringing in other excellent doctors,” Medwig clarifies. “Delivering top quality as an organization permeates through every level. Now you have the best infection prevention people bringing in the best in their field and each unit elevates their respective performance.”
At the unit level, Daily Dashboards present patient events across service lines, allowing care teams to assess immediate needs in real time.
Strategic benchmarking drives the system-wide effort.
“Performance. Programs. Patients. Our objectives are very intentional,” McGowan says. “It’s not just more rounding and reporting—we’re actively resolving any barriers and clearing the path to increased resources, engagement, and measurable tactics.”
McGowan, a Pittsburgh native whose administrative career has spanned nearly three decades across several large health systems, joined St. Clair Health in 2023.
“I’m from here, just like so many others—we live in the community and are led by the community,” she says. “I’m grateful to everyone who has helped us make real progress during my first year, from stabilizing staffing challenges brought on by the pandemic to improving both ancillary and outpatient testing times substantially by upgrading patient access and equipment. Being the quality leader is truly a total team effort.”
St. Clair’s culture is built on compassionate care. For Heilman, that boils down to the system’s relentless focus on quality throughout the patient experience.
“There’s a tremendous amount of pride in exceeding not just the physical needs of each patient, but also the emotional and intangible elements at a time of great stress for them and their families,” he says. “It’s all linked—the type of care you receive at St. Clair enhances the quality of your experience.”
And at St. Clair Health, every member of the team plays an integral role in your healthcare journey.
“If nurses are the bedrock, then St. Clair’s coordination of care builds all around you. There’s a driving force of communication from your doctors through to the person who delivers your food and those cleaning your room, all working together to make you comfortable,” Heilman adds.
Dr. DiTullio, who also served as President of the Medical Staff throughout 2023, extends that stream of consciousness. “Our goal is to have no gaps along your healthcare journey, from preventative screenings to post-operative recovery—and every step in between,” he says. “And that’s also fundamental: we want to take care of whatever’s ailing you long before it becomes a problem—even if you’re not yet aware of it. From a colorectal perspective, we can remove polyps before they become cancerous; a small lump in your breast can be treated more quickly and effectively when caught earlier.”
Another standout element from Whalen’s perspective is St. Clair’s purposeful commitment to collaboration, including being Western Pennsylvania’s only member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and the St. Clair Hospital Cancer Center affiliated with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
“The patient is at the center of everything we do, and these partnerships expand our reach to the country’s top clinical programs—creating synergies, improving patient care, and driving growth in critical service lines. As an example, the partnership with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center brings access to groundbreaking clinical trials,” she says. “Being one small part of saving lives in our community is very meaningful.”
After more than two decades and change, Dr. DiTullio is most proud of the fact that he can’t point to just one service line breakthrough to highlight superior clinical quality at St. Clair.
“What that means is huge for the community,” he says. “It’s not just one process or program or procedure that we built the right way from the ground up—from the Family Birth Center at the beginning of a patient’s life to advancements in elderly care, everyone is thinking outside the box for every patient.”
When it comes to awards, Heilman points to the perspective gained in their achievement.
“Tangible measurement of the respective team’s efforts also helps the community recognize exactly what you can expect here,” he says. “That’s how it becomes a collective sense of pride—recognition of the day-to-day expert care running alongside the expectation of the highest levels of treatment across
service lines.”
McGowan doubles down on St. Clair’s relentless commitment to continuous improvement—built on understanding that any and all treatment options must take shape around each patient’s individual needs.
“And we want to know what you think,” she adds. “That’s why we conduct forums and focus groups to curate the unique patient perspective and create healthcare journey maps. We work directly with Press Ganey to collect data that helps St. Clair adapt care models to be even more personalized.”
Medwig is adamant that no amount of quality conversation can take place without mentioning two key names:
Donald P. Orr, MD, and G. Alan Yeasted, MD, who have each served in a variety of clinical and administrative capacities during their illustrious careers at St. Clair Health.
“When you’re in a boat, everyone has to row in the same direction if you want to get anywhere,” Medwig says. “Quality is the responsibility of everyone in the healthcare system. They got everyone—and I mean everyone—on the same page.”