Expertise:
Cardiovascular service development
Education Degrees:
Master's Degree in Health Administration, Medical College of Virginia (1979); Bachelor of Science in Economics, Political Science and Business, Southwest Missouri State University (1972)
Affiliations Awards:
Secretary, Downtown Springfield Association; President, Springfield Chamber of Commerce; Administrative Fellow, Saint Louis University; Board Member, Airlift Northwest; Board Member, American Heart Association
Number Of Years In Profession:
31
Number Of Years In Current Position:
4
What Does He/She Attribute Success To:
He attributes his success to his ability and the team.
Why did you become involved in your profession or industry?:
He became involved in his profession after serving in the U.S. Army.
Extended Bio Profile:
At Medical City Heart at Medical City Dallas Hospital, Thomson served as Associate Administrator, leading the clinical and strategic development of cardiovascular service. In this position at Medical City Heart, he signed the first American Heart Association Go-Red contract in the United States.
Thomson has also served as administrative director of Swedish Heart Institute at Swedish Health Services in Seattle, Washington, where he was awarded the VHA National Award for Clinical Effectiveness, System Collaboration.
Previously he served in executive positions at the Heart Institute, St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson, Md.; St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria, Ill.; St. Elizabeth Hospital, Beaumont, Texas and St. John’s Regional Health Center, Springfield, Mo.
While in Springfield, Thomson developed the Robert Wood Johnson-funded Ozarks Health Network, and was an integral part of a group that significantly reduced the neo-natal death rate. He has established two aero-medical transport services, one in Springfield and one in Beaumont.
As a healthcare administrator, Thomson combines dynamic initiative with creative vision. Under his leadership, St. John’s Regional Health Center in Springfield was one of only five in the nation to be awarded a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant--$720,000--to establish the Ozark Health Network.
Under Thomson’s guidance as executive director of Saint Thomas Heart Network, the program was granted $540,000 by the United States Department of Agriculture to convert Saint Thomas’ regional chest pain network into a stroke network. He also applied for and received another $375,000 from the USDA to establish regional heart failure clinics for Saint Thomas. Although Thomson has moved on, his innovative programs continue to thrive
Position Responsibilities and Duties:
Making rounds; Attending meetings; Resolving any problems that may arise; Developing new projects and business plans; Utilizing a perimeter strategy to increase and expand referrals from the outlying region; Leading the strategic development of a combined hospital and cardiovascular physician practice; Overseeing compliance with external regulatory and licensing standards
Awards/Honors:
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recognized his initiative by awarding St. John’s a $298,000 grant for swing-bed national demonstration models, one of 20 such grants in the nation
Where Will You Be In 5 Years:
In five years, Mr. Thomson hopes to improve the hospital's cardiovascular ranking among other hospitals.