Dan Lauffer
President & CEO , Thomas Health
ALICIA WILLARD
Growing up in Manor , PA , Dan Lauffer ’ s parents were insistent that he , his twin brother and his sister receive an education .
“ My dad guided , encouraged and at times demanded we get an education ,” he says . “ As a welder for Westinghouse , he worked long , hard hours and wanted better for his kids .”
This guidance paid off for Lauffer , who moved to West Virginia in 1977 to attend Alderson Broaddus University and has since created a strong career in the field of health care .
“ My whole career in health care has occurred in West Virginia , and all my opportunities and personal life have happened here ,” he says . “ All my memories gather around her .”
Taking a chance on a new field at the time , Lauffer pursued a career as a physician assistant after earning his bachelor ’ s degree in medical science in 1981 . Landing his first job as a physician assistant at Thomas Memorial Hospital , he worked his way up to practice manager before leaving for Charleston Area Medical Center in the early 1990s to become director of patient access services . In 1987 , he graduated from Marshall University with a master ’ s in health care administration . After returning to Thomas to serve as director of surgical services , Lauffer held several positions , including COO and CEO
Photo by Eriel Scott .
of Saint Francis Hospital and Putnam General Hospital , before finding his current home at Thomas Health .
“ One of the greatest challenges of my career was making the switch from a clinical to managerial role ,” he says . “ There is nothing that replaces the personal gratification you feel when you help a patient get well . However , you realize that getting a patient well is dependent on many other professionals and processes to make it happen . I realized I could combine my clinical background with my management abilities and help more people get well . It was a real motivation for me then and still is today . It has led to a purposeful , meaningful career .”
After joining Thomas Health as COO in 2008 , Lauffer quickly rose to CEO in 2015 . Today , he communicates with physicians , department leaders , staff and board members to overcome challenges and work toward one common goal : caring for patients .
“ The challenges the hospital industry faces today are multifaceted and complex and require leaders to communicate intensely , work with all key players and be willing to change course in an uncertain environment ,” he says . “ No day is the same , but the focus on the patient has to be the center of what we do . Getting the operational and clinical processes to align to achieve a good patient outcome is
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE