Dial says that while rewarding, balancing the many demands of his career has been a significant challenge. He explains that with the focus required to provide compassionate patient care and the time and commitment needed to support learners, he has had to possess constant discipline, adaptability and prioritization, all while managing the health system.
“ This challenge has reinforced my belief that strong clinical care, thoughtful education and dedicated system leadership are all essential and that each is strengthened when patient care remains the guiding priority,” Dial says.
Along with Rankin, Dial lists Dr. Kevin Yingling and Dr. Gretchen Oley as notable mentors. He says while Yingling modeled stellar leadership and sound ethics, Oley greatly influenced his bedside manner.
“ Together, their mentorship formed the foundation of my professional identity and the trajectory of my career in medicine,” he says.
Dial has received many accolades, the most meaningful of which is the Gold Humanism in Medicine award he received as a resident in 1999. However, despite his many successes and recognitions, he says his proudest accomplishment is his family: his wife, Sarah; three children, Mason, Kinslee and Kaylyn; and grandchildren, Sophia and Theodore.
Choosing to stay in West Virginia was an easy decision for Dial, who was motivated by his deep love for family and commitment to giving back to the community that shaped him. He continues to live on the family farm where he grew up and says he will always consider the Mountain State home.
“ Staying in West Virginia has enabled me to unite my personal priorities with a purpose-driven career focused on service, gratitude and strengthening the health and well-being of the communities I have always called home,” he says. •
Marshall Health Network Service Line Model
The service line model launched recently across Marshall Health Network is currently in the process of advancement, with a goal of system-wide integration. Achieving this goal will mean unifying all Marshall Health Network hospitals and ambulatory practices as well as the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine under the new model. Doing so will result in standardized workflows, shared performance dashboards and defined market footprints.
“ A central challenge of this work is integrating diverse organizational cultures and historically siloed systems while establishing shared quality metrics, governance and accountability across service lines,” Larry D. Dial Jr., M. D., chief physician executive at Marshall Health Network and vice dean for clinical affairs at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, says.“ By using quality as the unifying framework, this initiative is helping connect teams, standardize best practices and support a cohesive,
system-wide model of care that improves outcomes for patients and providers alike.”
The new model is an essential piece to uniting the health system’ s entities. Dial says this became especially evident while establishing the model and carrying out its plans.
“ As we developed the new service line framework and launch, the effort to integrate culture, performance and health outcomes echoed many of the successes and challenges we faced in formulating the Marshall Health Network across differing entities,” he says.
Ultimately, the service line model represents not only an operational shift but also a move toward a more unified and patient-centered health system. As integration continues, the model is set up to strengthen collaboration, improve outcomes and ensure the network moves forward as one cohesive system.
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