The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 8, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place virtually Nov. 12.
Next up is Healthcare Industry Executive of the Year finalist Grant Kim, who’s CEO of QTC Management, Inc., a Leidos Company. Here, he talks career achievements and success, future focus areas and shaping the next generation of GovCon leaders.
What key achievements did you have in 2019/2020?
Going into 2020, QTC was on a record growth path for quality medical exam delivery. When COVID-19 began to spread, we were particularly vulnerable since our medical exams were the very definition of close contact. With over 3,000 appointments occurring daily in nearly 100 clinics across the country, the risk posed by COVID-19 was significant.
With an acute understanding of this risk, our leadership team acted quickly, leveraging in-house clinical leadership to provide safety recommendations in real-time as epidemiological research was made available. We established a multifunction task force to coordinate response activities and were one of the earliest adopters of a mandatory face covering policy in early March, along with distancing procedures and a multi-layer screening process for examinees.
QTC also demonstrated resilience when the Department of Veterans Affairs halted face-to-face examinations out of an abundance of caution for COVID-19. Our staff ramped up the use of telemedicine and made staffing adjustments as necessary.
Once face-to-face exams were reinstated, QTC successfully retained 98% of its staff and ultimately exceeded its pre-COVID capacities by 25%, resulting in record breaking growth for the organization. This success required us to exercise all of our core values, and the core value of commitment to our employees and customers in particular.
What has made you successful in your current role?
Listening to your customers and keeping your eyes open to opportunities helps make us successful. This is how we ended up deploying Mobile Medical Units, which provide medical examinations for veterans who are homebound, have limited mobility or are living in rural communities with limited medical infrastructure.
What was a turning point or inflection point in your career?
As a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, I served as an Air Force officer for 6 years before transitioning into the private sector. I was very lucky to be afforded new opportunities that allowed me to continue my professional and leadership growth; however, I missed the element of service and duty.
The key inflection point in my career was when I was afforded the opportunity to work with a company and team that makes a difference in the livelihood of service members, veterans and other government employees. I continue in this role today and it has truly allowed me to thrive as a professional.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
QTC’s journey with and focus on inclusion and diversity has been a ubiquitous part of our culture since the organization’s inception. Several years ago, we commissioned studies to analyze potential pay inequality based on gender and underrepresented status. We were very proud when the studies found that such pay inequalities did not exist in our organization.
Pay equality, coupled with our continued broadening of the employee candidate pool for positions, has built more credibility with our employees who continually see the leadership team building on this culture of inclusion and diversity.
We also focus on community outreach, voluntary employee activities and the celebration of multiculture holidays at our locations. I’m incredibly proud of how we’ve played a role in addressing some of the social injustice matters that the nation is grappling with today.
What are your primary focuses areas going forward, and why are those so important to the future of the nation?
Technology is critical in the independent medical examination process because it makes our operations more efficient and improves service delivery to our customers. We recently released our Medical Evaluation Protocol, or MEP, software that streamlines the mandated disability benefits questionnaire with rule-based logic for easier data entry and maintenance. Now, caseloads are processed faster and with the utmost quality.
We’ll continue to focus on how technology can enhance our clinics and our Mobile Medical Units. We’ll look to find new ways of providing the same level of access to quality health care in our rural communities as available in our suburban and metropolitan communities.
How do you help shape the next generation of government/industry leaders?
Mentoring is a great way to shape the next generation of leaders. I was mentored by our parent company’s Chairman and CEO Roger Krone, and so I know how effective mentoring can be at the executive level. I dedicate time and energy to mentoring others in various stages of their careers and encourage my team to do the same.