Meet the Team is our blog series introducing some of the amazing professionals at Ascendient – who they are and what makes them tick. This month, meet Greg Flicek, a senior manager who joined the team in May 2021.
Public accounting, national consulting groups, higher education, in-house hospital management – you’ve practiced in a variety of settings over the past 20 years. How does that experience inform your work?
I’m a big proponent of learn, do, teach. First, public accounting taught me the numbers. Second, through physician practice management, I learned to use financials and metrics to drive performance improvement and truly experienced the effort it takes to operationalize change. Now, these experiences allow me to help our clients find solutions to complex challenges with data as the foundation.
Even with all that variety, healthcare is a clear throughline. What is it about the healthcare industry that’s especially interesting or important to you … why does it matter?
Health systems are capital intensive, highly regulated, dependent on highly educated high-cost employees, have complex reimbursement structures, and require processes to care for a wide variety of diagnoses. No matter how long I’ve been in healthcare, I’m finding new things to learn and new ways to help. More importantly, while I can’t take care of patients myself, our work touches the lives of countless patients.
Why did you choose to join Ascendient, specifically? As an MBA and CPA, you clearly had plenty of options.
When I was ready to leave academics, I only applied to Ascendient. My values seemed aligned with the firm values. In particular, I am passionate about transforming healthcare and I love that we provide thought leadership and custom analysis as opposed to cookie-cutter approaches.
You’ve been with the firm for more than 2 years now. What’s the most interesting or rewarding engagement you’ve worked on so far?
Since joining the firm, I’ve been heavily involved in rural hospital projects. Each rural situation is different and requires a custom solution. Helping a rural community – which generally has limited access to care – retain or grow healthcare services is incredibly rewarding.
Who are you when you’re not at work? What do you love to do outside the office?
Christine (my wife) and I welcomed our son Rory in December. As any new parent knows, my free time seems to have disappeared. When I’m not home or traveling with them, you can usually find me on a golf course.
Exit question: If you could solve one issue in the US healthcare system that would have the greatest impact, what would that be?
Healthcare is inaccessible and unaffordable for too many people. Finding balance between cost, quality, and accessibility is key as we move forward, particularly for rural communities.
Follow the Ascendient blog for Greg's regular posts on healthcare finance, like this one on the rising cost of capital. You can also follow him on LinkedIn.
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