HFMA is pleased to bring you the Board and Committee Member Spotlight. Below is an interview with one of our board members, Patrick McDonough, discussing his history and future with HFMA. Keep an eye out for more interviews coming regularly.
What was your first job and how did you end up with it?
-
- [pm] My first job ever was receiving and sorting empty bottles and cans at a small liquor store in Lexington. None of the adults who worked there wanted to touch the often disgusting returns, which created an opportunity for me. I worked there from age 13 all the way through college and learned a lot of very important life lessons as well as lessons about how to treat valued customers.
- [pm] My first job ever was receiving and sorting empty bottles and cans at a small liquor store in Lexington. None of the adults who worked there wanted to touch the often disgusting returns, which created an opportunity for me. I worked there from age 13 all the way through college and learned a lot of very important life lessons as well as lessons about how to treat valued customers.
How has your time as an HFMA member benefitted you?
-
- [pm] HFMA has benefitted me on so many levels. First, I cannot imagine being able to do my job without the networking platform HFMA membership offers. Second, the educational opportunities provided at HFMA meetings are fantastic. Third, I have met a number of people whose friendships have impacted my life significantly above and beyond any work-related networking. In short, I cannot imagine what my life would be like without HFMA.
What led you to become an HFMA Board Member?
-
- [pm] I have enjoyed and have benefitted significantly from being an HFMA member for a number of years. So when the opportunity to help the organization presented itself, I jumped at it.
What are you most looking forward to in your role as Board Member?
-
- [pm] Right now, it’s the challenge of maintaining a vibrant Sponsorship program. Historically, the opportunity to network in person with medical provider representatives throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island has been enough incentive for our chapter to maintain a healthy sponsor roster. But this year has presented an opportunity for our Sponsorship Committee to really dig deep and focus on how we can benefit our vendor sponsors in ways we had never previously considered. And that work continues – if you have any ideas for ways we can show appreciation for all our corporate sponsors do for us, PLEASE reach out!
What is your favorite HFMA event to be involved with?
-
- [pm] This is a tough question because there are so many great events. I think I would have to go with the Revenue Cycle Conference because the topics are so relevant to my job and there is no beating that meeting location for raw energy, but the Women’s Leadership Conference and the New to Healthcare Conference are always outstanding. Honorable mentions go to the chapter golf tournament and the Annual Social and Awards Night Wine Dinner. So I guess “all of them”…
What was your first HFMA event?
-
- [pm] Oddly enough, it was the 2003 ANI in Baltimore. I skipped right through the local chapter and regional events and went to the national one. I can still remember how overwhelming the exhibit hall felt.
What was the most important takeaway/most impressionable memory you have of your early days in HFMA?
-
- [pm] This one is easy. I’ll never forget my first MA-RI HFMA meeting. I walked into the room knowing pretty much nobody and found a seat at a centrally-located table. I struck up a conversation with a man whose name badge indicated he worked at Boston Children’s Hospital. I told him about all of the visits I had made there over the years with my largely non-verbal autistic son and how well our family had been treated. He immediately showed an interest in hearing about my son, his strengths and challenges, and a vision of his future. I asked him, “By the way, what do you do at Children’s?” He responded simply, “Oh, I’m the CFO.” That conversation is a great example of why I love being part of HFMA – the CFO of one of the finest medical institutions in the world was attending a finance conference and his primary interest was in the well-being of my son. (And David Kirschner, if you happen to read this, thank you!)
What do you like to do when you are not working?
-
- [pm] Spending time with my family is first and foremost, and it is particularly special now that my three sons are adults (age 23, 22, and 20). My wife is starting to pick up golf, so I enjoyed playing more golf this past summer than I have in previous years. And Saturdays in the fall, I like to watch Notre Dame football games.
Who do you admire the most? Can be a fictional character, celebrity, scholar!
-
- [pm] Definitely my mom. It’s tough to put into words, but when I think of the character traits I value in people, my mother exudes all of them. My entire life, my mother has modeled kindness, honesty, humility, loyalty, humor, and a sheer joy of living. If I am half the person she is, I will consider myself a tremendous success.
