PROMOTIONS ACROSS THE SYSTEM

METHODIST HOSPITAL | TEXSAN WELCOMES ESTHER KWON AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Esther Kwon joins Methodist Healthcare after serving as Chief Operating Officer for St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas. Esther has held several other administrative roles throughout her career since 2012.

During her time as COO, Esther led 16 hospital departments and services with more than 400 full-time employees, and played an instrumental role in leading the hospital through multiple regulatory and emergency operation situations, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through her leadership, she helped position St. David’s Medical Center as one of HCA Healthcare’s top-performing comprehensive joint replacement programs, grew the hospital’s surgical oncology program, and spearheaded the effort to become one of five facilities in the nation to be designated as a Pancreatic and Liver Center of Excellence. Additionally, Esther oversaw more than $100 million in capital projects and facility renovations and expansions, including the buildout of a $72-million Electrophysiology Center.

Esther earned her Bachelor of Science in Health Policy and Administration from The Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania, with a minor in economics, and she received her master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Kwon is a member of the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Texas Board of Directors, as well as a mentor for the St. David’s Foundation Neal Kocurek Scholarship program.

METHODIST HOSPITAL | SPECIALTY AND TRANSPLANT APPOINTS NEW ASSOCIATE CHIEF NURSING OFFICER

Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant has appointed Paulette Woodard, DNP, MHA, RN CCM as their Associate Chief Nursing Officer. Previously, Paulette served as the Vice President of Clinical Operations for this hospital. She has over 10 years of progressive healthcare experience, starting in healthcare as a food and nutrition worker, an ICU nurse, insurance, the Wounded Warrior project at Fort Sam Houston Military Base as a case manager, and as a host of other leadership positions in healthcare. Paulette earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Indiana Wesleyan University, and both her Masters in Healthcare Administration and Doctor of Nursing Practice from Texas Tech University.

During her time as the VP of Clinical Operations, Paulette collaborated with the SAPD Prue substation that resulted in better relations with the officers and ensured MHST was protected against acts of violence against staff. With the director of the Emergency Department, she helped stabilize processes, staff relations, and operations in the ED. Paulette works collaboratively with our unit-based councils for both nurses and techs and conducted a Nurse Resiliency project that looked at assimilation of new nurses into their nursing environment, experience with preceptors and identified areas of concerns with resolution to improve their sense of safety, support, and belonging.

Paulette was recently accepted into the Class of 2024 Executive Development Program based on her track record of success, leadership skills and drive to succeed. She has been instrumental in the successful operations at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant.

CLINT KOTAL ANNOUNCED AS NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER METHODIST HOSPITAL | HILL COUNTRY

Clinton D. Kotal has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer at Methodist Hospital Hill Country. Most recently, Clinton served as Chief Operating Officer for HCM Medical Group and HCM Surgery Center since 2017. Prior to joining Methodist Hospital Hill Country, Clinton served as the Vice President for Ambulatory Services and Network of Care for The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. Clinton has also served in various leadership and consulting roles with large healthcare organizations across the country.

Clinton received his bachelor’s degree in business administration (finance) from Texas Tech University and his master’s degree in healthcare administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX.

METHODIST HOSPITAL |

Nick Petro has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Methodist Hospital | Landmark.

Nick has served as Vice President of Operations since 2021 with direct oversight of 44 departments, 4 outpatient clinics, and multiple service lines. Not only has he demonstrated exceptional leadership skills but he has made significant contributions to our organization’s growth and development.

During his tenure, Nick has made great improvements in strengthening operations and processes while also enhancing employee engagement. He was instrumental in leading HAI prevention, initiating a ticket-to-test process for C. Diff to improve testing stewardship as well as audit processes for hand hygiene and cleanto-dirty workflow, resulting in a reduction in CAUTI infections by 30% YOY and a 46% reduction in MRSA infections. He also helped implement efficiency initiatives for our lab to achieve 3-day turnaround times for oncology patients receiving molecular testing. Through Nick’s leadership, he improved the overall employee engagement index from 72 to 75 for all of his departments (750+ employees) with 65% participation. His expertise in growth and development is also impressive. Nick was the project lead for multiple radiology suite upgrades ($9.5M), including a 32-slice CT, 2 cardiac MRIs, and 2 updated IR Bi-Plane machines. He also executed and negotiated 3 multimillion-dollar contracts for anesthesia services to better support patient care and increase surgical volume opportunity, resulting in a 7% volume increase over the run rate. He helped achieve a new record for the most bone marrow transplant and cell therapy infusions for Methodist Hospital in a single year, with 43% growth YOY for the program while also successfully funding the expansion and relocation of the Cell Therapy Lab, servicing the Bone Marrow Transplant and Cell Therapy program.

Prior to his role as VP of Operations, Nick served as Director, Operations & Surgical Oncology Service Lines from 2020 to 2021 where he was accountable for the Surgical Oncology service lines and operational leader for the Endoscopy Center and Central Laboratory. During this time, he developed and opened a $1.2 million multidisciplinary Oncology Survivor Center and achieved an employee engagement score of 91 with 88% participation rate for the endoscopy department. Before stepping into the role as Director of Operations, Nick served as Director of Physician and Provider Relations for three years helping to develop and grow service lines in various roles for Methodist Healthcare. Nick says none of these achievements would be possible without the leaders he has been gifted the opportunity to work with.

Nick holds a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University. As COO of Methodist Hospital | Landmark, Nick will lead hospital operations for specialized surgical services including bariatrics, breast reconstruction, orthopedics, gynecology, colorectal, neurosurgery, and general surgery.