Ronald A. Paulus

Voted one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders, Ronald A. Paulus, MD is President and CEO of Mission Health, a $2 billion integrated safety-net health system serving western North Carolina. He previously served as Executive Vice President, Clinical Operations and Chief Innovation Officer for Geisinger Health System where he managed Geisinger’s hospitals and physician group practice.

During his tenure, at Mission Health, the system has reduced inpatient mortality by more than half, achieved six-sigma medication safety results, improved patient experience to above the 90th percentile and became the only health system ever designated as one of the nation’s Top 15 Health Systems in six of seven years by IBM Watson Health — despite serving a region older, poorer, sicker and less likely to be insured than state and national averages.

Dr. Paulus has numerous peer-reviewed book chapter and journal publications, serves on multiple boards, and speaks regularly on the topics of health care quality and efficiency, innovation, physician and health system leadership and new models of care.

Dr. Paulus received his MD from The School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, as well as his MBA in healthcare management, and a BS in Economics from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.