About | EBHC Consulting

The Full Story

Don’t be discouraged by the present; we are building a better future.

The year 1989 taught me that anything was possible. I was in medical school in Hungary during the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall. The political structure that appeared solid and unshakable turned upside down, and our whole world seemed to be in motion during that year of peaceful transition. As borders opened, euphoria replaced fear and oppression for a brief time in history.

Moments like this happen in our lives and organizations. While times like these are challenging, they are also great opportunities to take courageous action and leap toward a different future.

This experience gave me perspective and patience to deal with seemingly impossible situations and guided me through my portfolio career.

I grew up in a family of engineers, both of my parent first generation to go to college. To my engineer parents’ chagrin, I applied to medical school to be the first in my family to become a physician. My father worked for the same organization his entire career, right out of university ‘till retirement. My path has been windier. My family did not have connections in the medical field, and I had to find a way to differentiate myself. While I enjoyed my clinical rotations, I also volunteered to do research for the thrill of discovery. Even though I became a medical student-scientist and won an award in my final year, my prospects were limited to becoming a country doctor. I came to the US to learn basic science, in hopes of embarking on an academic career after returning home.

My first year turned into many more, as I dove deeper and deeper into science. I published my cell biology, basic science, and medical informatics papers in prestigious journals and received a green card in recognition of my contributions to science. After an internal medicine residency in Boston, I was invited to an endocrinology fellowship at Stanford.

I arrived at Stanford to establish myself as an academic physician and received a research grant to become a scientist in bone research. In addition to my clinical training, I also earned a Master's in Epidemiology with a concentration in clinical trial design. I worked as an endocrinologist and hospitalist. In the end, everything turned out differently and Stanford gifted me a pivot. Instead of writing grants, conducting research, and teaching, Stanford opened my eyes to innovation, entrepreneurship, and the business of medicine. After pursuing a Certificate in Entrepreneurship at the Graduate School of Business, the confines of academia felt smaller and smaller, and I ventured into the real world.

As a physician advisor, the Roche Concept Incubator taught me methods of innovation, design thinking, and automation, and introduced me to start-ups. Hand in hand with engineers and experience designers, we worked on developing an ecosystem for those living with diabetes, providing decision support and motivation for lifestyle change. I worked with fellow physicians to turn their methods into algorithms.

When the Incubator closed, I pivoted again to the business of medicine. I spent over a decade in progressively more senior roles, including Chief Medical Officer. I led large teams, developed new products, ran clinical operations and MSO services, process improvement, automation, and quality improvement, implemented various flavors of value-based care, designed and ran pilots, and mentored leaders and physicians. I enjoyed using AI and Machine Learning to discover new patterns in large datasets and to develop clinical interventions based on predictive analytics. It’s been a thrilling ride at the C suite, developing vision and strategy, and managing organizational transformation.

Physician Executive Career Highlights:

As the Chief Medical Officer, Southern California Medical Groups, Providence, I built the structure, established the process, developed metrics, and successfully launched the regional Care Integration program to improve care delivery, patient and provider experience in LA County across the 5 acute hospitals and 3 medical groups, and achieved Outstanding performance in meeting regional goals.
As Chief Medical Officer, clinical lead, achieved a 20% reduction in admissions, 49% reduction in beddays, and 80% reduction in readmissions during its first year of the Axminster Blue Shield ACO, by establishing a post-discharge clinic, care coordination, complex care management, and social work services.
As the Chief Medical Officer for Southern California, UnitedHealthcare, served as the clinical champion for Harmony, a new product featured in the Wall Street Journal. An integrated care delivery and technology solution between UHC and OptumCare providers, improving population management and care coordination.
As the Senior Medical Director at LA Care, served as the clinical lead, built a suite of reports, identified opportunities, developed solutions to address medical spending, and used AI and machine learning to analyze data.
As the Chief Medical Officer at Aspire Health, served as the clinical lead to establish the path to profitability, implemented consistent reporting, structured data, and established a data warehouse, launched a Clinical Pharmacy Department, and laid the foundation for value-based contracting with multiple local partners.

All good things lead to more good things. The entrepreneurial bug ejected me from corporate, and in another pivot, I started my own business. I pursued certificates in AI in Healthcare at MIT and in executive coaching. Today I serve as a resource, a Chief Medical Officer On-Demand for leaders to support the growth and performance of their organizations and walk with them on their own journey as an executive coach. I also came full circle and returned to start-ups, as a founder, physician advisor, mentor, and investor. I love the start-up world, where there is more work than can be done, the thrill of focus, prioritization, and creating order from chaos. AI is here to stay, and I work with several start-ups that chart new and exciting territories in medicine using AI, ML, and LLM.

My Approach

As a physician-scientist, I explored the secrets of human physiology using cell and molecular biology, medical informatics, and clinical research. As a physician executive, I used AI and machine learning to gain insights using data, to predict outcomes, automate processes, and improve clinical operations.

Analytical and Strategic Approach: Once a scientist, always a scientist. I bring the same scientific rigor to my consulting and executive coaching clients. I use data to diagnose opportunities and to measure progress. My strong analytical and communication skills allow me to assess complex situations and develop innovative strategies. I consistently achieve measurable results by leveraging process improvement methodologies and embracing new technologies.

Visionary Leadership: I am a leader who maintains a clear vision for the future with focus and persistence while delivering results. I believe in the power of collaboration and drive change via strategic alliances with others. I build strong, supportive teams that function well even in my absence. I am an open and direct communicator who creates environments of honesty and transparency, building trust with colleagues, partners, and patients.

Creativity: I am a creative who likes working with my hands, creating gardens, delicious plant-based meals, arts and crafts, or getting involved with project implementation if needed. I am patient and tenacious and stay with problems until we find a creative solution.

Collaborative Team Building: I believe that partnership is not only more pleasant than domination, but it is also a more effective way to lead, using the art of negotiation, inspiration, and persuasion. I help leaders successfully facilitate out-of-the-box solutions and negotiate mutually beneficial outcomes.

“Dr. Balint was a great pleasure to work with. She helped oversee Alliance’s formulary operations and helped us implement a balance between cost-effectiveness and medication access for a vulnerable population. Dr. Balint taught me to always think about how formulary decisions impact patient access and I carry this approach to this very day. Dr. Balint’s therapeutic knowledge, analytical skills, and passion for her fellow human beings will make her an outstanding addition to your organization.”

Michael Blatt, PharmD, Director of Clinical Pharmacy and Product Strategy, IEHP

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