Three questions with Liz Guyton

Dec. 16, 2020 / By Liz Guyton, Kelli Christman

Kelli sat down with 3M Health Information Systems Vice President of the U.S. and Canada Liz Guyton, CPA, to look ahead to 2021 and highlight stories from clients on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Welcome to Inside Angle! Tell us a little bit about your journey to 3M.

I started my career in health care as an accounting manager in a small hospital. From there, I moved to regional positions with health care chains, managing financial and accounts receivable performance. I then moved to Ernst & Young to begin a long career in revenue cycle, supply chain and IT consulting. During my tenure with Ernst & Young, I became acquainted with 3M and their work with clinical documentation. We partnered together on several prestigious accounts over the years. One that I remember well was the first ICD-10 project that was jointly delivered with 3M at Stanford University.

After my children were in middle school, I found that the high travel lifestyle didn’t suit me well anymore. I retired from Accenture and started to make a new life as a stay-at-home mom. That lasted about 15 months! I was recruited by 3M to join their health care consulting practice in Atlanta in 2016 and I’ve been here ever since. I’m now responsible for 3M HIS operations in the United States and Canada.

As we close the books on one of the most challenging years in recent history, what is the one thing you’re most looking forward to in 2021?

For 2021, I am hopeful that we can help our health care clients recover from the strains of the pandemic with our unique offerings. We are working hard to close the loop between clinical care and revenue integrity with our jointly created 3M and M*Modal solutions. We plan to expand services to our 3M™ 360 Encompass™ System customers as well as provide more hospitals with access to 3M 360 Encompass through our managed services offerings. We’re also continuing to transform the delivery of health care with our virtual assistant solutions. All in the hopes of making our clients lives just a little bit easier.

On a personal note, I am most looking forward to seeing my parents again. It has been over a year since I have seen them and can’t wait until it is safe to gather again.

One of the best things about 3M HIS is our clients and our employees. What’s the most inspiring story you’ve seen or heard about in recent months?

I love my job because I get to see these stories every day. One of my favorites recently is that one of our clients in the UK delivered the first COVID-19 vaccine outside of a clinical trial. This is such an exciting step in the pandemic fight. Another story that I love is one of our total outsourced CDI clients reduced their contractual allowance two months in a row. Seeing clients save on their bottom line, especially during such challenging times, makes for a great day in the office.

Liz Guyton is Director of Health Information Systems Division, USAC in our Health Care Business Group.

Kelli Christman is senior marketing communications and strategic communications specialist at 3M Health Information Systems.