Leading Through Change, Staying Grounded in Purpose — A Conversation with Melanie Stohl, Chair of Minnesota MGMA Board

On this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host and senior editor Daniel Williams sits down with Melanie Stohl, director of pediatrics for the Pediatric Service Line at M Health Fairview and current chair of the Minnesota MGMA board. Melanie shares her leadership journey — from revenue cycle beginnings to executive-level leadership — and reflects on guiding teams through organizational transition, community crisis, and ongoing change while keeping patients, staff, and mission at the center of the work.

Episode takeaways

• Melanie Stohl’s career path highlights the power of lifelong learning, including earning her bachelor’s degree later in life and completing a healthcare-focused MBA while leading large, complex teams.
• Hands-on experience across front desk operations, coding, credentialing, rooming, and leadership roles gave Melanie a system-wide perspective — helping her anticipate downstream impacts and advocate for smarter operational decisions.
• At M Health Fairview, Melanie oversees pediatric specialty care across roughly 27 specialties and multiple clinic entities, balancing hospital-based and freestanding clinic models.
• Melanie discusses leading teams through significant organizational change as University of Minnesota Physicians transitioned employment structures, emphasizing transparency, listening, and anchoring teams to the shared mission.
• During periods of community unrest, daily leadership huddles, open forums, and frequent communication helped create psychological safety — even when leaders didn’t yet have answers.
• Patient safety and access remained a priority, with teams quickly adapting through virtual visits, alternate locations, and flexible workflows when patients felt unsafe traveling to certain sites.
• As chair of Minnesota MGMA, Melanie is focused on growing a small but mighty chapter through monthly “power hours,” in-person engagement, and creating space for candid peer-to-peer learning.
• A consistent theme throughout the conversation is servant leadership — showing up as human first, leader second, and trusting that culture and purpose carry teams through uncertainty.

Resources

• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• MGMA Membership and Communities
• MGMA Education and Events
• MGMA Insights Podcast Network

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