The Math That Changed Everything: Why This Physician Left Practice for Maximum Impact || EP.212

Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw

"I think my media roles have resulted in trust, but that's not why I got into it. I got into it because what an incredible platform to have... to educate the public. On average, about 80,000 people at a time."

When Dr. Archelle Georgiou was in clinical practice, she did the math: 15 patients a day for 30 years. The number didn't feel impactful enough. So this Johns Hopkins-trained physician made an unorthodox choice—leaving patient care to join the very managed care industry that frustrated her, determined to fix the system from within.

From associate medical director at Cigna to leadership at UnitedHealth Group, Dr. Georgiou discovered that sometimes the best way to heal healthcare is to understand how it's financed and delivered. But her most powerful platform came through an unexpected channel: television. For over 16 years and 2,000 segments, she's been translating complex medical information for millions, becoming a trusted voice in America's living rooms.

When COVID-19 struck and the world watched Johns Hopkins count cases and deaths, Dr. Georgiou saw what was missing: real-time hospital data. In one weekend, she and a colleague built what the entire healthcare system hadn't—a national hospital tracking dashboard that informed policymakers, appeared in major publications, and generated 12 peer-reviewed studies.

In this episode of Inspiring Women with Laurie McGraw, Dr. Georgiou reveals:

• Why America's "paternalistic culture" makes us listen to doctors—and why we need to listen more critically
• How she went from treating 15 patients daily to educating 80,000 people at a time
• The weekend project that solved COVID's biggest data gap when no one else would
• Why managed care's influence on healthcare delivery shocked even an industry insider
• How creating annual strategic business plans for yourself can drive reinvention
• What really determines impact: degrees and titles, or understanding your core talents
• Why solving patient care problems remains her "true north" across every role

From humble beginnings with parents who didn't finish elementary school to becoming a national medical correspondent, board member, and strategic advisor, Dr. Georgiou proves that maximizing your impact sometimes means leaving the traditional path behind.

"Every single year I work with myself to create a strategic business plan," she shares. "A $10 million business has a business plan every single year. So why don't you?"

A calculated risk-taker who's never afraid to walk through doors that inch open, Dr. Archelle Georgiou continues to reinvent what it means to be a physician leader—one who measures success not in patients seen, but in lives transformed through education, advocacy, and evidence-based truth.

Chapters

2:15 - From Physician to Managed Care Leader

5:40 - Why Healthcare is So Hard to Navigate

9:30 - The Power of Media: Reaching 80,000 People at Once

13:45 - COVID Crisis Response: Building the Hospital Data Dashboard

18:20 - Leadership Across Five Tracks

20:50 - Annual Personal Strategic Planning

23:30 - Finding Your Core Talents Beyond Your Degree

26:00 - The Storyteller-Healthcare-Data Formula

Guest & Host Links

• Connect with Laurie McGraw on LinkedIn
• Connect with Archelle Georgiou, MD on LinkedIn

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