Paul Hegyi spent years working in the state capital, even running for State Assembly himself. Today, he brings more than a decade of legislative experience and a zeal for representing the needs of physicians to San Diego’s Medical Society. In this month’s Pulse podcast, the chief executive officer shares how his focus on polling data and the diverse needs of physicians helped the California Medical Association (CMA) turn around a flagging membership.
Like a seasoned campaigner, Hegyi delved into CMA’s polling data to understand its members. “The doctors in a large medical group such as Sharp Rees Steely have very different priorities than the single ophthalmologist who hangs his own shingle,” Hegyi said. “The data helped us tailor the value we were delivering and change the way we pitched ourselves to different groups.” Membership grew 15 percent during Hegyi’s tenure.
Encouraged to pursue both a marketing certificate and an MBA, Hegyi is excited to implement all that he learned on behalf of San Diego’s physicians in the CEO post he embarked on three months ago. “The thing that doctors want is the ability to take care of patients and to decide the best course of prevention or treatment for their patients,” Hegyi explains. “It’s the best of both worlds for me [to represent them.] I get to do both operations and advocacy – and I get to do it in San Diego.”