Stephen Wills, CEO of Knoxville Pediatric Associates (KPA), is a seasoned veteran with nearly two decades of experience in the healthcare industry. He has a strong track record in medical office management, financial operations, clinical and administrative staff supervision, medical services marketing, and business development.
Stephen leverages his deep industry insights and multifaceted education to lead the KPA toward preserving and improving patients’ quality of life through preventive and effective medical care.
“At KPA, we’re driven by a collective vision to provide the best possible care for the children while building close doctor-patient relationships based on trust and compassion,” says Stephen.
What Inspired Stephen to Join KPA?
Reflecting on his early days at KPA, Stephen fondly recalls what drew him to the firm. “KPA has always been the gold standard for pediatric care, so when I was asked to interview, I was honored. My experience has mostly been with practices taking care of adults on the surgical side of healthcare, so I knew pediatrics would be different, but nothing that I couldn’t handle. KPA has a great reputation and gives back to Knoxville, which was very important to me.,” narrates Stephen.
A Knoxville native, Stephen graduated from the University of Tennessee, where he studied journalism and electronic media to pursue a career in radio. However, his path led him to healthcare sales, where he thrived before transitioning to management. Stephen quickly found out his true passion lay in leading and managing teams. He has managed a home health company, general surgery, vascular surgery, bariatric surgery, and urological surgical groups.
Stephen’s Leadership Philosophy: At a Glance
Stephens’s leadership style is similar to that of the affiliative leadership model. He likes to get to know his people and create an emotional bond with them. He wants to understand his team members, their backgrounds, and what motivates them.
“KPA and all of the employees here are definitely important to me, and I want them to know,” shares Stephen. His natural curiosity drives him to ask questions and genuinely connect with those he leads. He finds joy in learning about people’s lives beyond work.
Keeping Patient Care at the Forefront
Stephen believes pediatrics is a labor of love, not money. Pediatricians care a little more than most doctors. Babies are little and fragile, and the pediatricians at KPA love each one of these kids like their own. “Our hashtag is #WeLoveOurKPAKids, and we couldn’t mean it more. Patient care remains at the forefront, and it has to be, especially for new mothers,” explains Stephen.
Any first-time parent can relate to this when they realize they are now responsible for another human life, and no matter how many books you read, it is a very frightening feeling! Stephen and his team strive to support such parents and provide the best care to the patients.
Harnessing Technology for Healthcare Advancement
aspect of the company’s identity. All of the pediatricians strive to stay up-to-date on new technologies. The American Association of Pediatrics is a great resource that the team relies heavily on. ”We were very quick to adopt the new RSV vaccine that came out last year. It gained approval in July 2023, so that did not give the team a lot of time before the RSV season started in the fall. Since the vaccine committee had already been meeting and planning for this, we were able to enact its rollout plan instantly and help protect our patients.,” asserts Stephen.
Fostering Engagement and Employee Satisfaction
Central to KPA’s success is its remarkable employee program, which recognizes an employee at each location as voted on by their peers. On top of that, the company has a very generous PTO package to provide employees with a great life outside of work. When they do, they typically bring that good energy to work as well. “We are always looking for things to celebrate as well. Birthdays, years of service milestone awards, and, when the time comes, retirements,” Stephen emphasizes.
Emerging Trends in Pediatric Healthcare
Artificial intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly one of the most powerful and exciting technological developments of this era. Stephen and his team are actively testing on the billing side to work smarter. Child health monitoring is another trend that is gaining ground. They do not utilize a device specifically, but they ask parents if the older children use a wearable device that can monitor oxygen levels, heart rate, steps, etc. If they do, the team encourages the parents to look at the data, ensure that trends are within guidelines, and alert the team if the wearable notices something weird.
Navigating the Regulatory Challenges
KPA is one of the few groups in town that participates in the State of Tennessee’s Vaccine for Children program. It is a very rewarding program but has a lot of red tape, so each office’s clinical manager maintains the program at the office level. The leadership team meets monthly, and it is a standing meeting topic to discuss best practices and new regulations that need to be followed.
Promoting Health and Wellness within the Local Community
The flu season has been a great example of KPA’s social endeavors. The team always reserves some Saturdays to hold flu vaccine clinics, where they dedicate the entire time to administering the flu shot. They advertise the clinics on social media and one does not even have to register ahead of time. Most insurance typically covers the flu shot, so the team does not even worry about that part. There is also a charitable contributions committee that decides which local groups need their charitable dollars the most. “We make sure that they have a tie to east Tennessee; it is important to us to keep our money local, not a big corporation where you do not get to see the outcomes of the donations,” explained Stephen.
Cultivating Trust and Compassion through Communication
The pediatricians and staff at KPA are great at listening to patients and families. Not just listening but hearing and responding to their questions or concerns. A lot of times, doctors only care about test results, but they also want to know the circumstances surrounding the results. The family and the child’s environment play such a huge role in their health that you can’t learn about it from a blood test. They listen and ask a lot of questions to provide the best care they can.
Words of Wisdom
Advising aspiring healthcare professionals, Stephen says, “Grow your network; join a peer group, maybe even a couple. Healthcare is a tough world to navigate. The Medical Group Management Association is a great group to start with, then narrow it down to your specialties or interests. It takes a village to raise a child, but that shouldn’t stop at adulthood. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, and if you surround yourself with a great network, then you have your village.”