Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Dr. Mike Guertin, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Date: January 29, 2026
Host: Will Riley
Guest: Dr. Mike Guertin, MD, MBA, CPE, FASA – Professor of Anesthesiology & Chief Perioperative Medical Director

Overview

In this episode, Dr. Mike Guertin discusses his leadership role at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, with a strong focus on perioperative services integration, technology and AI in healthcare, innovation strategies, and leadership development. Dr. Guertin provides practical insights drawn from his experience reorganizing complex surgical services, embracing both incumbent and disruptive technologies, and preparing the next generation of healthcare leaders for a tech-forward landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background and Organizational Mission

• Dr. Guertin’s Journey & Role ([01:04-02:11])

  • Started at Ohio State as an anesthesiologist; helped establish the first physician-owned ambulatory surgery center in Central Ohio in 1998.
  • Returned to university as Medical Director of Ambulatory Surgical Services, then became Chief Perioperative Medical Director during the pandemic.
  • New role consolidated 12 separate surgical pavilions to operate as a coordinated system, improving access and efficiency.

• Strategic Priorities & Community Growth ([02:24-04:21])

  • New CEO-led strategic initiative seeks to maintain the academic health system’s state leadership, expand advanced and routine care, and partner with hospitals statewide.
  • Columbus and Central Ohio communities are growing rapidly; aim is to scale services efficiently, ensuring high-quality access for a diversifying and expanding population.

2. Embracing Technology & AI in Healthcare

• Traditional Caution vs. New Adoption Patterns ([04:54-07:07])
  • Healthcare has historically been conservative in technological adoption due to patient sensitivity and safety concerns.
  • Dr. Guertin acknowledges a paradigm shift with AI, describing how tech now advances both patient care access and clinical efficiency.
  • Emphasizes that AI and related technologies don’t eliminate jobs, but "create more efficiency so that the people that are in healthcare can spend more time face to face with patients... and less time searching for information." ([05:42] Dr. Guertin)

3. Innovation: Incumbents & Disruptors

• Balanced Innovation Approach ([08:02-09:12])
  • Dr. Guertin promotes a hybrid of leveraging large, established technology partners and carefully integrating promising innovations from smaller, disruptive startups.
  • Quote: “You have to have an innovative mindset... but you can’t just pick the new shiny toy every time it comes out.” ([08:37] Dr. Guertin)
  • Emphasizes the need to validate innovations through thorough research and clinical insight.

4. Technology Throughout the Surgical Journey

• Systematizing the Perioperative Experience ([09:23-12:27])

  • The perioperative process starts at the decision for surgery—technology assists in rapidly and appropriately scheduling patients among ambulatory, hospital outpatient, or inpatient pavilions.
  • Integrated tech helps analyze medical records and suggest best locations, reducing delays and cancellations.
  • Human touch remains crucial: “That person-to-person first contact needs to be preserved... Technology helps gather information, but information is given to patients by a person.” ([11:39] Dr. Guertin)

• Postoperative Care and Feedback ([12:27-13:17])

  • Improving patient experience post-surgery with technology—patients report issues efficiently, data is collected for quality improvement, and outcomes can be analyzed at scale.

5. Administrative Efficiencies and Benefits

• Billing & Policy Execution ([13:29-14:49])
  • Tech enables more accurate and efficient billing, supports staff adherence to organizational policies, and streamlines HR and financial operations.
  • Dr. Guertin emphasizes a team approach with tech developers, saying, “we can give them insights” so "they can develop" solutions that best serve patients and providers. ([14:40] Dr. Guertin)

6. Preparing Future Healthcare Leaders

• Leadership Development ([15:10-17:10])
  • Director of Leadership Development (College of Medicine, Faculty Advancement, Mentoring, Engagement - FAME); runs the Faculty Leadership Institute.
  • Stresses the importance of relational skills alongside technical competence:

    “You can be the smartest person in the room, but if you can’t communicate and relate to other people, they’ll never learn from your intelligence.” ([16:00] Dr. Guertin)

  • Expanded leadership development from 30 to over 70 faculty, now incorporating all 7 Ohio State health sciences, cultivating collaboration and diverse perspectives.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 05:42 | Dr. Guertin| "...what it really is is creating more efficiency so that the people in healthcare can spend more time face to face with patients...and less time searching for information on a computer." | | 08:37 | Dr. Guertin| “You have to have an innovative mindset... but you can’t just pick the new shiny toy every time it comes out.” | | 11:39 | Dr. Guertin| "That person-to-person first contact needs to be preserved...Technology helps gather information, but the information is given to patients by a person." | | 16:00 | Dr. Guertin| “You can be the smartest person in the room, but if you can’t communicate and relate to other people, they’ll never learn from your intelligence.” |

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Background & Strategic Vision: 01:04 – 04:21
• AI and Technology in Healthcare: 04:54 – 07:07
• Innovation Approaches: 08:02 – 09:12
• Perioperative Experience & Tech: 09:23 – 12:27
• Postoperative Tech Integration: 12:27 – 13:17
• Administrative Tech Benefits: 13:29 – 14:49
• Leadership Development: 15:10 – 17:10
• Concluding Thoughts: 17:18 – 17:56

Conclusion

Dr. Mike Guertin’s conversation provides a compelling look at how a major academic health system is streamlining patient care by integrating technology, leveraging both established and emerging innovations, and fostering cross-disciplinary leadership. His emphasis on human relationships—even within a technology-forward future—highlights the crucial balance between efficiency and empathy in modern medicine. His final thoughts praise collaborative learning and underscore the industry-wide benefits of forums like Becker’s.