Morgantown, W.Va.-based WVU Medicine CFO Nick Barcellona has highlighted the importance of strategic investment and leadership through industry uncertainties as he gears up to mark two years with the health system.
Mr. Barcellona said on Becker’s “CFO + Revenue Cycle Podcast” that one of the most eye-opening aspects of joining WVU Medicine was its decentralized structure.
“[We] have a lot of autonomy and authority for those local business units, and that’ll help us to recruit and retain great leaders at those business units,” he said. “It really requires us to recruit great leaders for those local levels in order for this structure to work.”
Amid ongoing changes across the industry, including the status of potential Medicaid cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Mr. Barcellona emphasized the importance for leaders to practice resilience.
The legislation could reduce revenues by around $4.5 trillion and result in $1.2 trillion in reduced spending, increasing the national debt by $3.3 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Medicaid spending could also decrease nearly $1 trillion, with the number of uninsured individuals growing by 11.8 million by 2034.
“Resilience can be exhausting,” he said. “It’s positive adaptation. It’s not just about enduring or surviving all of those things … [like] adversity, trauma, traction, threat, etcetera, but it’s actually being able to thrive and maintain your well being in the face of all those challenges.”
Mr. Barcellona encouraged leaders to build a positive reality for employees, noting that while challenges arise, it is important to be realistic in how organizations can navigate them.
“They [employees] look to how you’re messaging the financial performance, how you’re messaging the broader economic indicators, how you’re messaging what’s going on in Washington and other [areas],” he said. “It doesn’t make it go away, but you have to maintain focus on having a positive attitude, and that’s something that I take very seriously.”
Looking toward the future of WVU Medicine, Mr. Barcellona highlighted three system priorities: benefit design and workforce strategy, regional capital investment and simplifying the system’s balance sheet.
In 2025, the health system poured more than $460 million into capital investment not just in Morgantown, but in surrounding areas.
“That investment and commitment to breadth and depth is a core part of our strategy, both in the short term and long term, and certainly something we’re focused on in 2025,” he said.
