Diane M. Scardino, FACHE
Diane Scardino is a Vice President within the Texas Children’s Healthcare System. Her passion for the healthcare industry spans over two decades of operations experience including successful development and implementation of strategic initiatives and programs, care coordination, physician engagement, turnaround projects, service line and new business development, and facilities planning. Her current areas of responsibility span both the care delivery (“provider”) and insurance (“payer”) entities, including Care coordination, Utilization Management, Member Engagement and Retention, Transition Medicine, and Global Health Outreach for Hematology/Oncology service line. In addition to her paid profession, Diane actively participates in community work through multiple boards, her faith community, and her child’s school.
Diane began her career as an administrative fellow at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas, and transitioned into a project management role post fellowship. She spearheaded the application process which gained the hospital full Medicare and Medicaid coverage for its organ transplant programs. In addition, she authored business plans and helped implement a children’s hospital advisory board structure and a dedicated Geriatric service line for the organization.
Diane joined Texas Children’s Hospital in 1999, with the significant task of managing all logistical planning for its largest expansion project to date. The “largest American hospital expansion project” of the time, the initiative doubled the facility footprint of TCH. Diane coordinated over $100M in purchases and deployment of equipment, furniture, finishes, and way finding, as well as the patient moves to a new inpatient tower. In 2002, Diane shifted into care delivery operations and progressively filled leadership roles in business/ community operations and physician practice administration. Under her leadership the community health centers (now called Specialty Care Centers) doubled in size and visit volume, the Behavioral & Developmental Collaborative was created, and Neurosciences developed as a service line with national top 5 recognition. Diane’s span of control included over 500 FTEs, supporting over 1000 Pediatric specialty providers across Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties of Texas, and representing over 500,000 patient encounters a year.
Diane’s leadership responsibilities shifted to the payer side of healthcare in 2017, after being asked by the CEO to help lead a leadership turnaround for Texas Children’s Health Plan. The Plan covered approximately 430,000 lives. Diane also served as the executive facilitator for foundational work toward a system care coordination and population health strategy. In her role with The Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP), Diane has executive oversight for care coordination, Northeast Regional Service Area, and emergency preparedness & Operations. TCHP is the first and largest pediatric insurance plan in the country, and serves only Medicaid clients. Diane successfully took over the plan’s launch of Texas Medicaid Star Kids product, which is a managed care solution for medically complex children. This care management team is the largest remote workforce within the Texas Children's System. This team of over 250 FTEs works to holistically identify members’ care gaps, and community and home-based needs. During the 2020 worldwide Pandemic Diane led command center operations for the health plan. Operations included rapid deployment of provider support and education around telemedicine, vaccine deployment, and sharing of general resource databases. She also led member focused initiatives that included call campaigns to vulnerable members. Through the pandemic this command center also managed emergency prep and member outreach for over 8 natural and man-made disasters. Through the unprecedented 2020 year the plan maintained or exceeded its KPIs.
In January of 2021 Diane’s expertise was recognized with an expansion of scope that includes Texas Children's Hospital Care Coordination and Utilization Management, and Transition Medicine. Transition Medicine is a growing concept that targets specialized services at Young adults with chronic conditions or disabilities that are transitioning into adult living. That scope increase in October of 2021 to include executive responsibility for the Global Hope program. Global Hope is our Cancer Center’s global program, which brings provider development, clinical expertise, and program development to underserved global communities.
Diane is also an advocate for mentorship and education. Diane consistently serves as a mentor for many leaders within her organization’s internal accelerated growth tract. She has also served as a mentor through professional organizations, and as an alum mentor for University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business.
Diane actively pursues professional affiliations with as much zeal as she devotes to her payed work. She is currently involved with American Leadership Forum, American College of Healthcare Executives, Children’s Hospital Association, and Texas Association of Community Health Plans. She also has served on board positions for Mental Health America of Greater Houston, Bauer College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board for The University of Houston, and her neighborhood civic club. Her board involvement has included work in governance & nominating, external communications, fundraising, and various project specific tasks. Diane is married, with two sons and two spoiled chocolate labs.
Diane began her career as an administrative fellow at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas, and transitioned into a project management role post fellowship. She spearheaded the application process which gained the hospital full Medicare and Medicaid coverage for its organ transplant programs. In addition, she authored business plans and helped implement a children’s hospital advisory board structure and a dedicated Geriatric service line for the organization.
Diane joined Texas Children’s Hospital in 1999, with the significant task of managing all logistical planning for its largest expansion project to date. The “largest American hospital expansion project” of the time, the initiative doubled the facility footprint of TCH. Diane coordinated over $100M in purchases and deployment of equipment, furniture, finishes, and way finding, as well as the patient moves to a new inpatient tower. In 2002, Diane shifted into care delivery operations and progressively filled leadership roles in business/ community operations and physician practice administration. Under her leadership the community health centers (now called Specialty Care Centers) doubled in size and visit volume, the Behavioral & Developmental Collaborative was created, and Neurosciences developed as a service line with national top 5 recognition. Diane’s span of control included over 500 FTEs, supporting over 1000 Pediatric specialty providers across Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties of Texas, and representing over 500,000 patient encounters a year.
Diane’s leadership responsibilities shifted to the payer side of healthcare in 2017, after being asked by the CEO to help lead a leadership turnaround for Texas Children’s Health Plan. The Plan covered approximately 430,000 lives. Diane also served as the executive facilitator for foundational work toward a system care coordination and population health strategy. In her role with The Texas Children’s Health Plan (TCHP), Diane has executive oversight for care coordination, Northeast Regional Service Area, and emergency preparedness & Operations. TCHP is the first and largest pediatric insurance plan in the country, and serves only Medicaid clients. Diane successfully took over the plan’s launch of Texas Medicaid Star Kids product, which is a managed care solution for medically complex children. This care management team is the largest remote workforce within the Texas Children's System. This team of over 250 FTEs works to holistically identify members’ care gaps, and community and home-based needs. During the 2020 worldwide Pandemic Diane led command center operations for the health plan. Operations included rapid deployment of provider support and education around telemedicine, vaccine deployment, and sharing of general resource databases. She also led member focused initiatives that included call campaigns to vulnerable members. Through the pandemic this command center also managed emergency prep and member outreach for over 8 natural and man-made disasters. Through the unprecedented 2020 year the plan maintained or exceeded its KPIs.
In January of 2021 Diane’s expertise was recognized with an expansion of scope that includes Texas Children's Hospital Care Coordination and Utilization Management, and Transition Medicine. Transition Medicine is a growing concept that targets specialized services at Young adults with chronic conditions or disabilities that are transitioning into adult living. That scope increase in October of 2021 to include executive responsibility for the Global Hope program. Global Hope is our Cancer Center’s global program, which brings provider development, clinical expertise, and program development to underserved global communities.
Diane is also an advocate for mentorship and education. Diane consistently serves as a mentor for many leaders within her organization’s internal accelerated growth tract. She has also served as a mentor through professional organizations, and as an alum mentor for University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business.
Diane actively pursues professional affiliations with as much zeal as she devotes to her payed work. She is currently involved with American Leadership Forum, American College of Healthcare Executives, Children’s Hospital Association, and Texas Association of Community Health Plans. She also has served on board positions for Mental Health America of Greater Houston, Bauer College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board for The University of Houston, and her neighborhood civic club. Her board involvement has included work in governance & nominating, external communications, fundraising, and various project specific tasks. Diane is married, with two sons and two spoiled chocolate labs.