May 28, 2025 • 10 mins
Lisa Giganti Chief Executive Officer at Lumina Imaging and Diagnostics. Lisa Giganti is a dynamic leader with extensive experience in strategic planning, innovation, and financial management. As the Chief Executive Officer of Lumina Imaging and Diagnostics, Lisa is at the forefront of transforming and disrupting the medical imaging landscape. Her work focuses on developing strategic partnerships and shared risk/reward ventures to enhance access to quality medical imaging while upholding the highest standards of care and exceptional patient experience. Prior to Lumina, Lisa was a Managing Principal in Strategy and Innovations at The MetroHealth System in Cleveland, Ohio where she was responsible for identifying, prioritizing, developing, and executing strategic initiatives in alignment with the organization’s mission. Her approach included data-driven analyses and process assessments to improve and expand medical services such as Bariatric Surgery, Radiology, and Breast Health.
Lisa’s career began in finance spanning a variety of disciplines in the rental car and hospitality industries for both large corporations and start-ups. She then pivoted to banking for 10 years in progressively advanced roles as a Business Performance Improvement Consultant, Retail Banking Controller and Corporate Banking CFO at National City Corporation / PNC Bank. Ultimately, Lisa found her calling in healthcare, aligning her passion for health and wellness with her strong business acumen. She served as a Senior Project Manager in Strategic Financial Planning at Cleveland Clinic, honing her skills in financial strategy and large-scale project management. Lisa earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Finance and Economics from John Carroll University and later obtained her Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University, concentrating in Finance and Management. Lisa’s diverse background and strategic mindset have established her as an effective leader able to drive growth and innovation in the healthcare, financial services, and hospitality sectors.
Lisa’s career began in finance spanning a variety of disciplines in the rental car and hospitality industries for both large corporations and start-ups. She then pivoted to banking for 10 years in progressively advanced roles as a Business Performance Improvement Consultant, Retail Banking Controller and Corporate Banking CFO at National City Corporation / PNC Bank. Ultimately, Lisa found her calling in healthcare, aligning her passion for health and wellness with her strong business acumen. She served as a Senior Project Manager in Strategic Financial Planning at Cleveland Clinic, honing her skills in financial strategy and large-scale project management. Lisa earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Finance and Economics from John Carroll University and later obtained her Master of Business Administration from Cleveland State University, concentrating in Finance and Management. Lisa’s diverse background and strategic mindset have established her as an effective leader able to drive growth and innovation in the healthcare, financial services, and hospitality sectors.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is iHeartRadio's CEOs. You should know. I'm Keith Hodgkiss
and today our guest is Lisa Gigante. She's the chief
executive officer of Lumna Imaging and Diagnostics. Lisa, thanks for
joining us today.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I'm really interested in your company here because I think
as I was reading about it, when someone says, boy,
I need an MRI or I need a CT scan,
they just automatically, I think, think they have to go
to this massive hospital and wait in lines and pay
millions of dollars, right, But apparently that's not the case.
Can you talk to us about that not the case.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
We're really setting out to do something different in this space,
and we want this to be about patient experience and
about transparency. So if you think about patient experience today,
it's often long waits for appointments, and I think in
the case of MRIs right now in this region, there's
an average of sixty to ninety day weights to get
(00:52):
an MRI, which is concerning. Yeah, and you're jumping through
endless hoops trying to get insurance authorization, You're having to
navigate large hospital systems, and you're not quite sure when
you're going to get your results or what you're going
to end up paying, and we're really trying to take
all of that opaqueness out of it, make it much
(01:14):
more transparent, so we can get you in the same
day and next day. If you use your insurance, it
might take us a couple of days to get authorization,
but we get you in very quickly, less than a
week without sacrificing inequality. So our equipment is brand new,
state of the art. It's the same or better equipment
that you would get in a hospital. The radiologists who
(01:34):
are doing the reads or the interpretations of these important
images behind the scenes, they're a fellowship trained sub specialized,
which is kind of a mouthful, but what that means
is that you can be assured your images are being
read by someone who specializes in that region of the body.
So if you're getting an MRI of your brain, you
can be assured that a neuro radiologist is doing the
(01:56):
read and the interpretation, which is really important when it
comes to qualities. Equipment and whoever's doing the read behind
the scenes makes it hospital quality. High quality. We offer that,
but we're taking the expense out of it because we've
pulled these high cost services or traditionally high cost services
out of the high cost setting put them in a smaller,
(02:17):
more accessible, convenient location. You could just drive up and
walk in and get your care quickly and easily without
having to go through all the hassles.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Maybe I'm out of the loop, but I guess I
just didn't know this service existed. And what a neat
thing to have, right, Because you're right. Navigating our wonderfully
large hospital systems here can be extremely hard, and sometimes
I think people think, should I have an MRI or
a CT scan and look further? I a board hit
(02:46):
me in the head, or I fell down on my bike, right,
And is that kind of the main reason someone would
get those kind of US scans.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, accidents or just a doctor sees something that they
might be concerned about during a typical routine visit and
they may want you to get a CT scan, or
you're having back pain or dizziness or some issue where
the doctor wants to look further. In Ohio, you still
need a referral, a doctor's order, but you don't have
(03:13):
to stay within that system. We're not suggesting that you
have to change your doctor in any way. We have
great care here in northeastern Ohio, and we're just suggesting
that you have a choice when it comes to out
patient imaging, that we're trying to put power back into
the hands of patients. You have a choice, and I
think we're kind of stuck in this sort of just
(03:36):
doing what we've always known to do. The doctor says, hey,
walk down the hall, make an appointment, or call this
phone number, and we just do what the doctor says
to do. Right, it's just sort of out a habit.
You don't have to do it that way. You can
do some homework. You can be an informed consumer know
that there are other options that can be faster, easier,
(03:58):
and more affordable without sacrificing quality.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
We're talking with Lisa Giganti, the CEO of Lumina Imaging
and Diagnostics. How did you become the CEO of this company?
How did you get to where you are today?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, So, just to take a couple of steps back,
I spent probably the first half of my career in
a variety of financial disciplines. So I've done everything you
can possibly do in finance. Mired in numbers a good
part of the time, but throughout my career in finance.
I also had opportunities, through great mentors and peers to
(04:36):
do process improvement and business performance improvement, and do program
startups and large scale project management, and all of those
things sort of broaden my horizons a bit, and I
was able to really eventually pivot from hospitality and banking
to healthcare, which is where I've always had a passion
(04:58):
for health and wellness. And I did some work at
the Cleveland Clinic, was an integral part of starting their
functional medicine clinic.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
There.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
I pivoted to Metro Health, very mission driven organization, worked
in strategy and innovations there on some very interesting projects,
was exposed no pun intended to radiology, learned more than
my fair share of radiology and how it works. And
then this opportunity presented itself to lead this separate entity
(05:31):
that would try to really, you know, in a small way,
try to fix healthcare which is sort of broken.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
You know. That's what I think is so interesting about
this is because we've talked about how someone who is
afraid or is able to navigate these massive healthcare organizations. Again,
wonderful as they are, they're just massive. They can be challenging.
So if someone has a headache or you know, how
(06:00):
do you suggest, if they've been thinking they've wanting to
do something like this, even if for their own peace
of mind, how do they begin the process of coming
to Lumina.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah, I think it always starts with seeing their doctor first,
and once they have an order for an imaging service,
all they have to do is pick up a phone
a call, and we take care of everything from there.
We will reach out to their doctor, regardless of what
hospital they're affiliated with. We'll get that order from them,
(06:30):
we'll get their insurance authorized, we'll get everything scheduled for them.
We'll get the results to any doctor or any specialists
that may need to see them down the road. So
we handle everything for them. They just need to either
visit the website or call the phone number and we
handle everything from there.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So if you have maybe thought that this is a
something you want to have explored and you should certainly
see your primary care physician just to say listen, this
has been going on, this is something I'm interested in.
Or you know a child, we know there was a
tragedy with a lacrosse player and Bay Village recently, and
you think, boy, what if that an MRI I could
have maybe done something there. So, Lis, So we talk
(07:07):
a little bit on CEOs. You should know about how
folks in high stress positions like yours end up de
stressing or centering themselves. Tell us a little bit about
how you handle the stress and the pressure of running
this organization and knowing it it's important in people's lives.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yeah, well, I think it's important first to surround yourself
with folks that help make your job a little bit easier, right, So,
I think I tend to be surrounded by self starters,
by a team that has a thirst for knowledge and
is always looking for ways to improve and grow, And
(07:45):
so I think that helps make my job a little
bit easier. I'm really blessed to have an exceptional team.
I think outside of the office, I do some of
the traditional things like yoga and meditation, and I think
exercises a big part of what I do to relax
as well. I never go more than a couple of
days without getting in a good workout.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
It's important for sure. Last question, then, as you mentioned
in a small your small way or even a big way,
you're trying to help fix a challenging healthcare system. What's
the future look like for Lumina and for you.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah, so, I think a couple of interesting things going on.
You know, we talked about the consumer focus, but I
think we reach more consumers when we reach employers. So
a big part of what we're doing next is to
get with regional employers to really help them understand that
they can lower their benefit plan costs and lower the
(08:42):
costs for their employees and family members if they work
something like Lumina into their plan. So we'll be going
out and doing some work in the community with employers
and nonprofits and municipalities. So we have foresights now Mentor
Soul and Madina on Westlake will be growing in Ohio
and beyond. And I think here in the next couple
(09:03):
of weeks, we'll have an announcement about a partner that
will help us to expand our reach nationally, so that
if you have employers that have employees and other parts
of the country, they'll have access to similar imaging services
in other parts of the country as well through this partnership.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
That sounds really exciting.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Yeah. Well, I think just to call to action is
to know that you have a choice, to know that
there's a faster, better way. In healthcare, you just have
to look for it. It's probably the only thing that
we don't really understand the price of. If you think
about when you buy a house, or you buy a car,
or you go out to a restaurant for dinner, or
you go get a haircut, you know what you're going
(09:44):
to pay for it, right, But in healthcare, we don't
understand what we're going to pay. So we're really trying
to make it very simple and very clear. So I
think the call to action is that consumers become aware
and educated. A brought their options, and then I think
there's a call the action for employers in our regions
as well. If you're looking to save money on your
health plan costs, this could be an option for you.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
This is certainly a very interesting advancement in the future
of healthcare. Lumina Imaging and Diagnostics, Lisa Giganti, Chief Executive Officers,
thanks so much for being with us today.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Thank you for having me, and.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
This has been iHeartRadio CEOs. You should know today's show
is produced by Bob COATESID I'm Keith Hojkiss. We'll see
you next time.
This is iHeartRadio's CEOs. You should know. I'm Keith Hodgkiss
and today our guest is Lisa Gigante. She's the chief
executive officer of Lumna Imaging and Diagnostics. Lisa, thanks for
joining us today.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I'm really interested in your company here because I think
as I was reading about it, when someone says, boy,
I need an MRI or I need a CT scan,
they just automatically, I think, think they have to go
to this massive hospital and wait in lines and pay
millions of dollars, right, But apparently that's not the case.
Can you talk to us about that not the case.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
We're really setting out to do something different in this space,
and we want this to be about patient experience and
about transparency. So if you think about patient experience today,
it's often long waits for appointments, and I think in
the case of MRIs right now in this region, there's
an average of sixty to ninety day weights to get
(00:52):
an MRI, which is concerning. Yeah, and you're jumping through
endless hoops trying to get insurance authorization, You're having to
navigate large hospital systems, and you're not quite sure when
you're going to get your results or what you're going
to end up paying, and we're really trying to take
all of that opaqueness out of it, make it much
(01:14):
more transparent, so we can get you in the same
day and next day. If you use your insurance, it
might take us a couple of days to get authorization,
but we get you in very quickly, less than a
week without sacrificing inequality. So our equipment is brand new,
state of the art. It's the same or better equipment
that you would get in a hospital. The radiologists who
(01:34):
are doing the reads or the interpretations of these important
images behind the scenes, they're a fellowship trained sub specialized,
which is kind of a mouthful, but what that means
is that you can be assured your images are being
read by someone who specializes in that region of the body.
So if you're getting an MRI of your brain, you
can be assured that a neuro radiologist is doing the
(01:56):
read and the interpretation, which is really important when it
comes to qualities. Equipment and whoever's doing the read behind
the scenes makes it hospital quality. High quality. We offer that,
but we're taking the expense out of it because we've
pulled these high cost services or traditionally high cost services
out of the high cost setting put them in a smaller,
(02:17):
more accessible, convenient location. You could just drive up and
walk in and get your care quickly and easily without
having to go through all the hassles.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Maybe I'm out of the loop, but I guess I
just didn't know this service existed. And what a neat
thing to have, right, Because you're right. Navigating our wonderfully
large hospital systems here can be extremely hard, and sometimes
I think people think, should I have an MRI or
a CT scan and look further? I a board hit
(02:46):
me in the head, or I fell down on my bike, right,
And is that kind of the main reason someone would
get those kind of US scans.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
Yeah, accidents or just a doctor sees something that they
might be concerned about during a typical routine visit and
they may want you to get a CT scan, or
you're having back pain or dizziness or some issue where
the doctor wants to look further. In Ohio, you still
need a referral, a doctor's order, but you don't have
(03:13):
to stay within that system. We're not suggesting that you
have to change your doctor in any way. We have
great care here in northeastern Ohio, and we're just suggesting
that you have a choice when it comes to out
patient imaging, that we're trying to put power back into
the hands of patients. You have a choice, and I
think we're kind of stuck in this sort of just
(03:36):
doing what we've always known to do. The doctor says, hey,
walk down the hall, make an appointment, or call this
phone number, and we just do what the doctor says
to do. Right, it's just sort of out a habit.
You don't have to do it that way. You can
do some homework. You can be an informed consumer know
that there are other options that can be faster, easier,
(03:58):
and more affordable without sacrificing quality.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
We're talking with Lisa Giganti, the CEO of Lumina Imaging
and Diagnostics. How did you become the CEO of this company?
How did you get to where you are today?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Yeah, So, just to take a couple of steps back,
I spent probably the first half of my career in
a variety of financial disciplines. So I've done everything you
can possibly do in finance. Mired in numbers a good
part of the time, but throughout my career in finance.
I also had opportunities, through great mentors and peers to
(04:36):
do process improvement and business performance improvement, and do program
startups and large scale project management, and all of those
things sort of broaden my horizons a bit, and I
was able to really eventually pivot from hospitality and banking
to healthcare, which is where I've always had a passion
(04:58):
for health and wellness. And I did some work at
the Cleveland Clinic, was an integral part of starting their
functional medicine clinic.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
There.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
I pivoted to Metro Health, very mission driven organization, worked
in strategy and innovations there on some very interesting projects,
was exposed no pun intended to radiology, learned more than
my fair share of radiology and how it works. And
then this opportunity presented itself to lead this separate entity
(05:31):
that would try to really, you know, in a small way,
try to fix healthcare which is sort of broken.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
You know. That's what I think is so interesting about
this is because we've talked about how someone who is
afraid or is able to navigate these massive healthcare organizations. Again,
wonderful as they are, they're just massive. They can be challenging.
So if someone has a headache or you know, how
(06:00):
do you suggest, if they've been thinking they've wanting to
do something like this, even if for their own peace
of mind, how do they begin the process of coming
to Lumina.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah, I think it always starts with seeing their doctor first,
and once they have an order for an imaging service,
all they have to do is pick up a phone
a call, and we take care of everything from there.
We will reach out to their doctor, regardless of what
hospital they're affiliated with. We'll get that order from them,
(06:30):
we'll get their insurance authorized, we'll get everything scheduled for them.
We'll get the results to any doctor or any specialists
that may need to see them down the road. So
we handle everything for them. They just need to either
visit the website or call the phone number and we
handle everything from there.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
So if you have maybe thought that this is a
something you want to have explored and you should certainly
see your primary care physician just to say listen, this
has been going on, this is something I'm interested in.
Or you know a child, we know there was a
tragedy with a lacrosse player and Bay Village recently, and
you think, boy, what if that an MRI I could
have maybe done something there. So, Lis, So we talk
(07:07):
a little bit on CEOs. You should know about how
folks in high stress positions like yours end up de
stressing or centering themselves. Tell us a little bit about
how you handle the stress and the pressure of running
this organization and knowing it it's important in people's lives.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Yeah, well, I think it's important first to surround yourself
with folks that help make your job a little bit easier, right, So,
I think I tend to be surrounded by self starters,
by a team that has a thirst for knowledge and
is always looking for ways to improve and grow, And
(07:45):
so I think that helps make my job a little
bit easier. I'm really blessed to have an exceptional team.
I think outside of the office, I do some of
the traditional things like yoga and meditation, and I think
exercises a big part of what I do to relax
as well. I never go more than a couple of
days without getting in a good workout.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
It's important for sure. Last question, then, as you mentioned
in a small your small way or even a big way,
you're trying to help fix a challenging healthcare system. What's
the future look like for Lumina and for you.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah, so, I think a couple of interesting things going on.
You know, we talked about the consumer focus, but I
think we reach more consumers when we reach employers. So
a big part of what we're doing next is to
get with regional employers to really help them understand that
they can lower their benefit plan costs and lower the
(08:42):
costs for their employees and family members if they work
something like Lumina into their plan. So we'll be going
out and doing some work in the community with employers
and nonprofits and municipalities. So we have foresights now Mentor
Soul and Madina on Westlake will be growing in Ohio
and beyond. And I think here in the next couple
(09:03):
of weeks, we'll have an announcement about a partner that
will help us to expand our reach nationally, so that
if you have employers that have employees and other parts
of the country, they'll have access to similar imaging services
in other parts of the country as well through this partnership.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
That sounds really exciting.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Yeah. Well, I think just to call to action is
to know that you have a choice, to know that
there's a faster, better way. In healthcare, you just have
to look for it. It's probably the only thing that
we don't really understand the price of. If you think
about when you buy a house, or you buy a car,
or you go out to a restaurant for dinner, or
you go get a haircut, you know what you're going
(09:44):
to pay for it, right, But in healthcare, we don't
understand what we're going to pay. So we're really trying
to make it very simple and very clear. So I
think the call to action is that consumers become aware
and educated. A brought their options, and then I think
there's a call the action for employers in our regions
as well. If you're looking to save money on your
health plan costs, this could be an option for you.
Speaker 1 (10:06):
This is certainly a very interesting advancement in the future
of healthcare. Lumina Imaging and Diagnostics, Lisa Giganti, Chief Executive Officers,
thanks so much for being with us today.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
Thank you for having me, and.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
This has been iHeartRadio CEOs. You should know today's show
is produced by Bob COATESID I'm Keith Hojkiss. We'll see
you next time.
Popular Podcasts
Boysober
Have you ever wondered what life might be like if you stopped worrying about being wanted, and focused on understanding what you actually want? That was the question Hope Woodard asked herself after a string of situationships inspired her to take a break from sex and dating. She went "boysober," a personal concept that sparked a global movement among women looking to prioritize themselves over men. Now, Hope is looking to expand the ways we explore our relationship to relationships. Taking a bold, unfiltered look into modern love, romance, and self-discovery, Boysober will dive into messy stories about dating, sex, love, friendship, and breaking generational patterns—all with humor, vulnerability, and a fresh perspective.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com