By Paul Sesin
Heidi Giovana Riveros Pérez is not your average healthcare executive. With a background rooted in emergency medicine and a career spanning more than a decade, she has become one of Colombia’s most respected voices in clinical leadership, particularly in emergency services and home healthcare.
What sets Heidi apart is her command of complex medical systems and her unwavering commitment to humanizing care. Whether managing acute emergencies or overseeing long-term treatment plans for patients with chronic or palliative needs, she leads with strategy and empathy.
Since 2010, Heidi has held key leadership roles at several of Colombia’s top healthcare institutions, including Clínica Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, Clínica Farallones, Clínica Palma Real, and Wound Clinic. Across these roles, she has introduced evidence-based practices using the internationally recognized AGREE methodology, ensuring that clinical guidelines are rigorous but also practical and collaborative.
One of the most pivotal chapters in her career unfolded at Wound Clinic, where she led a team of over 300 clinical and administrative professionals. Her leadership drove the implementation of operational protocols that dramatically improved performance: home care delivery hit a 98% compliance rate, and clinical documentation quality surged below 70% to over 98%. The ripple effects were significant—fewer claim rejections, smoother billing processes, and a 25–35% reduction in patient rehospitalizations. These weren’t just numbers; they translated to better care, fewer disruptions, and greater trust from patients and families.
But for Heidi, success in healthcare isn’t just about metrics—it’s about meaning. Her approach to administration is grounded in structure, yes, but also in heart. She’s a builder of systems: manuals, protocols, workflows, and policies that ensure safety and efficiency. Yet she’s equally a believer in people, investing in training and development to strengthen teams and empower professionals at every level.
Today, many models she helped create continue to serve as benchmarks for home care clinics across Colombia. And while her work may often operate behind the scenes, the people and communities she serves deeply feel the impact. In Heidi’s words—and more importantly, through her actions—clinical leadership becomes a vehicle for better systems and more humane care.
The photo in the article is provided by the company(s) mentioned in the article and used with permission.
