Medvale

Why a Small Town Spirit Still Matters in Healthcare

Medvale – July 2, 2025

Meet Jim Trounson, the founder of Medvale, in this MEGAPHONE Live conversation.

What happens when you apply small-town values to big healthcare challenges? In this special episode of MEGAPHONE — recorded live during Medvale’s first-ever Summer Camp in Sun Valley, Idaho — Jim Trounson, founder of Medvale, shares the story behind the network, the mindset that shaped it, and the journey that led him here.

Hosted by Dave Self, the conversation traces Jim’s path from rural Wendell, Idaho — population 1,233 — through a life of service, innovation, and quiet leadership. From his early days as a Boy Scout with a first aid badge, to a chance job as an ambulance driver, and eventually to founding one of the first physician practice management companies in the country, Jim’s story blends humor, insight, and a deep commitment to doing meaningful work.

▶️ Watch the highlight: Why did we build Medvale like a small town?

The full episode explores how Jim’s experience in the military, rural hospital administration, and early medical group management revealed something many still overlook: healthcare works better when it stays human. That belief sparked the idea behind Medvale — a private network for healthcare leaders who want to connect, learn, and build together with purpose.

Whether you’re in healthcare, leadership, or simply drawn to stories of reinvention, this conversation is a reminder that meaningful innovation often starts in unlikely places — and that even in a high-tech, high-stakes industry, trust, proximity, and shared values still matter.

🎥 Watch the full conversation on Medvale TV:

🎧 Or listen on Medvale Radio:

Medvale exists to make the world healthier. We do that by connecting vetted health delivery influencers and facilitating their collaboration and innovation so that their organizations can create impact. Besides helping each other advance the quadruple aims, Medvalistas support and inspire anyone or any entity that wants to improve health delivery

Medvale exists to make the world healthier. We do that by connecting vetted health delivery influencers and facilitating their collaboration and innovation so that their organizations can create impact. Besides helping each other advance the quadruple aims, Medvalistas support and inspire anyone or any entity that wants to improve health delivery