Nick Zaffiris never envisioned himself working in health care during his time at the US Naval Academy and his years in the Navy, but the leadership lessons he learned there are serving him well as the new CEO of UnitedHealthcare South Florida.

“What it helped me to learn is one, is to set an example, always do the right thing, and then to really be a problem solver and overcome any challenge that you might face,” Mr. Zaffiris said.

The healthcare industry is facing plenty of challenges these days thanks to the economic downturn and also federal legislation that is leading to sweeping changes in the industry.

But Mr. Zaffiris plans to overcome those challenges by looking for opportunities to serve more Americans. The path to achieving that depends on following the company’s five core values: integrity, compassion, relationships, performance and innounitedhealthcarvation.

Innovation, he believes, is the key way the company can set itself apart from competitors, and UnitedHealthcare has embraced technology to offer more products and services to its customers, including online health and wellness tools and electronic patient records.

“We really try to provide our members with access to better information so they can make better decisions,” he said. “Our goal is to help people live healthier lives, and we do that by offering a diverse array of products as well as serving people in whatever life stage they may be.”

Mr. Zaffiris talked about his vision for health care and his strategy to grow the company’s operations in South Florida with Miami Today staff writer Anne-Margaret Swary at his Miramar offices.