June 26, 2019 — Today I had the privilege of meeting with some frontline staff whose jobs are critically important to our organization’s success: the administrative associates and patient access representatives who make up the Medical Practice Foundation support staff.
Another stamp for the collection!
Depending on their position, these talented team members may work with patient families to register, schedule and obtain authorizations for services. They may also triage calls and visitors, schedule people and activities, and work with departments and teams across the organization.
I had the good fortune of meeting with this team during the noon hour, so I got to “lunch and learn” about all of the team members — where they work, their job duties and how long they’ve been at Rady Children’s (from three months to 26 years).
This group is integral to our patient satisfaction efforts, and one of their most important tools is performance measurement. Around the room were charts and graphs showing how each MPF division ranks on measurements such as same-day response to patient phone calls, MyChart activation rates, appointments with on-time start and overall quality of care. Tracking these metrics not only keeps the divisions accountable for their performance; it ultimately results in more satisfied families. I’m a data guy, so I enjoyed digging into these reports. By the way, kudos to ophthalmology, neurosurgery, dermatology and supportive care for leading those categories!
Reading a question from the question ball
Next we tossed around a “question ball” as a way to get to know the team members better. It was a small soccer ball with questions such as “What’s a song you will never forget?” “What is a great stress buster?” “What are some valuable traits in a co-worker?” and “What is the first job or the worst job you had?” written on each panel. It was an interesting exercise that provided greater insight into this fun and dynamic group.
I then had the opportunity to answer a few questions about me, including why I got into medicine and the biggest challenges of being president and CEO.
Before you knew it, lunch was over and I was off to my next meeting. Thanks for the engaging (and tasty) visit!
