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Linda Brown, CEO of The Doctors Clinic, was recruited by the practice about seven years ago. Since she took the helm, the organization grew from 50 health care providers to about 75, new services including physical therapy, digital imaging and ambulatory surgery have been added, and several buildings were remodeled or constructed. One of the first changes was moving OB/GYN practitioners and pediatricians to the medical office in Silverdale so they could be within walking distance from the hospital to see their patients.
Brown says too often wonderful physicians get tangled up in the business of providing medical care. Her role at The Doctors Clinic is to provide that business support, so that physicians can focus all their attention on their patients. “It makes their practice life so much more enjoyable,” she said.
Brown’s background includes 20 years of managing clinics. With a bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA, she didn’t specifically plan to go into the health care field but found it a good fit because she had previous experience in the health insurance industry.
Among the biggest challenges she sees in health care is the increasing cost of doing business while government reimbursements are shrinking and insurance companies look for ways to cut down on payments. Keeping a practice viable becomes more challenging as a result, Brown said, which is one of the reasons she looks at ways to add new services.
Brown enjoys building a customer-friendly organization while also trying to keep personal relationships with employees. She tries to recruit employees who are concerned about customers, and feels that treating customers well is the most important part. “That is part of the culture I feel strongly about,” she said.
Nancy Boyden, APRN at Olympic Surgical Associates, shares management responsibilities with her husband, Derek, in addition to focusing on bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. Boyden became a registered nurse in 1993. After moving to the area five years ago, the couple purchased the practice, which offers cosmetic and reconstructive services as well as various skin, hormonal and other therapies.
Boyden did not intend to stay at the practice after helping out initially. Butmthree years ago she started noticing women coming in with certain symptoms that were related to hormonal changes. She became interested in the bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, and sought training from Dr. Diana Schwarzbein, a renowned endocrinologist.
“It’s interesting (to see) that once you’re hormonally balanced, the migraine headaches go away, the joint pains go away,” she said. The practice takes an all-encompassing approach in offering this therapy: Before any treatments, patients first fill out a 10-page form detailing their nutrition, lifestyle and other aspects. “I like that it’s not symptom-driven,” she said. “We spend a lot of time with somebody on their first visit —that’s the nice thing about having my own practice, I can take the time.”
Patti Hart, Harrison Medical Center public relations and marketing director, started with the organization 14 years ago as a copywriter. She says she has not had a single day when she got up in the morning and didn’t want to go to work — she likes to know she works for a nonprofit that does noble work. Hart is the liaison between Harrison and the media, and is the first person to get a call when there is a media inquiry. Even CEO Scott Bosch asks reporters first thing: “Have you spoken with Patti Hart?” she said.
Hart feels she works with the most compassionate and caring group of people, and that doesn’t mean just physicians but everyone from accountants to facilities staff. “They are people you want to work with every day,” she said.
One of her frustrations is living in the wealthiest country in the world where the government doesn’t provide health care for every person. The hospital, in turn, provides $4.5 million in charity care because the organization believes in taking care of its own community. Hart, who has experienced medical care at Harrison first hand as a surgery patient, is pleased that Kitsap County has “such a wonderful resource,” and is proud to be part of it.
Georganne Trandum, director of the Improving Care through the End of Life program that is part of Franciscan Health Systems, is a certified oncology and bone marrow transplant registered nurse. The program, based out of a Gig Harbor office, provides support to patients with life-threatening illnesses and their families.
Trandum is a former elementary school teacher who took a 10-year hiatus to raise her children. When she was ready to return to the workforce, teaching jobs were sparse, and she went back to school to get a nursing degree. After practicing in pediatrics, she got more involved with oncology patients, and eventually switched to adult oncology. While working for Franciscan, she became interested in medical ethics, and as a result of that work she created the Improving Care program about eight years ago. Initially, she was the nurse for the program but as the service expanded, she focused on administrative aspects. “It was a huge decision to step back and not do the hands-on caregiving anymore,” she said.
Instead, she continued to see the project grow. Now, the program serves more than 800 patients and has 21 employees, and Trandum frequently travels around the country to share with other health care organizations how to create a successful end-of life program. “I am so proud of the wonderful nurses, chaplains and volunteers,” she said. “They impact hundreds of people, and not just the patients but also their families.”
Having been in the health care field for 26 years, Trandum said she would not be able to do her work today without experiencing the other steps in her career.
“The Franciscan system has been good to me, and I feel content,” she said. “There is more than can be done, and I like that challenge.”
Lynn Byrne, owner of Audiologists Northwest, started out in audiology in 1978, back when the sales of hearing aids were regulated but the profession itself was not. Growing up in the family of six children, she watched a younger brother struggle with speech problems that had the potential to impact his hearing. She became interested in the speech and hearing field, and chose to specialize in the hearing loss area.
“I think communication is a really important aspect of our relationships, and if you’re hearing impaired, it affects your ability to communicate with other people,” she said. “The ear is the road to the heart.”
Byrne enjoys seeing clients be able to do things they couldn’t before — like communicate with their grandchildren — but also enjoys seeing technology evolve and improve people’s ability to live with hearing loss. “I enjoy my work because it’s so different every day,” she said. “Every person is different, and the technology changes. (The work) is always new and fresh.”
Byrne knows first-hand about the impact of hearing loss on patients and their families: Her husband of 12 years is hearing impaired, so the work of an audiologist for her is 24/7. On the other hand, she sees the areas where technology falls short. “It challenges me to be a better audiologist,” she said.
Patty Cochrell, Harrison vice president of operations/ chief nursing officer, has been in health care for 16 years. She had wanted to be a nurse since age 12, and became a nursing assistant while in high school. She has always aspired to be a leader, and had her first management position at age 24. She also obtained an MBA to learn more about the business aspect of health care, and has been certified in nursing leadership at national level for 20 years.
Cochrell worked at Harrison Medical Center from 1978 to 1996, leaving to work for a firm that consulted hospitals across the country. She missed the community connection, and welcomed the opportunity to come back to work in the community where she lived — so she returned to Harrison and is now the highest-ranking woman on staff.
Cochrell enjoys working for an organization where she gets to know all the employees, who come from all walks of life. “I’ve always liked hospital operations and working for an organization that’s like a family,” she said.
The Harrison organizational chart has the patients and families on top, which Cochrell said is unique from other hospitals. The biggest challenge is the shortage of qualified personnel and limited funds due to cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and insurance.
“I think we have the honor and privilege to be there for people through special times like the birth of their child, or life changing events… and make a difference in some of the lives,” she said. |
