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When It Comes To Patient Care -

Invest in Training the Front Line Let’s Connect:

SFHEF Spotlight
If you pay close atten- however the waitress
tion, you’ll see examples figured she could pull
daily. Examples where an it off, get us out, and
hourly employee (not a the room reset within
manager, not an execu- the two hours. And she
tive) has a service recov- / they did just that. The SFHEF Connections Open Doors,
ery that saves the day. evening was great, but
Recently, I was up north it would have been Provide New Opportunities
attending a decent sized miserable if the wait-
dinner party at a local ress and busboy had
restaurant. By decent not made the change. BY VANESSA ORR
size, I mean 12 people. The same is true of
We made the reserva- patient care. All to When opportunity knocks in the
tions in advanced and BY JAY JUFFRE often, it is the frontline healthcare realm, you have to be
when we arrived at 6:15, orderly, valet, recep- ready. And one of the best ways to be
the restaurant had done tionist or other hourly prepared is to establish connections
its job and managed to squeeze in a staff who takes it upon themselves to in the industry who already know
long table with twelve place settings. make a great service recovery. And yet, your skills and work ethic.
What no one (including us) thought how much training do we give these According to Madison Workman,
about was the fact that several of the key people on customer service? We COO of Coral Gables Hospital, being
attendees were former Division I foot- need to take time to make sure every- part of an educational and network-
ball players. This meant there was no one knows they have the authority to ing organization such as the South
way the meal would be enjoyable. We make something right when it goes Florida Healthcare Executive Forum
were packed around the table like sar- unexpectedly sideways. If someone (SFHEF), can open doors to ad -
dines and the restaurant was equally does not know they can do something, vance ment that prospective health- Madison Workman
packed. Before we could say anything, usually, they won’t. If you want to care professionals may not have even
a busboy and our waitressed huddled increase patient satisfaction, invest in realized existed. Tenet, he joined North Shore
up and announced to the manager: your front-line people. Your patients “It’s a small world, and when Medical Center, where he became
“We’re going to move them upstairs”. and their families will thank you. you’re going to SFHEF events, you’re the assistant administrator, having
Apparently, there was a private room putting yourself out there and differ- oversight of several ancillary services
that none of us knew about on the sec- Jay Juffre is Executive Vice President, entiating yourself while building and helping to implement the opera-
ond floor. The manager looked nerv- ImageFIRST. For more information on relationships,” he explained. “You tional goals of the 337-bed hospital.
ous and for good reason. The room ImageFIRST, call 1-800-932-7472 or visit never know when an opportunity Workman joined Coral Gables
was set to go for another group at 8:30, www.imagefirst.com. Hospital in 2017 as its COO and was
will arise and a person will think of promoted within a year to the posi-
you because of one conversation or tion of Group COO of the Miami-
one connection. I’ve seen it happen Dade market, where he has oversight
time and time again. of the operational strategy and initia-
“You may have no intention of tives at five Tenet Healthcare hospi-
landing another job, but then some- tals.
DCMA Launches Reimbursement one realizes that you are a really man actively sought out an ACHE
After taking the position, Work -
good fit for an opportunity at their
organization,” he continued. “Build - chapter. “I got involved with the
Assistance Program ing upon events is crucial to building American College of Healthcare
a career in the healthcare profession. Executives (ACHE) while earning
During a recent Town Hall meeting of the Dade It provides so many opportunities to my master’s degree,” he said. “When
County Medical Association (DCMA), physician frus- create connections that you can I began working for Tenet, I looked
tration with continued reimbursement challenges from leverage in the community.” for a chapter here. I reached out to
insurance carriers boiled over into a lively and highly As COO of Coral Gables Hospital, past-president Adrian Parker and got
productive conversation. The focus on the discussions Workman is responsible for the over- involved in SFHEF, and it was one of
related to the Medicaid Managed Care Program and the all implementation of operational the best decisions I’ve made.
Enhanced Payment Program which when fully imple- goals and strategic initiatives at the “Anyone involved in healthcare
mented will guarantee Medicare level reimbursement 245-bed facility, and for fulfilling should join,” he added. “It’s like a
for all in-network physicians providing services to pedi- CEO Cristina Jimenez’s vision. breath of fresh air to be around like-
atric Medicaid Beneficiaries. The discussion also includ- “I consider myself the caregiver to minded people; innovative individu-
ed commercial carriers and the continued use of prior the caregivers; I make sure that the als who are hungry and want to
authorization and peer review procedures that cost hospital staff and physicians have the make a difference. Adrian Parker did
physicians an incredible amount of time and resources tools, resources and equipment to be a great job of leading SFHEF, and
in trying to secure coverage for medically necessary BY FRASER COBBE successful in their roles,” Workman now Charles Felix is carrying the
care on behalf of patients. said. torch, continuing to make a big dif-
It is clear that the consolidation within the health “I wear a lot of different hats,” he ference in the healthcare communi-
insurance industry and a lack of regulatory oversight in Tallahassee continues to added, “whether I’m championing ty.”
embolden insurance carriers’ efforts to increase administrative burdens and reim- patient throughput, implementing In addition to attending SFHEF
bursement denials on physician practices. process improvement, guiding con- events, Workman has served on C-
In response to these ongoing challenges, the DCMA Executive Committee has struction projects—including our suite roundtable panels and most
approved the launch of an initiative to provide recourse for DCMA physician mem- $12 million off-campus ED—or recently, the panel for Mapping Your
bers to reach out for assistance if they experience inappropriate denials and other enhancing the patient experience.” Career in Healthcare. Someday, when
administrative hassles from insurance carriers. Once the reporting mechanism is Workman began his career in time allows, he’d like to join the
launched on our website, DCMA staff will collect these reports and work with our healthcare as a student at the board.
regulatory contacts in Tallahassee to address individual concerns. If necessary, our University of Florida where he “I want to give back, and to do
staff will refer members to local legal professionals who have volunteered to assist in earned both a master’s degree in what I can to add value. And I want
this program to defend our physician’s interests. Health Administration and a to continue to learn,” he said of his
The DCMA exists to represent the interests of our physician members. The leader- Bachelor of Health Science. He involvement. “I want to continue to
ship strongly believes there is no single issue more important for us to engage in than worked at the Student Health Center have an impact.”
the defense of our members who are wrongly denied reimbursement through errors as a unit secretary, then volunteered
or unfair business practices of insurance companies. at UF Health Shands, the university’s To learn more about the South
academic medical center, working on Florida Healthcare Executive Forum,
Fraser Cobbe is Executive Director of the Dade County Medical Association. a patient experience project and visit www.sfhef.org.
For additional information, visit www.miamimed.com. patient portal. After an internship
and administrative fellowship with

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