National CRNA Week, Jan. 19-25, recognizes the nation’s nearly 54,000 certified registered nurse anesthetists and student registered nurse anesthetists. In honor of these clinicians, who provide care to 49 million patients each year, Envision Healthcare would like to share our gratitude for all CRNAs and spotlight a few of our own.

Lori Ortman: A Leader in Clinician Wellness

Lori Ortman, Chief Nurse Anesthetist at Capital Health Medical Center in Pennington, N.J., began her career as a pediatric cardiac nurse and felt an immediate draw to managing patients’ pain during the perioperative period. Pursuing her passion as a nurse anesthetist, Ortman provides patient-specific anesthetics through pre-operative assessments, surgery preparation and post-operative management. “I am helping people through one of the more stressful times in their lives,” Ortman said. “Yes, we are practicing medicine, but people are in need of both medical and emotional care.”

Ortman oversees 40 nurse anesthetists throughout New Jersey at Capital Health Medical Center-Hopewell, Capital Health Regional Medical Center and the Surgery Center at Hamilton. “When I was a new leader, other chiefs reached out to me with helpful directions and resources almost immediately,” Ortman recalled, adding, “I think this is special to the Envision community, and I’ve been grateful to have this support 100 percent of the way.”

Ortman has also developed a new program to address the issue of clinician burnout. “I want to be an advocate for nurse anesthetists,” Ortman said. “I feel like I wouldn’t be a good leader if I didn’t provide my employees with tools for success.” In 2019, Ortman collaborated with Headspace, an app designed to support wellness through the practice of meditation, to provide over 200 employees with access to this self-care app. Extending her reach, Ortman has now collaborated with Envision Physician Services’ chief nurse anesthetists and chief anesthesiologists to offer these benefits to employees at Princeton Medical Center, Jersey City Medical Center and Community Medical Center.

Jim Mermigas, Vice President of Advanced Practice Providers for Envision Physician Services, speaks to the impact of our nurse anesthetists and commends Ortman’s leadership. “Patients look to nurse anesthetists to be by their side and help them through the challenges of surgery,” Mermigas said. “Lori Ortman, in addition to our entire staff of nurse anesthetists, has shown such great dedication to the role, and we applaud her for helping others.”

Kelly Harden: The Patient Advocate

Kelly Harden, Vice Chief Nurse Anesthetist at Memorial Hospital-Jacksonville, discovered her passion for ensuring her patients’ care and safety. “From the beginning to the end of a procedure, I enjoy my role as the patient advocate,” Harden said. “I truly feel my voice matters when it comes to their care, and this value drives my work every day.”

Through Envision’s care team model, Harden and her team work together across service lines to provide high-quality patient care. “The mentality of the care team model is awesome because we focus on collaborating our skills and specialties in order to get the job done in the best possible way for the patient,” Harden said. Harden also spearheads team-building initiatives, including her creation of the MHJ Jaguar of Quarter in which one employee is recognized for going above and beyond.

Harden, an Envision clinician for seven years, consistently works with her team to find new ways to combat opioid dependence and learn more about the physiology of chronic pain. “With the opioid crisis going on, we are really focused on treatment alternatives as well as implementing more chronic pain management techniques and nerve blocks,” Harden said. In addition to her work in the hospital, she is also furthering her knowledge in the specialty by pursuing a fellowship in advanced pain management.

Andrew Greenfield, M.D., President of Anesthesia Services for Envision Physician Services, appreciates the high-quality work of these caretakers. “To be successful in this role, you must be highly skilled, compassionate and able to rapidly respond to changes,” Dr. Greenfield said. “I am continually impressed by the work ethic and patient care of Envision’s nurse anesthetists. They are valuable team members.”

Nate Georgette: The Team Builder

AMSURG’s Nate Georgette, nurse anesthetist and partner at Quality Anesthesia in Long Island, N.Y., is a full-time clinician and medical recruiter for one of the largest nurse anesthetist organizations in the northeast. His work has been instrumental to the company’s growth, from a handful of employees in 2007 to currently well over 100 nurse anesthetists providing services to more than 30 offices, surgical and trauma centers.

From the beginning of his nursing school clinical in the ICU, Georgette knew he had chosen the right career. “I still remember the first day I went to clinical at Boston Children’s Hospital,” Georgette said. “I cared for a seven-year-old patient with cystic fibrosis. It’s one of those experiences that gives you goosebumps when you realize how much of a difference you are making in someone’s life, even when it’s simply listening to their story.”

Outside of caring for patients in the operating room, Georgette leads recruiting and ongoing support of independent contractors for the Connecticut and Massachusetts divisions of Quality Anesthesia. “I find myself making the biggest difference for my colleagues when I share the important tools that I have learned throughout my career that can enable them to improve their financial situation and experience their careers as independent practitioners.” Georgette educates and supports nurse anesthetists in the establishment of their own private corporations, business bank accounts, disability, health and malpractice insurances, and other necessary items.

Angela Durham, MBA, Vice President of Anesthesia for AMSURG, said Georgette’s role as a recruiter and clinical resource has continued to be pivotal since 2014 when he joined the company. “Our entire company is centered around providing both high-quality patient experiences and clinician wellness,” Durham said. “Nate has given so many employees the chance to take ownership of their role.”

As he strives to help improve the quality of life for his CRNA teammates, Georgette encourages them to find balance in their personal and professional lives. “My group is dedicated to our CRNAs enjoying their lives holistically,” Georgette said. “When they realize how we may be able to make this difference in their lives — that’s when I get most excited.”

Physician Anesthesiologists Week is Jan. 26 to Feb. 1. This week recognizes the vital role of anesthesia and is exemplified by these accomplished physicians. These doctors ensure the safe administration of anesthesia and work as strong advocates for the future of patient care.

Dr. Padmanabhan: Developing Women Leaders

Asha Padmanabhan, M.D., anesthesiologist and Site Director at Bethesda Hospital West in Boynton Beach, Fla., trained in locations across the world and felt compelled by the life-changing role that comes with being an anesthesiologist. As the assistant treasurer of the Florida Society of Anesthesia and a member of four committees within the American Society of Anesthesia (ASA), Dr. Padmanabhan advocates for both physician and patient care at the state and national levels.

Dr. Padmanabhan is driven by the importance of advocacy and the need for physician representatives at the legislative level. For the last few years, she has dedicated her focus to empowering female physicians to work towards leadership positions. “If you look at the statistics, women in medicine make up a low percentage of leadership positions even though the ratio is fairly equal when we enter the field.”

At the state and local level, Dr. Padmanabhan’s efforts have been successful and especially influential to the ASA’s Women in Anesthesia movement. Her sponsorship program has offered young physicians a mentor who guides them to become future leaders. “The numbers will take some time to change, but the movement has started,” Dr. Padmanabhan said.

At her first Envision Physician Services conference six years ago, Dr. Padmanabhan was greeted with support from Andrew Greenfield, M.D., President of Anesthesia Services for Envision Physician Services, and other physician leaders. “We are committed to the best practice for anesthesia as well as those with unique demographics who need our voice the most,” Dr. Greenfield said. Toward that effort, Dr. Padmanabhan was successful in solidifying the role of anesthesiologists in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals, and Dr. Greenfield commented that “her nationwide impact on our specialty and work deserves great recognition.”

Dr. Blicblum: Pre-Operative Assessments for Safer Care

As a patient advocate, Steve Blicblum, M.D., anesthesiologist at Tampa Bay Endoscopy Center, has improved the process of pre-operative assessments in his facility to ensure the safest anesthesia care. “After 11 years of working on this process, I believe we have improved the communication of many practices who now submit patient history and physicals days before the procedure,” Dr. Blicblum said. “With different needs requiring different forms for care, this gives us time to decide if each patient’s situation is best treated in an ambulatory surgery center or hospital setting.”

Dr. Blicblum is involved with peer-review, quality management, safe injection practices and most recently, malignant hypothermia education for the center’s staff. Also recognizing a need for improved cardiac risk assessments and better airway management, Dr. Blicblum created a pre-operative assessment form that prompts the patient and/or doctor to fill out a detailed history prior to the procedure. “If we get the answers from past physicians and providers ahead of time, we can best prepare and ensure the safest procedure possible,” Dr. Blicblum said.

Dr. Blicblum appreciates AMSURG’s tools and resources along with his center administrator’s ongoing support. “I have over 35 years of experience in dealing with the concerns and nerves of patients who are preparing for a procedure or receiving life-changing results,” Dr. Blicblum said. “As we are trained to ease these pains, the patient satisfaction surveys and best practice tutorials are really helpful in keeping our care refreshed and up-to-date.”

Angela Durham, MBA, Vice President of Anesthesia for AMSURG, agrees. “We are proud of our centers for continuing to make a great impact on patients’ lives,” Durham said. “Our first priority is always providing safe, high-quality patient care.”

 

Dr. Poage: 2019 President-Elect for the California Society of Anesthesiologists

Jeffrey Poage, M.D., serves as Medical Director for Pediatric Surgical Services at John Muir Health and is a pediatric anesthesiologist for Medical Anesthesiology Consultants (MAC) in Walnut Creek, Calif. As head of Legislative and Practice Affairs for the California Society of Anesthesiologists (CSA), he has helped lobby on dozens of bills at the state and federal levels.

“It is important for all physicians to embrace advocacy for their profession and support their state medical society as well as their professional subspecialty society. We have people walking the halls every day to make sure physicians are well-represented in Washington, D.C., and in their home states.”

Dr. Poage was recently voted president-elect of the CSA and is set to take office next June. “The healthcare issues facing us today are intimidating and complex, and we have to play offense as well as defense,” Dr. Poage said. “Everything we do stems from our mission to promote patient safety and high-quality care.”

Dr. Poage has devoted significant efforts to the ongoing issue of surprise medical billing and serves on the ASA Ad Hoc Committee on Out-of-Network Payment. Impressed with Envision’s commitment to advocacy and physician engagement, Dr. Poage participates in a monthly call on government affairs and stated that “the Envision advocacy team is often ahead of the curve on many critical issues.”

Over the last several years, Dr. Poage helped promote legislation following the death of a six-year-old boy who died in an office without the presence of an anesthesiologist, and he testified in Sacramento as a subject matter expert on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Our efforts led to updated guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry which were published last year,” Dr. Poage said. “My hope is every child who requires dental care under anesthesia receives the same standard of care we provide our patients every day in our hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.”  Motivated by his experience, Dr. Poage applied for a dental anesthesia permit and now provides anesthesia care to pediatric dental centers on weekends.

Commitment to the mission is critical for active duty and veteran military. The military professionals who make up Envision Healthcare are committed to our mission of improving life in our communities one moment at a time. In recognition of their efforts, we are proud to share the stories of some of Envision Healthcare’s talented and dedicated military professionals.

Envision Healthcare is proud to feature Herbert Hall, AMSURG Senior IT Service Desk Analyst, as part of our ongoing recognition of military professionals who have served their country.

Herbert Hall, AMSURG senior IT service desk analyst, is a role model and team leader among his colleagues.

“Herbert is an important asset to the Service Desk and AMSURG IT as a whole,” said Kevin Williams, AMSURG service desk senior director. “He has established a reputation for quality and professionalism throughout our organization. His military career helped him develop many of his most important leadership traits, and he has earned the trust of his teammates and leadership — he will complete anything asked of him.”

Before he joined AMSURG, Herbert Hall spent 22 years in the United States Army, enlisting at 17 as a private and rising to the rank of master sergeant, where he worked as a network control chief with the 5^th Special Forces Group. Hall completed tours in Germany, France, Afghanistan and Iraq and served at Fort Campbell on the Kentucky-Tennessee border when he was stateside.

From Army to AMSURG

Communication is an essential skill in the Army, and Hall is among the very best. At an early stage in his career, Hall began honing his public speaking and presentation skills: “My superiors tasked me with giving PowerPoint presentations to 150 people. This taught me to set goals and be detail-oriented. When I was assigned a task, I was very good at backward planning.”

Backward planning or backward design is a process that educators use to help their team achieve essential goals. The military uses this technique because it starts with the end goal and works in reverse. Focusing on the result helps educators create projects, presentations, scenarios and lessons that help team members achieve success and accomplish pre-determined objectives.

Hall’s backward planning skills are an asset to his present career as a senior IT service desk analyst. As he sets up webinars, executive board meetings and presentations, he works backward from the end goal and ensures each piece of technology is working correctly.

Often, Hall is one of the first points of contact during the onboarding process for newly-hired employees. “My goal is to determine what the employee needs and to complete the task from start to finish,” he said. “I install, configure and support desktop systems based on customer service requests.”

Currently, one of his main projects is the Windows 7 Migration Remediation/Removal. “This process, which requires attention to detail, is necessary and purposeful,” Hall said.

When he is not serving the AMSURG team, Hall enjoys volunteering at his church. “I like to perform operations as an audio/video tech for churches, and I help with the microphones and sound mixing board.”

Hall also enjoys mentoring children in his community. “I share my past experiences with them to help them see how I have achieved my goals,” he said. “Mentoring kids helps keep them focused and on track. I count it as a privilege.”

AMSURG and Military Professionals

Hall says he enjoys his role at AMSURG, and he hopes the company will continue to hire military personnel. One piece of advice he offers to military professionals is to take the time to ease into their roles as they observe the differences between military and civilian culture. “For example, ‘Roger’ means ‘I understand’ in military jargon, but that terminology does not show up in the private sector. You have to step back, assess and approach people a little differently.”

This December, Hall will celebrate two-and-a-half years with AMSURG, and he looks forward to continuing to serve the company. “AMSURG has a great culture and provides a welcoming place for military personnel. I receive a great deal of support from all the departments,” he explained. “I have a mission to accomplish every day, but it is great to have fun while I’m at work.”

Commitment to the mission is critical for active duty and veteran military. The military professionals who make up Envision Healthcare are committed to our mission of improving life in our communities one moment at a time. In recognition of their efforts, we are proud to share the stories of some of Envision Healthcare’s talented and dedicated military professionals.

Envision Healthcare is proud to feature Sean Penn, IT Project Manager, AMSURG, as part of our ongoing recognition of military professionals who have served their country.

Envision Healthcare may not require their employees to put their lives on the line daily, but AMSURG IT Project Manager Sean Penn’s years of military service helped him realize no detail is too small or insignificant.

Penn served in the United States Army at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, and he completed tours every other year in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was a motor transport operator, referred to in the Army as an 88M or “88 Mike.” His job involved supervising and operating wheel vehicles to transport personnel, cargo and medical supplies. As the backbone of the Army’s support structure, 88 Mikes provide advanced mobility on and off the battlefield.

“I was always on the security team,” Penn explained, “which meant I was responsible for five people on the truck: the driver, commander, one or two soldiers and me. For every line haul or truck, there would be three or four security trucks. Anyone who drove trucks was a target for an improvised explosive device (IED) or capture.”

Being an 88 Mike taught Penn to be precise and notice details. “Part of our responsibilities were monitoring the terrain and tracking whether anything had changed from the night before. Any change in the landscape could mean someone had buried a roadside bomb or a dead animal could contain an IED. I never lost anyone in combat, so my commanding officers always put me on the same job.”

When Penn was at Fort Campbell, he served as non-commissioned officer in charge (NCO-IC) in the company’s S1 Shop, or what civilians would refer to as human resources. As a non-commissioned officer, his job was to take care of soldiers and act as a liaison to coordinate support for the families. “If a soldier got distracted or could not concentrate, it often meant there were problems at home. Often, military wives and children can feel isolated and alone, so I would arrange visits from the chaplain or garrison family support services. NCO-ICs are required to know the ins and outs of soldiers’ lives.”

Penn relies on many of his military skills to perform his duties at AMSURG. “In Afghanistan, I was responsible for knowing the location of every soldier, weapon, uniform, provision, health record and piece of equipment,” he explained. “As a project manager, I use the same skill set to set up, build and pull resources. Efficient communication is essential in a corporation, and I am responsible for ensuring the proper flow of communication.”

Penn points out that attention to detail is just as necessary on low-level projects as it is on high-level projects. Whether he is setting up a room for a meeting or migrating users from the AMSURG platform to the Envision platform, he goes through the same process. “It is my job to monitor resources, timing and communication,” he said. “An essential part of what I do is just knowing with whom I need to speak and when. It is really about managing people and expectations.”

Jackson Moser, IT Project Specialist, and Justin Mooneyhand, MBA, PMP, CPHIMS, Senior Director, IT Project Management, appreciate working on Penn’s team because he leads by example and he challenges others to give their best. Moser describes Penn as “an effective communicator, leader and manager,” while Mooneyhand says Penn “has strong discipline that translates well to the civilian and business realm.”

The Benefit of Hiring Veterans

Penn is not the only military veteran in AMSURG’s IT department, as he is joined by Senior IT Service Desk Analyst Herbert Hall. A fellow Army veteran, Hall was stationed at Fort Campbell at the same time as Penn, although they never met.

Having military experience provides a kinship that goes beyond words. “At any point, Herbert and I can give each other a look and have an understanding. When you are with individuals who are likeminded and have similar experiences, you understand each other.”

Penn said he encourages military professionals to seek employment opportunities at AMSURG, advising servicemembers transitioning out of the military to “be patient for the jobs they want. The civilian workforce is quite different because it does not have the same funding and technological resources to focus on the future and innovation.”

From their earliest days in basic training, all soldiers learn the U.S. Army’s core values. Seven values define what it is to be a soldier, and among them is selfless service. Soldiers serve their country and do their job without thought of personal gain. If each soldier goes a little further and gives a little more, then the goal can be reached together.

Lori Seymore, MBAHM, RN, CPHRM, made the decision to serve when she enlisted at the age of 17. And while she did not expect to be deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Desert Storm just one year later, she saw the opportunity to prove that the values to which she swore an oath were more than just words.

“It was eye-opening to be in a helicopter and watch Iraq Scud missiles whizzing by, only for them to be blasted out of the sky by U.S. Patriot missiles,” Seymore remarked. “But I decided to enlist because of the opportunities the Army presented me and that meant I’d face risks, but I was there to do my duty and serve.”

Five years ago, tragedy struck Seymore’s family with the sudden death of a close relative. Called once more to serve, Seymore drew on her military values to put the needs of others before her own.

“One of my first cousins died from a sudden illness, and she left behind a one-year-old daughter who was basically an orphan,” Seymore said. “If someone didn’t step up and take custody of her, that baby was going into foster care, and to me, that was an unacceptable outcome.”

The Army’s core values taught Seymore to hold herself to a higher standard. And whether it is in her personal life, or in her role as Vice President, Clinical Risk Management for AMSURG, Seymore sees selflessness and supporting others as her way to lead.

Activated Into Service

Seymore joined the U.S. Army Reserve, before being activated and deployed to Iraq as a surgical technician with the 912^th MASH unit. Supporting the 1^st and 3^rd Armored Division, Seymore quickly found herself assisting on surgeries alongside military physicians, nurses and anesthesiologists in pop-up tents and deployable medical (DEPMED) surgical units in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Deployment to an active war zone, Seymore said, honed several traits she now relies on as a professional.

“The military does a great job of developing resilience in its soldiers,” Seymore said. “The Army has a buddy system, which means you have a partner at all times. Therefore, you’re not alone if you’re walking through sand in boots with a 50-pound ruck sack on your back. But this also means that if your buddy goes down, it’s on you to carry their weight for them.

“You always have someone relying on you in the military, and that resilience you develop serves you well (as a civilian).”

Life as a Civilian

Seymore returned stateside, completing her education before transitioning into civilian work. She would work for several smaller healthcare companies before joining AMSURG in 2012. Seymore said her experience with AMSURG has been positive, seeing in the company’s culture the same call to serve that the Army preaches to its soldiers.

“The leaders at AMSURG take good care of their people and their patients. AMSURG is focused on safe, high-quality, patient-centered care delivered by an incredible team of employees. The military has the same mission, focusing efforts on high-quality, soldier-centered training and readiness to support our country.” Seymore said. “At the highest levels of AMSURG, conversations are always taking place on what can be done to better empower people to do their best work.”

Sometimes referred to as “servant leadership,” Seymore uses that philosophy as a guide for leading her own team of employees.

“The Army taught me to be disciplined, goal-orientated and people-focused,” Seymore said. “Leaders in the military are willing to go above and beyond. For me, that means I’m at work by 6 or 6:30 in the morning, getting a plan together for the day, setting goals and working to help my team reach them.

“I think you lead by building trust and confidence in your team, and for me, the best way to do that is by making sure I’m going beyond to give them the skills, training and direction they need to do their best work.”

Life at Home

When she made the decision to adopt her late cousin’s child, Seymore said she was simply making the only acceptable choice. There were other options, but to someone oath bound to the Army’s core values like selfless service, opening her home was the only decision that made sense.

Now the mother of a healthy and happy six year old, Seymore said she sees motherhood as a chance to repay the Army – and her family – by passing on the values instilled in her to her own daughter.

“My grandparents and the Army worked hard to instill core moral and ethical values in me, and that’s what I’m doing now for my child,” Seymore said. “I tell her, ‘You can do or be anything. You just have to be determined, dedicated, honest and put in the work.’”