By nature, Tracy Elmer has always been an inquisitive person. “I’m always in discovery mode,” she said during an interview with Kate Gamble, Managing Editor at healthsystemCIO.com. In fact, when she’s looking to recruit team members, those who ask a lot of questions are most likely to catch her eye, for one simple reason: “When they’re leaning in, you know they’re probably willing to go the extra mile.”

To Elmer, communication is essential to an organization’s success. However, as remote and hybrid work models become the norm, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to facilitate meaningful conversations among teams and promote collaboration.

During the interview, she spoke about the importance of listening and empathizing; why flexibility is such a critical part of her team’s framework; and how TrueCare has been shaped by its “humble beginnings.” Elmer also talked about how the organization is improving access to care; what she learned during her time at Rady Children’s; and why she believes she has “the coolest job in the world.”

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Key Takeaways

* One of the most effective ways to improve access is by “having healthcare providers available,” said Elmer, whose team has “invested quite a lot in the workforce.”

* As part of its digital strategy, TrueCare is putting a lot of focus on “not just marketing its availability, but also providing education and training.”

* Workflows often create barriers instead of alleviating them; Elmer’s team is “going through an intentional process of looking at how we’re set up.”

* The pandemic has further amplified the need to make care more convenient for patients; a critical part of TrueCare’s strategy is in leveraging its mobile fleet to “bring care to patients.”

* The most important attributes in team members? An inquisitive approach and a willingness to “move with intention toward problem solving.”

Q&A with TrueCare’s Tracy Elmer, Part 2 [To view Part 1, click here.]

Gamble:  You mentioned access as a big focus. Can you talk about what the organization is doing in that area?

Elmer:  Definitely. There’s a multitude of actions we’re taking around people, process, and technology. First and foremost, we’ve invested quite a lot in the workforce and making this a place where folks are excited to work and want to come here. And so, recruitment is a big emphasis area for us.

People: “Access starts with having more providers”

We’re looking for distinctive ways to stand out so that more providers want to come here. Because again, access starts with having healthcare providers available. For example, we’ve seen a lot of growth in the area of behavioral health — I think that’s evident across the industry. And so, we’ve had an intentional recruitment strategy in place for that domain so that we’re able to not just meet current demands, but be ready for more to come.

Technology: Getting answers quickly

On the technology front, we have really tried to leverage our new patient portal that was introduced last year. We’re putting a lot of focus and emphasis on not just marketing its availability, but also providing education and training, and investing in resources who can support our patients in its use. We’re really hoping it’s another way they can connect with us to ask questions when they have a need or have a concern.