Tag Archive for: PPOA Patient Care Champion

PPOA Patient Care Champions: Ken Stroud

KEN STROUD: CERTIFIED RADIATION TECHNOLOGIST, PLANO, TX

Our employees are all patient care champions, but some go the extra mile and we want to give them the recognition they deserve. They embody the PPOA values known as S.I.T.E. – Safety, Integrity, Teamwork, Empathy – which informs our service to patients and the community through high quality health care.

Ken Stroud was once told he would have made a good pastor or funeral director for his ability to put people at ease. “I wasn’t interested in either,” he chuckles; instead, his caring personality serves patients well at PPOA’s Park Ambulatory Surgery Center in Plano, Texas.

As a certified radiology technologist, Stroud only sees patients for a few minutes before they get procedures, such as epidural steroid injections; but he makes a lasting impression, at turns lighthearted and compassionate. “I believe in treating everyone with the utmost respect and treating everyone the same, no matter who they are,” he says.

Gayle Schotte, clinical administrator at Park Ambultory Surgery Center, agrees. “Ken is very interactive with patients and shows great compassion,” she says. “He remembers names and faces and treats all of his patients with kindness and respect.”

His work involves taking live x-rays during procedures to help guide the physician to the treatment area. It requires a thorough knowledge of anatomy and a steady hand to ensure needles are positioned perfectly. In essence, he serves as the doctor’s x-ray vision.

Although Stroud says his line of work was chosen for him during aptitude tests in the United States Air Force, he comes by radiology with some background. He was raised in the small town of Kaufman, Texas, by his grandmother, who served as assistant to the town’s only dentist. “I would go in the darkroom and help her develop the x-rays,” he says.

After serving four years in the Air Force and earning a certification in Radiology Technology through Midwestern State University, moved to Albany, New York. Over the next 30 years, he worked at several hospitals and private practices, and crossed paths with one Dr. Abraham Rivera.

When his Texas roots called him back, Ken Stroud responded to an ad from Physician Partners of America. While Googling the company, he saw a familiar face on the screen: Dr. Rivera, who was now its chief medical officer.

Ken Stroud has worked at Park Ambulatory Surgery Center since 2014, and loves every aspect of his job.

A father of two adult children, Phillip, 28, and Rebecca, 25, he also enjoys playing the year-round golf that Texas weather offers, loves tournament bowling – he has bowled 11 perfect games – and playing tournament Texas Hold ‘Em poker.

He may not have turned out to be a preacher or a funeral director, but you might say he’s eclectic – an assessment that is especially true for the people who work with him and the patients who rely on him.

“Ken is a dedicated employee who wears many hats at Park ASC,” says Schotte, his supervisor. “His primary title may be certified radiation technician but his work ethic goes above and beyond. He’s always helpful to co-workers when needed. He’s a jack of all trades.”

 

 

 

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PPOA Patient Care Champions – Amanda Blair

AMANDA BLAIR, PRACTICE MANAGER, McKINNEY, TEXAS

Our employees are all patient care champions, but some go the extra mile and we want to give them the recognition they deserve. They embody the PPOA values known as S.I.T.E. – Safety, Integrity, Teamwork, Empathy – which informs our service to patients and the community through high quality health care.

Amanda Blair grew up wanting to be a cop like her grandfather. The idea of helping people and righting wrongs appealed to her nature. That dream eventually came true – she did spend time in law enforcement – but ended up transferring those skills to the healthcare field.

As the practice manager of Physician Partners of America – McKinney, TX clinic, Blair pulls together many skills to keep the practice running smoothly. She keeps the schedule moving, supervises the staff, assists the practice physician, Dr. Edrick Lopez, and – her favorite part – helps people get out of chronic pain.

“I find it so rewarding,” she says. “We have one patient who lived in pain for 20 years. Dr. Lopez completed the spinal cord stimulator procedure for him, and he is now pain-free. Seeing people with chronic pain like that drastically improve is so gratifying to me.”

Blair became the PPOA McKinney practice manager in February 2019 with a background in law enforcement and management, but has quickly woven herself into the PPOA culture and proven a more than capable healthcare leader.

“She is the true definition of a practice leader and is very well-respected by her physician and APP in the practice,” says her supervisor, Rhonda Boysen, regional director of operations – Texas. “She has become a strong support to her operations manager and is always open and willing to help others. Her clinic has become our ‘go-to’ clinic for new hire training. We are very proud to have Amanda as the leader of our McKinney practice with Dr. Lopez.”

Embracing challenges is second nature to Amanda Blair. Growing up in the Central California town of Bass Lake near Yosemite National Park, she grew up skiing, hiking, and horseback riding. Graduating from high school at 16, she put herself through college by training horses. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Criminology at California State University – Fresno, she moved to Texas with her sister and took a job as a fraud analyst for a banking firm.

“I loved it but I felt I wasn’t that involved in affecting people’s lives on a day-to-day basis and being a positive influence in the way I’d hoped,” she says. She was promoted to a management position in financial risk mitigation for a mortgage company, and while she was grateful for the management experience, she still wasn’t fulfilled.

“I did some research and decided to go back to school and get my degree in nursing,” Blair says. She is currently working toward her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Texas Women’s University, and one day aims to be a nurse practitioner. For now, combining her leadership skills and desire to help others is a perfect fit.

She credits her team for the clinic’s success with helping patients. “It’s amazing to be a part of the practice here. We have great team of staff and providers,” Blair says. “I couldn’t be luckier to have the dedicated staff I do. They’re all so helpful and committed to exceptional patient care. It’s rewarding to be part of such a great team.”

Her “team” at home is equally rewarding. She and her husband have a 17-month-old son. Although she hasn’t ridden horseback in a while, Blair enjoys staying active by running, including marathons and triathlons. Work, too, gives her energy.

“There are so many moving pieces. There’s never a dull moment. I wear a lot of hats and every day is different,” she says. “It can be challenging to juggle everything, but I love challenges.”

 

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PPOA Patient Care Champions – Georgiana George

GEORGIANA GEORGE, SENIOR ACCOUNTANT – TAMPA

 

Our employees are all patient care champions, but some go the extra mile and we want to give them the recognition they deserve. They embody the PPOA values known as S.I.T.E. – Safety, Integrity, Teamwork, Empathy – which informs our service to patients and the community through high quality health care.

Georgiana George has worked her way up quickly at PPOA. She was recently named senior accountant at the company’s Tampa headquarters. She’s responsible for training newcomers to handle the hundreds of transactions a fast-growing healthcare corporation demands.

Her job touches just about every department, from building leases to making sure clinics have petty cash. She is the one who reconciles company credit cards and makes sure every expense is put is the right category.

While her job doesn’t touch patients directly, it is an essential part of ensuring the success of PPOA’s mission: delivering world-class patient care. That means taking her job seriously and helping her coworkers.

“Georgiana truly is the ‘dream’ employee,” says her supervisor, Controller-ASC Division Lisa Llorente. “She is an extremely hard worker who always goes the extra mile to get her job done.”

Working for a fast-growing company in a big city is not where Georgiana George thought she would be as she grew up in the one-red light town of Cedar Bluff, Alabama. Always strong in math, she earned her B.S. in Accounting from nearby Athens State University. She met her husband, Caleb, at work.

When he landed a job as a paralegal at MacDill Air Force Base, the two moved to Tampa. It was by far the largest city she had ever lived in, but the couple quickly adapted, and enjoy its sunny weather and pace of life.

After working for nearly two years as an accountant at the mega law firm of Morgan and Morgan, George joined Physician Partners of America in May 2018.

As required in the numbers field, she is passionate about precision, making sure her email inbox is zeroed-out by the end of the day; but don’t mistake her for the strictly no-nonsense type.

She and her husband are proud dog parents, with three rescues including a three-legged Chihuahua. “We take the dogs no one else wants,” she says. “My motto is, ‘the more, the merrier.’” She also enjoys sewing, a skill she learned from her mother. “It’s very relaxing,” she explains.

Still, work is a priority, and Georgiana George is highly valued throughout the company. “She is a team player who will pitch in to help any time she is asked,” Llorente says. “She offers to help when she sees someone needs a helping hand.”

 

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PPOA Patient Care Champions – Eric Alvarez

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ERIC ALVAREZ – REGIONAL CLINICAL SUPERVISOR, FLORIDA

Our employees are all patient care champions, but some go the extra mile and we want to give them the recognition they deserve. They embody the PPOA values known as S.I.T.E. – Safety, Integrity, Teamwork, Empathy – which informs our service to patients and the community through high quality health care.

Eric Alvarez is the regional clinical supervisor for PPOA’s Florida division. He oversees staff and practice managers in far-flung areas throughout the state – including Tampa Bay, Jacksonville and Winter Haven. He also has an oversight role in the company’s rehabilitation division, which handles the pain management needs of patients in skilled nursing facilities.

His mail box remains full; his phone never stops ringing. Still, he always makes time for anyone who needs his immediate attention. Polite and unflappable, he makes the job look easy.

“I enjoy solving problems and looking for ways to improve patient care,” says Alvarez, a Tampa native. “I look at all the facts, look at the situation and find a solution that’s the best fit.”

Perhaps his background also has something to do with it: He learned combat lifesaving skills while serving in the U.S. Army’s Airborne Infantry division, and experience that ignited a passion for medicine. Alvarez earned his Associate Degree in Emergency Medicine from Orlando Medical Institute.

He is a certified EMT, paramedic and x-ray technician, as well as a certified medical assistant (CMT) and certified CPR-BLS trainer. Still, it is his interpersonal skills that people notice first.

Not long ago, he was visiting the Winter Haven clinic and helped a senior female patient change her tire – in 90 degree heat.

Josh Helms, CEO of Physician Partners of America, sums it up this way: “Eric is a servant leader who is always willing to roll up his sleeves and help the team. He leads by example and always puts the patient first.”

Says Alvarez, the father of two daughters, “I love helping people. It’s been my passion since forever. Excellent patient care is what keeps us going and I make it priority in everything I do.”

 

 

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