After spending a year working on nursing pre-requisite courses, I quickly figured out that face-to-face patient care was not for me but was still interested in healthcare. I stumbled upon an opportunity to learn medical coding “on the job” and almost 30 years later, it has worked out well. I have worked for a variety of health information vendors and healthcare organizations throughout my career with positions ranging from ED coder to my current role as Director of Hospital Coding Operations & Quality for Inova Health System.

 How long have you worked at your organization & what is your favorite part

of your role?

I have worked for Inova Health System for two and a half years. My favorite part of my role is tackling opportunities for improvement with my team and realizing the successes of our efforts and the positive impacts to healthcare data and the patient experience. It is great to see my team light up with realization of “Wow, we accomplished this!”.

What is your superpower?

My superpower, which can also be my kryptonite, is being highly analytical. 

 What are you most proud of in this last year?

Earning a doctorate degree in healthcare administration!

What are you most excited for in the coming year (either personally or professionally)?

I am most excited to see how technology can support the healthcare industry by helping to solve some widespread inefficiencies and staffing shortages many organizations are facing.