J2 Interactive

We’re elated to welcome Brian Fives, our new VP of Strategy and Growth, to the J2 team. Brian has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare technology, specializing in software development, sales, and management. He joins us as Joe Rizzo, our VP of Strategy and Growth for 15+ years, is heading into a well-earned retirement in the coming months. Last year brought an exciting internal evolution, and with Brian joining us, our leadership team is poised to ensure future success.?We'd like to take this time to announce everyone’s new titles and extend our felicitations on this recognition! A special thank you to Joe for all his years of service, and a hearty welcome to Brian as he joins our team!

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the personal histories of some of the successful women here at J2! We’re thrilled to introduce Michelle Failner, who uses her extensive healthcare background and technical expertise to serve our customers every day. ____ J2: What do you wish you knew at the beginning of your career that you know now? Michelle: As I reflect on my career, there are a few things I wish I had known earlier on. Don’t change jobs based on salary. Money was tight, so it was important to start earning. I jumped at the higher-paying opportunities that came my way. I continued to do that for much of my career. I missed out on a lot of opportunities due to not taking the other options that may have paid less but would have allowed for personal growth and development. The salary might have been lower, but the potential for advancement and career satisfaction would most likely have led to an increase in salary. Career paths are a marathon, not a sprint. Another thing I wish I had known - I was respected, and I earned that respect. Instead, I minimized the respect others had for me. I didn’t give myself enough credit. A perfect example of this would be, “Why would the Chief Administrative Officer ask ME what I thought about the person she had chosen as the director?” I minimized my worth and wondered if it was a trick question to tell people what I thought they wanted to hear. ? In summary, I should have realized my true worth early on and believed in my abilities. ? J2: What personal experiences or reasons motivated you to pursue a career in the healthcare space? Michelle: I have a lot of family in healthcare - doctors, nurses, technologists. I started working in a hospital when I was in high school. Pursuing my degree in Biology/Biochemistry, taking Genetics, Biology, and Chemistry classes. The Human body is amazing, and the healthcare space has so many diverse career paths. It also allows continuous learning and major strides in the advancement of technology, all while making a difference in people’s lives. So, I fell in love with healthcare. And that’s why I still work in the field! J2: Any advice for other women wanting to accelerate their progress in their careers? Michelle: Do not be intimidated by those who seem to know more than you. Surround yourself with others who can mentor and teach you. As my mom used to say… ‘You can always steal with your eyes and your ears.’ Take challenges and learn and grow from them. Never stop learning. Also, have confidence in your abilities and feel safe establishing your brand and growing your reputation. Believe you are capable of more! And finally, you need to be aware of potential gender biases in the workplace but view them through a different lens. Innovate, adapt, thrive, shift your thinking, and inspire actions that align with your views and focus. Don’t be afraid to ignore the “mansplainers” and go for it!

You don't want to miss Steve’s interview with Healthcare IT Today. His conversation with John Lynn highlights the importance of Social Determinants of Health and the role of Community Information Exchanges in improving healthcare outcomes. Give it a watch!

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the personal histories of some of the successful women here at J2! We can’t wait to introduce Jennifer Mooney. She runs J2’s internal operations, and every day, it’s apparent that J2 couldn’t function without her! __ J2: What do you wish you knew at the beginning of your career that you know now? Jen: I wish I had known to trust that following your natural strengths, combined with hard work and paying attention to the basics (responsiveness, communication, listening, problem-solving), would yield a really great, satisfying career. I started doing administrative work right out of college for very little money, mainly because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and I was offered a job at the Market Research company that I’d been working at throughout college. One step led to the next, and shortly after starting, I was moved to a Project Management/Customer Service role where I found that I was really good at, and very much enjoyed, helping people. Following the customer service path has been really fulfilling for me, and moving into a general operations role was a natural next step, as the key strengths needed are the same as in customer service. I will always think of myself as a Customer Service worker first and foremost. J2: What personal experiences or reasons motivated you to pursue a career in the healthcare space? Jen: I fell into working in the healthcare space. My previous roles had been in information technology. Moving to a company with a healthcare focus wasn’t planned, but because healthcare is such a crucial part of people’s lives, working at a company that is trying to improve people’s lives by the strength of the systems used in healthcare is so appealing. There isn’t an industry that I can think of that can impact the lives of all of us, for better or worse, than the one that focuses on our health. It feels really satisfying to work for a company that helps improve how the healthcare system works for people. J2: Any advice for other women wanting to accelerate their progress in their careers? Jen: Strive for excellence in your daily tasks and responsibilities. Put yourself in the path of opportunities and then take advantage of them. Be your own advocate and ask for what you want, clearly and specifically. Make sure that the company you work for has a great culture, working environment, and leaders so that you can give your job your best with trust and enthusiasm. One thing that has worked really well for me, both personally and professionally, is making the most of relationships at work. I have never been someone who can keep my life compartmentalized into “work” and “not work.” So many of my good friends are from my jobs, past and present. Work is a giant part of our lives, and embracing the relationships at your workplace makes daily life more enjoyable and can also yield opportunities because connections are so important in life, both in and out of work.

Happy International Women's Day from J2 Interactive! We’re celebrating the outstanding achievements, contributions, and inspiration women bring to our workplaces and communities every day. The theme for this year is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” We want to express our sincere gratitude to the incredible and invaluable women of the J2 Interactive community—we could not be who we are without you!

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the personal histories (HERStories ??) of some of the successful women here at J2! We’re introducing Suni Guempel, BSN, RN. She is the face of our Salesforce program and is well loved by all of her clients. We asked Suni to share some wisdom, and here are her responses: __ J2: What do you wish you knew at the beginning of your career that you know now? Suni: Advocating for yourself, taking chances, and recognizing your worth are so important. Early in my career, I hesitated to apply for jobs where I didn’t meet every qualification or to speak up when I felt I deserved a higher raise. I’ve learned that you don’t have to check every box to be capable of success, and taking a chance can open doors to new skills and passions you didn’t even know you had. Don’t let someone else decide what you’re worth; you know yourself best, and only you can set the standard for what you deserve. J2: What personal experiences or reasons motivated you to pursue a career in the healthcare space? Suni: Caring for others and making a difference, whether big or small, has always been important to me. As a nurse, I found fulfillment in caring for patients and seeing how even small gestures of kindness and compassion could have a meaningful impact on their lives. Even though I’m no longer at the bedside, I still feel like the work I do makes a difference in helping improve healthcare systems and supporting the people who provide care. J2: Any advice for other women wanting to accelerate their progress in their careers? Suni: In the same theme as my first response, I would say don’t settle. Know your worth, and make sure others know it too. You’re worth the risk of asking for that raise or pushing for that promotion. You’re also more than capable of stepping into roles that feel outside your comfort level, even in a completely new field. Growth happens when you take on challenges and trust yourself to figure it out.

?? BIG NEWS! We’re delighted to announce that J2 has formed a strategic partnership with Morph, an AI start-up with exciting natural language processing (NLP) solutions for healthcare organizations. Morph’s offerings relieve the burden of manual data entry and document processing, making it easier to turn handwritten intake forms into structured data. Combined with J2’s extensive healthcare background, the partnership aims to revolutionize healthcare data management through practical and safe AI solutions. Through this partnership, we aim to address logistical challenges and reduce both clinician and administrative burnout while enhancing the patient experience, especially for underserved communities. Read the full press release on our website: https://lnkd.in/edD8tFAk

We’re looking forward to meeting more of the Vulcan team and participants! It’s been inspirational and a real thrill to be a part of the first batch of companies building out use cases and proofs of concept for interoperability in clinical research. This is an area of healthcare that stands to benefit immensely from data interoperability, and J2 is proud to be on the ground, doing the work with InterSystems, Manifest MedEx, and all the other trailblazers in our cohort. See you at HIMSS!

Join J2 Interactive and KONZA National Network for an exciting webinar on optimizing HIE operations with Salesforce! ?? Date: Thursday, February 27th ? Time: 3:00-4:00 PM ET KONZA, a leading HIE and designated QHIN, worked with J2 to transform their operations through strategic optimizations in their Salesforce environment. Learn how they achieved results such as: -- A streamlined process from lead generation to invoicing. -- The ability to connect contracts and orders to opportunities. -- Enhanced customer sales process. -- Reduction of manual labor while enhancing productivity, operational efficiency, and transparency. -- Mass communication of service changes, updates, and advancement Don't miss this opportunity to learn from their success! ?? Register now: https://lnkd.in/dz4iK2P9

If you haven’t met Michelle Szymanski, PMP yet, you’re in for a treat! As one of J2’s well-loved account managers, Michelle excels in relationship-building with our customers and partners, working with them to figure out how J2 can best help them reach their goals. We’re extremely thankful to have her on our team and are excited to introduce her today! ___ J2: Who was your childhood superhero, and why did you admire them? Michelle: When someone asks me about my childhood superhero, I always think of the adage, ‘Never meet your heroes’—a strange notion for me considering my childhood hero was the person I was closest to growing up: my dad. Many people might answer similarly, but my dad is my hero not because of a cool job or big accomplishments but because of how he raised us and valued our relationship. He was the embodiment of stability and support in an ever-changing environment. As a single father of four, he managed to support our varied and time-consuming interests while working full-time and never missing a day of work. He even received awards for his perfect attendance. His consistency is something I aspire to but have yet to achieve. Every moment of his free time was dedicated to ensuring we grew up to be good humans, especially in terms of conservation and sustainability. For example, we learned about recycling by picking up trash from the side of the road on weekends, separating recyclables, and taking them to recycling centers ourselves. My most cherished childhood memories are our summer camping trips to State and National Parks, exploring hiking trails and lakes. He instilled in me a love of nature and conservationism that I hope to pass down to my own children. I could go on, but I’ll save it for another forum. Dads are superheroes, especially mine! J2: What is the topic of your Ted Talk? Michelle: It was tough to narrow down, but one area I’m very passionate about is neurodiversity thriving in a neurotypical world. Sharing our lived experiences can help us realize our strengths and refine our adaptive strategies. Having a son with Autism has opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about neurodiverse brains and behaviors and how to best integrate them into our ableist world. J2: What is your favorite part of your job? Michelle: At the risk of sounding cliché, I have to say that my favorite part of my job is being part of the mission to improve healthcare. I enjoy forming lasting relationships with our clients by delivering products and solutions that create better patient outcomes. Another favorite aspect is working for a company with very talented, focused teams that share the same goal. It’s an exciting time to be part of the solution to so many healthcare challenges!