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Ellit Groups
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Edition: March 2024
Message from Our CEO
Recently I had the honor to participate in a Coruzant podcast and a few of the questions they asked caused me to dig deep into my leadership journey and my philosophy of leadership. It occurs to me that this opportunity was good timing for this month’s CEO newsletter message.
The podcast allowed me to take a walk down memory lane, back to Laos and to my grandmother, a healthcare provider in our village – and my early inspiration. Fast forward to when I moved to the United States at nine-years old and found myself assisting our Laotian community with language and healthcare navigation.?That’s where my heart for patient advocacy really took root, and I’m never too far from those memories that have shaped me.
As you might know, I entered the healthcare world as a Pharmacy Technician and gradually made my way into IT and leadership roles.?It wasn’t a smooth ride, though: I faced my share of hurdles – racism, gender bias, you name it.?But you know what??Those challenges didn’t hold me back. If anything, they taught me to build a leadership style focused on breaking barriers and empowering others.?This is what I hope I do for each of you, my valued team. Like the opportunities I’ve had, I want to help each of you create your own opportunities with Ellit, without limit. This company – and our success – reflect our combined efforts. No role too small. No effort unnoticed. No extra mile unrewarded.
During the podcast, I was asked how my life and professional philosophy center around the 5L's: Lead, Live, Learn, Laugh, and Listen, and how these principles guide my leadership style and decision-making at Ellit Groups? I want to share my responses with you, with the hope that you will reflect on your own 5L’s and how they guide your work on behalf of Ellit and our customers and their patients.
?·?????? Live – Live in the moment and focus on the activity at hand.?“Our customers can depend on us to be focused on the work at hand and we are dedicated to making the results happen.”
?·?????? Listen – Listen Intently.?“We build relationships based on trust by listening first to seek understanding. Then, we get started and we carry that trust forward.”
?·?????? Love - Love who you are, love what you do, and love the people around you.? “We earn trust and credibility each and every time.? We are not entitled to trust, and as we earn trust we don’t take that for granted, we nurture it because it’s the foundation of success.”
?·?????? Laugh – Have humor and always find something positive. “We want to be a valued partner our customers enjoy working with and know they are not being judged.?They remember us being positive even when things are tough, and especially as things getting tougher before they get easier.”
?·?????? Learn - Be willing to learn new things and unlearn old ways of doing that might not be working anymore. “Always be curious and ask questions to ensure we’re learning from our customers. This is a collaborative partnership journey, and part of our expertise is that we’re open to listening, learning, and re-evaluating for the good of our customers and their patients.”
?·?????? Lead – Lead by example. “I expect every one of our Ellit Team members to lead by example and what we leave behind is our brand, which is that customers felt appreciated, valued and that we left them with the gift of improvement, the gifts of capacity and capability, and that we are one phone call away if they need us again.”
As we round into spring and the start of new growth all around us, stay connected. There will be many opportunities for us to be together this coming year, and I want to hear how your 5L’s are guiding you, and I want to know how we can support you on your journey.
I am so proud of Team Ellit, and when I travel to sites and see firsthand the work you do, the expertise you bring, and the relationships you’ve built from the ground up, I have deep gratitude for how each of you elevates our clients’ experience and their patient outcomes. You are the heart of the Ellit experience. Thank you for a terrific start to 2024 and thank you for all you do!
Culture in Action:
Melissa Mercer – Ellit Groups Culture in Action: It’s Showtime!??
How does a theater nerd with a bachelor’s degree in directing and stage management get in to healthcare???
According to Melissa Mercer (Program Manager at Ellit Groups) – like directing and stage management – project and program management success depends on bringing people together and giving them the tools, structure, and resources needed to help them accomplish a common goal.??
In addition to her love of musicals (current favorite is Hamilton), Melissa has 17+ years of Program and Project Management experience in Healthcare Information Technology (IT) with privately held companies, as well as Federally Qualified Health Care (FQHC) Organizations, academic healthcare organizations, and major system healthcare organizations, including Sutter Health, UC Davis and UC Irvine Health, and (currently working on an Epic implementation in Washington state.?
?So, what has the road to success looked like for Melissa???
First, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Theater – Directing and Stage management, and a minor in Business Psychology from UC Irvine, an Associate Degree in Project Management from George Washington University, as well as a Certified Scrum Master Certificate from ASPE, and has completed Project Management Institute (PMI) based bootcamps through UC Davis. Through these learning opportunities she has learned a great deal about the different types of project management styles and skills which she utilizes to support her customers. The value of her foundational and continuing education in project management cannot be overstated. Expertise is part drive, intuition and good sense, and part technical know-how.?
After completing college, while working for Disney – where she credits learning her excellent customer service skills – Melissa began as a trainer for an Electronic Medical Record Company (RainTree). While there she quickly realized that what she enjoyed most was the coordination and collaboration of projects, so she switched gears to project implementation management. She was fortunate to be given the opportunity to earn her scrum master certificate, which allowed her to work on mobile application development in the early days of the app startups. This ultimately led to a career at Sutter Health under the leadership and mentorship of Bruce Peterson and Mark Dynes (also Ellit Group Awesome Leaders).??
Her first assignment, and real exposure to being on the ground floor of healthcare, was at Sutter Health where she was initially hired as a project coordinator to roll out the infrastructure to support the first concurrent install of 27 hospitals and over 400 medical centers on a single instance of Epic. Her role included day to day coordination of the project efforts for their Central Valley Hospitals, but she really earned her reputation in managing the massive command centers needed to support the multiple go lives of this significant effort. Within a year-and-a-half she was promoted to Project Manager where her first official project assignment was converting all of the anesthesia machines in the surgical suites of the 27 hospitals to support the anesthesiologists use of the new Electronic Health Record based workflows in a multihospital phased approach program. No pressure for a rookie!??
After that success, the spark of bringing people together toward a common goal of positively affecting patient care outcomes was lit in Melissa, and she’s run with her passion for leading Healthcare projects big and small ever since. Her resume now includes a large variety of new hospital and ambulatory clinic build and infrastructure renovations and construction projects for hospital and ambulatory buildings; Epic implementations: from net new modules, to Epic Optimizations, Integration, and upgrades; and strategic projects that include partnering with various business areas within the healthcare system to address workflow and patient care pain points, gaps, and opportunities in how healthcare is delivered to ensure that the business is able to leverage technology with clinician support and patient care at the forefront of every implementation.?
?What drives Melissa to be of service to others in a way that makes a lasting difference and in alignment with Ellit Group’s values???
From her earliest days in healthcare learning about technology to now being a consultant leader who brings best practices to organizations big and small, Melissa finds deep satisfaction in helping organizations provide better patient care by finding the right technology and workflow solutions to support all areas of healthcare so that organizations can make care more accessible to patients when they need it, where they need it, however they need it. Melissa does all of this with grace, fierce intelligence, and kindness – all attributes that have come to be her calling card with colleagues and clients alike.?
And that’s how a theater nerd turned directing and stage management experience into a lifelong career of service to healthcare organizations of all shapes and sizes!?
Now a Program Manager for Ellit Groups, Melissa provides expert leadership for diversely skilled teams on healthcare-based projects, focusing on patient and clinician first solutions. With a results-driven passion for helping teams leverage project management tools to develop and grow their organizational structure and practices. Melissa is a perfect match for Ellit Groups, and we are proud to call her one of our own.??
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Recruiter Corner
With many opportunities coming to our team, we're thrilled about the prospect of connecting with talented professionals, such as yourself. Within our organization, we are continually seeking outstanding individuals to join us on our path to success. If you're enthusiastic about making a positive impact and exploring exciting career opportunities, we encourage you to discover the possibilities we offer. Our commitment is to cultivate a dynamic, inclusive, and creative work environment, providing a platform for your skills and ambitions to flourish.
If becoming a part of our team resonates with you, we would be delighted to receive your communication. Let's initiate a dialogue to explore how your unique skills and aspirations align with our vision for the future. Together, we can embark on a journey toward a vibrant and rewarding career path.
Current Openings:
Reach out to our exceptional staff.
Recruiting Coordinator: Desiree Duvall
Recruiters: Jaylene Van Court (Vivatson), Nicholas Otero, Jenn Riggs, Susan Moore and Christi O'Brien
Client Success
Ellit Groups Activation Team recently had the opportunity to collaborate with a leading community-based medical group on the East Coast, dedicated to providing exceptional care for over 400,000 patients.
Our team of over 200 colleagues jumped into action, supporting operations across more than 70 locations. Shoulder to shoulder with providers, clinicians, and their teams, we worked tirelessly to ensure a seamless go-live process, minimizing stress and maximizing efficiency.
At Ellit Groups, our unwavering commitment to patient care drives everything we do. Our goal is simple: to empower our clients with successful programs and leave them feeling confident long after our work is done.
Doing Great Work with Our Clients and Our Services
Notes From The Field
Where are you and what is the work?
I am in Washington State supporting a 16-clinic healthcare organization transitioning to Epic, and I lead the clinical teams: Ambulatory, Healthy Planet, Wisdom, Behavioral Health, MyChart, and Interoperability. My priority is to ensure that our project workgroups function smoothly, decisions are patient-focused, and that we meet milestones and project timelines on time and on budget.
What is the Ellit differentiator?
Mentoring and coaching are keys to success and client satisfaction in this implementation, and our team shines in this space. In my work, for example, the goal is to help our client thrive in the long term, and we support strategic growth by helping the organization develop not only strong Epic knowledge and skill amongst analysts, but also a robust informatics program, resilient governance structures, and sustainable processes that combine to forecast future success.
Voice of the Staff
Growing up, I had family members who worked in healthcare, and their journeys significantly influenced the person I have become and the path I have chosen. Their dedication and compassion towards helping others inspired me to pursue a career in this field, and I count myself lucky for the opportunity.?
The road to my journey as a healthcare professional began at California State University, Sacramento, where I earned a degree in Health Sciences with a focus on Healthcare Administration. Additionally, I’ve completed internships at Marshall Medical Center and Dignity Health, and later joined Ellit Groups.?
Like many others, I was unsure of specific areas on which to focus my efforts. After guidance from my mother and others, I decided to pursue my PMP, which helped me pinpoint a path for my career. Project Management has quickly become something I’m passionate about because it’s an area where my skillset fits seamlessly, and the learning curves only help me improve. One thing that I will forever be grateful for is that Ellit Groups has provided me with the opportunity to learn from some of the best Project Managers in the industry.?
?As an aspiring Project Manager, some of the challenges I see within healthcare are the complexities of the healthcare system, resourcing constraints, technology advancements, and stakeholder management. To address these barriers in my own work, I prioritize clear communication, resource optimization, adaptability to new technologies, and proactive stakeholder engagement. This way, not only am I successful, so are my colleagues and clients.?
?Healthcare is continuously evolving, especially in the technology space. With my continuous growth, passion for technology, and desire to help others, I hope to make an impact by assisting in the advancement and efficiencies of care. Ellit Groups is the perfect place to do that, and I couldn’t be more grateful for this experience. Come join us!
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Ellit Groups is dedicated to assisting healthcare organizations overcome challenges, enhance operational efficiency, and achieve strategic goals. This steadfast commitment results in better patient outcomes, improved financial stability, and elevated operational excellence.
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Performance Improvement VP, Ellit Groups
1 年I am so proud to work in a culture that develops and delivers solutions to improve patient outcomes,, supports innovation and thought leadership, and celebrates the contributions of a very talented and dedicated group of healthcare professionals.