Our Texas Children’s people will be in the stands this week for the Houston Astros vs. the Baltimore Orioles. Join the fun and wear your Astros gear on Wednesday, June 30!
June 29, 2021
Read how Dr. Kriti Puri and Dr. Amanda Ruth collaborated with partners in cardiology, critical care and the Heart Center’s developmental care team to create an early childhood literacy and reading program for infants with CHD. Read more
June 22, 2021
Texas Children’s recently organized a series of live information sessions on our new Austin hospital. The sessions covered a construction timeline for the new hospital, services offered and future career opportunities. Read more
Nana Funk and her nursing colleagues celebrate our PCA and EMT partners for all that they do to help our nurses deliver the best care and outcomes to our patients. Read more
Each of the millions of lines of data managed by Business Operations at Texas Children’s Health Plan are tied to a member or provider – representing a claim or contract processed, a service delivered or a woman or child who received care.
With a real person and real story behind every number, ensuring the files are both accurate and reliable is the first priority for the Provider Data Integrity (PDI) team that recently launched as a joint venture of Business Operations, Contracting and Provider Relations.
Knowing their work touches families and children that need it most keeps the team motivated to master multiple systems, dig into the statistics and use them to paint a bigger picture for our providers, state agencies and other key constituents.
“We are here to take care of our members, to be their voice and to go to bat for them,” said Kellie Malone, director of Business Operations at the Health Plan. “We give everything we have, we’re all in and we’re passionate about what we do.”
Serving on the PDI team is about more than pulling data and compiling reports. These analysts are a critical link between Health Plan members and providers, and a bridge between technically-minded Information Services professionals and businesses that need clear-cut data to function at their best.
What sets PDI team members apart is their skill for seeing data from a different perspective. They are able to draw meaningful conclusions and practical solutions from the numbers, helping to drive smarter decision-making.
“There is a need within operations to be more analytical and connect the dots,” said Jennifer Sima, manager of Provider Experience at the Health Plan, who is also leading the PDI team.
She likens the Health Plan’s function to an insurance company that solely administers Texas Medicaid. Automating processes, maintaining the data in our files and handling claims efficiently all make it easier for our members to access care.
“Making sure our systems are smooth is so important because it directly impacts our members’ lives,” Sima said. “We think about the need, problem-solve and then develop that solution in full. It’s telling the story and telling it logically.”
Though PDI has been initially focused on cleansing the data and building regular controls to ensure it remains trustworthy moving forward, the team will build from that foundation by using the data to track, trend and forecast possible outcomes for Health Plan members. They also plan to conduct more high-level audits and find ways to insert themselves into other areas where their unique approach to data can be useful.
“Our team members take one small bite of data at a time, but with each bite they understand the essence of what we’re doing and how to add value,” Malone said. “We make sure each new person knows that at Texas Children’s and Texas Children’s Health Plan, it’s not about having a job; it’s about having an impact. Everything you do daily makes a difference.”
After serving meals to Texas Children’s team members, our patients and their families for nearly a decade, Isha Habib received her first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on January 28. Habib, a Sierra Leonean refugee, overcame a civil war to come to the United States and quickly found her way at Morrison Health care and Texas Children’s.
Several members of Habib’s family in the United Kingdom and the U.S. have died from complications due to COVID-19. She has since received her second COVID-19 vaccine dose and wants to do her part to end the pandemic.
The vaccine, Habib says, is a blessing.
“If this COVID shot went to Africa, everyone would go and get it, because we know people are losing their life. (In) America, we have all the opportunity. Even if I had to pay (for the vaccine), I would make a payment plan every day,” Habib said.
Only 0.2 percent of the population in Sierra Leone is fully vaccinated as of June 14, according to Our World in Data. That’s compared to 44 percent of Americans.
For 20 years, Habib has worked at several hospitals around Houston. Most notably, she’s worked at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women since it opened. In her time working with the Food and Nutrition Department, she has prepared meals for dialysis patients and served guests in the Fresh Bistro.
“Isha arrived with minimal skills in food service, but had tremendous work ethic, energy and a palpable sense of sincere appreciation for each opportunity,” said Allen Pemberton, her first director at Morrison. “It was not until I had the opportunity to sit and eat lunch with her one day, listening to her tale regarding her path to America, that I learned her overflowing gratitude for life was forged from the embers of violence and a narrowing escape from the militant forces that had destroyed so much of what was most precious in her childhood.”
Habib came to the United States a few months later than planned. Her original flight was scheduled for September 11, 2001 – the same day of the terrorist attacks in Washington, Manhattan and Shanksville, Penn. When she was finally able to come to the U.S. on October 26, 2001, she was sponsored by a Houston charity that helped her set up a new life here.
An avid cook at work and at home, Habib loves to make jollof rice, a tomato-and-rice dish popular in West Africa.
“I like doing what I’m doing right now,” Habib said of being stationed at Texas Children’s. “I like to help people.”
To schedule a vaccination appointment at Texas Children’s, click here.
Momentum keeps building for our Texas Children’s people and the Tomorrow, Together investment that included increasing each employee salary by 2 percent and providing an additional week of highly-deserved paid time off.
This week, we’re showing off the celebration held by the team at Texas Children’s Specialty Care Kingwood, which included time spent together and the sweet taste of doughnuts.
Show off your excitement!
How is your team recognizing each other and this very special moment for all of us at Texas Children’s? Send your photos, videos and details to HR Communications for a chance to see your celebration featured on Connect.
To watch the big announcement from our President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, click here.
For answers to your frequently asked questions about this initiative and the bold actions we’re taking for our employees, click here.