November 13, 2023

Meet Robert Ball, admissions supervisor at Texas Children’s Hospital – North Austin. Motivated by forging relationships and putting his skillset to good use, he’s always thinking about the hospital experience for our patients and families – from the moment they walk in until they’re discharged to head home.

How did you end up at Texas Children’s?

I’m originally from Louisiana and have an architecture degree, but transitioned to health care in 2009. My 15 years of experience ranges from front-end operations to consultant work and various roles across the revenue cycle. Working at a children’s hospital in Virginia, and going through cancer, motivated me to pursue pediatrics. When I was looking for a new role, Texas Children’s was a top choice based on its history and mission, and many people I encountered agreed it’s a great place to work.

What are you most excited about as we open North Austin Campus?

I can’t wait to cultivate our Texas Children’s culture and apply it with a unique Austin spin – and to build relationships with our partners, patients and families to ensure we remain one of the best in the nation.

Why are you passionate about your role, and what’s next in your career?

I’m passionate about helping and empathizing with people. Since admissions is the point of entry and exit for the hospital, I can utilize my skills to ensure our patients have a great experience from start to finish. In my past roles, the most rewarding aspects were the face-to-face interactions and relationship building. When I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and admitted to the hospital, seeing the kids in my unit push through and stay strong inspired me to enroll in PA school. I’d like to specialize in pediatric oncology.

What makes Austin a great place to live and work?

Living in Austin, I’ve learned this is an amazing place to live and work. Austin provides an array of great music, amazing food, beautiful lakes and parks, and diversity. One of my favorite restaurants is Doc B’s located in the Domain.

What’s the best career or work advice you’ve ever received?

Become a lifelong learner. Sometimes in life, we become complacent in our day-to-day work and careers, and tend to forget the world keeps on spinning and changing. With a learning mindset, we grow personally and professionally every day.

Admissions, transfers, and discharges are the three types of patient movements within a hospital. Our admissions representatives oversee all aspects of scheduling, registration, pre-admission and admission operations – ensuring the highest possible customer service, accurate data for clinical/strategic planning, an efficient billing and collections process, and compliance with state and federal laws.

Right Care, Right Place, Right People. Now ranked #1 in Texas and #3 in the nation, we’re bringing the best to Austin. Click here for countdown updates, resources and more on the Austin Expansion SharePoint.

September 25, 2023

Earlier this year, President and CEO Mark A. Wallace announced the start of a search process for the next President of Texas Children’s. The Board of Trustees appointed a search committee and engaged a top-tier firm to help us carefully select the right leader to guide Texas Children’s through this next chapter. Today, we are thrilled to share the appointment of Debra Feigin Sukin, PhD, as our next President!

“We set out to fill this role with the best person for the job – one who was thoughtful, strategic and experienced but who also understands Texas Children’s and deeply appreciates the culture we have built and created together,” said Mr. Wallace in an email to the organization. “As you know, I’m a big believer in destiny, but I could never have predicted the power of destiny in this process.”

Sukin currently serves at Houston Methodist as an Executive Vice President with responsibility for four Houston Methodist hospitals and is the Chief Executive Officer of Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, in addition to system responsibilities leading Neurosciences and the Houston Methodist DeBakey Heart Center. Before joining Houston Methodist, she was the Senior Vice President of St. Luke’s Health System in the Texas Medical Center.

“Not only does Debbie have the necessary health care leadership experience, but she has lived and breathed Texas Children’s her entire life,” Mr. Wallace added. “Both of her parents worked at Texas Children’s, and she also began volunteering at Texas Children’s at age 16. As a parent of two boys with special needs, she has spent the last two decades experiencing the world-class care, clinical research, empathy and heart of Texas Children’s.”

You might recognize Sukin’s surname – she is daughter of the late Dr. Ralph Feigin, renowned pediatrician and Texas Children’s Physician-in-Chief for more than 31 years. Her mother, Dr. Judith Feigin, worked here in pediatric education and training. Sukin was also involved in the opening of Texas Children’s Angelman Syndrome Clinic, a cause and rare genetic condition close to her heart and family.

“I am truly honored and excited to serve as the new President of Texas Children’s,” said Sukin. “Texas Children’s has always been a profoundly special place to me, and I’m humbled to have this opportunity. This is an amazing organization and I look forward to working with the outstanding faculty and staff throughout the system and leading the next evolution of Texas Children’s. Mark has been a mentor and friend for many decades and I feel especially fortunate to serve under him as he continues on as CEO. I truly cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together as a team in the months and years to come.”

Sukin will join Texas Children’s on Jan. 8, 2024. Please join us in welcoming her with open arms and our signature Texas Children’s hospitality!

Click here to learn more about this historic appointment for Texas Children’s.

August 7, 2023

With the first phase of Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women’s $245 million expansion complete, outpatient OB/GYN practices recently moved to their new home across the street at Pavilion Tower II. The former Baylor Clinic building (located at 6620 Main Street) will transform into Texas Children’s newest medical tower upon completion – adding 190,000 square feet to the hospital’s footprint, improving patient access and creating space for more adult inpatient and neonatal intensive care beds within the Pavilion for Women.

“This investment in our Pavilion for Women will allow us to increase delivery volumes significantly, but additionally the added space will allow us to continue to grow these specialized clinics that cater to women at every stage of life,” said Michele Birsinger, assistant vice president of Women’s Services.

First to migrate was the Women’s Specialists of Houston (WSH) team on June 12, followed by Partners in OB/GYN Care (POGC) on July 18. Both groups halted clinic operations for moving day, gathering bright and early to ceremoniously turn the lights out in their old space and walk together to the new tower. Clinic leaders shared inspiring remarks upon arrival, and a workforce chaplain was present to facilitate a Blessing of the Hands and gratefulness prayer before lights were turned on with excitement and cheer.

We want to emphasize the importance of the people, read the moving day pamphlet. The Pavilion Tower II is a state-of-the-art facility, but without the people, processes and programs in place, it’s just a facility…the dedicated, intelligent and passionate faces that light up our clinics will remain the same for our patients and families.

To mark the special occasion, team members participated in a scavenger hunt to get familiar with their new floors and were treated to gift bags and mini Zen gardens for their desks. Workforce Well-being was also on hand to provide resources and gather insights on how to best equip and decorate respite rooms.

Before the OB/GYN clinics relocated, our Women’s Physical Therapy team were some of the first occupants of the new medical tower.

“Although we’ve offered physical therapy services since 2012, this is the first time we’ve had our own designated space,” said Sarah Ammons, specialty therapy coordinator. “We now have eight treatment rooms and a gym area, including cardiovascular and strength training equipment…care will improve greatly now that we have the space and resources to treat our patients more completely and return them to their prior level of function.”

These clinics are now open for patient activity – you can find WSH on Level 13 and POGC on Level 11 of the new medical tower, just follow the signs on the sky bridge on Level 3 of the Pavilion for Women. Baylor OB/GYN will relocate by the end of 2023, and the full Pavilion for Women expansion will complete in 2024.

Click here to read more on this exciting development.

May 25, 2023

PFW perioperative leader takes the helm of professional organization dedicated to safe surgery, sharing insights from her journey to presidency. Read more

October 19, 2022

Texas Children’s new best-in-class system will offer an improved and more modern experience for the organization. The cloud-based solution will consolidate platforms, offer streamlined self-service options and provide opportunities to improve engagement and interaction with leaders and team members. It is time to start preparing for go live on January 6, 2023.

Voyager will be the single system to:

  • Manage your performance and development
  • Access learning that aligns with your role
  • Request feedback anytime throughout the year
  • Be the driver of your professional journey through internal job searches
  • View your payslips
  • Access most content and transactions on your phone using the mobile app
For more information and support
Prepare for launch

Stay tuned to the Voyager SharePoint site to learn how you can prepare for launch, including self-service learning/training, additional resources added weekly and key actions to take before the system goes live on January 6.

August 23, 2022

In collaboration with the Simulation Center, the Pavilion for Women team leverages simulation to improve outcomes. Read more

August 10, 2022

The quality, safety and experience of our frontline and patients remain executive priorities. Culture rounds at the Medical Center are expanding to a total of 48 care areas, including the addition of 16 new outpatient units. A total of 16 executive teams will round on three care areas per month for a total of six months, and continue gaining insight and learning from our frontline, patients and families.

Additionally, West and Woodlands locations have fully implemented culture rounding at their respective campuses.

As a reminder, Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. are designated by Texas Children’s as protected time for culture rounds! We look forward to seeing everyone and ready once again to engage in meaningful conversation to continue improving the culture here at Texas Children’s!

For more information on executive culture rounds and quality, safety and patient experience, contact Kandice Bledsaw via e-mail.