From technology and culture transformations to an empowered workforce and value-based reimbursements, the healthcare sector has seen considerable changes and adapted to a variety of trends over the years. With the enormously evolving world, healthcare leaders have also started reshaping the ways of delivering treatment and care. “Healthcare leaders today need actionable skill sets that enable organizations to achieve and sustain competitive advantage and growth, and tools used to evaluate individual operating unit performance as well as being adept at collecting and using internal and external data for decision-making purposes,” expresses Jason Wallace (HHM Health), an eminent healthcare leader contributing value-added care services.
Successful Athlete Journey
Jason earned his undergraduate degree in Communications from the University of Virginia and an MBA in Health Services Management from the University of Dallas. He played football at UVA where he was named Defensive MVP and also earned All-ACC honors as a player. He managed to balance academics as well as extracurriculars in his college days. “It was tough to balance the high level of academics and dedication that it takes to be an athlete at the highest level of collegiate football, but the lessons learned have proven invaluable in my professional journey,” says Jason. As a professional football player, he played in National Football League (NFL) as well as in Canadian Football League (CFL).
Devoting to the Healthcare Sector
After an unexpected career in professional football, Jason undertook the position of Administrative Resident at Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas. It was a blessing for him to obtain this post at such a prestigious organization. Quickly he learned that although Parkland was renowned for its inpatient hospital, it was also heavily invested in Population Health and developed a division comprised of Community Oriented Primary Care clinics. This concept and the leadership of then-CEO Dr. Ron Anderson in this realm ignited the passion inside Jason to work hard and contribute to the healthcare sector.
Remarkable Inception
With the mission to provide compassionate, accessible, and quality medical care to the Dallas community, HHM Health was founded in 2005 as a Volunteer Clinic. Later on, HHM became a Federally Qualified Health Center in 2016. Since then it has grown to offer Family Practice, Pediatric, Women’s Health, Dental, Vision, Behavioral Health, Imaging, and Pharmacy services for its patients at 10 clinics across 4 sites. The company focuses on providing healthcare facilities to underserved communities and refugees in and around northern Texas and surrounding areas.
Exclusive Services
HHM Health offers the following exclusive services to its patients:
- Optometry Center: Tests and provides eyeglasses and contact lenses
- Imaging Center: Provides services for X-Rays, Bone Density scans, Ultrasounds, and Mammography services
- Women’s Health Center: Provides Obstetric and Gynecological services which include prenatal care and more advanced Gynecological procedures
- Population Health Team: Collaborates with other community-based organizations
A Dedicated Leader
As Chief Operating Officer (COO), Jason oversees the daily operations of the organization as well as designs and implements business strategies and plans. He believes in persuasive teamwork and his staff adheres to serving the community in emergency situations by providing high-quality care to the patients. “My ability to do this, and do it well, all for HHM Health to continue to grow, and achieve our mission and vision of being the best patient-focused health center by providing personalized, physical, mental, and spiritual care forever individuals with love, compassion, and respect,” adds Jason.
Collaborations with Other Organizations
Every success journey is filled with ups and downs. As a healthcare leader, Jason also faced some arduous situations. The most difficult challenge was to balance patient and staff needs and the practical requirements of the organization. “The medical sector is becoming complicated every day in which a variety of facets are impacting the health and well-being of patients and not addressing solutions to it,” mentions Jason.
To address these concerns, the company has implemented some initiatives. These initiatives make sure that clinical leaders engage themselves in the budgeting process and the goal creation for their respective departments. With this, the leaders ensure their buy-in and understanding of how their area impacts the bottom line. HHM Health has created intentional collaborations with other community-based organizations that the company can send patients to complete the cycle of whole-person health. This initiative allows us to address the social determinants of our patient’s health needs, which can comprise up to 80% of a family’s overall well-being.
Wider Scope through Technology
HHM Health has applied technology products and solutions in various ways.
- Funding: HHM provides a platform that registers patients and determines types of funds from local, state, and federal funds. This process allows for changing the payer mix significantly and increasing revenues in 2022.
- Telemedicine: It provides facilities for remote patients so that they can receive proper medical care.
- Automated Appointment Reminder Program: It allows patients to book and confirm, cancel, or reschedule their appointments electronically.
- Inventory Management Platform: It alerts departments electronically when supply levels reach a certain threshold and prompts them to submit replenishment supply orders.
- Future Implementation of AI chatbots: It allows patients to spend less time holding on to the phone when contacting their care providers and clinics.
Eliminating Disparities
Describing the current scenario in the healthcare sector Jason says, “The ongoing trends in the healthcare climate include the shift of the industry into value-based care and reimbursement.” With this, healthcare organizations will get paid based on the quality of care, instead of focusing on the number of patients. Moreover, Jason wishes to remove the ability of healthcare providers to choose the type of patients they want to see in their hospitals. According to him, this would eliminate disparities in accessing healthcare and allow people from all financial backgrounds to have the same access to quality care regardless of their financial resources.
Employee-Oriented Culture
HHM Health highlights the importance of effective communication within teams to better coordinate with each other. It also supports interdependence on each other’s abilities and problem-solving with mutual respect. The company provides financial incentives and bonuses, recognition, quarterly employee appreciation events, professional growth opportunities, and financial assistance.
HHM tries to build personalized relations with staff members by listening to their demands and requirements. It also supports its high-performing staff with an extraordinarily rich benefits package, including paid days off to go volunteer their time at other nonprofit organizations.
Work-life Balance
Work-life balance plays a vital role in Jason’s life. He loves to spend time with his wife and 3 children traveling and doing fun things around Dallas. He enjoys watching them compete in their respective sports, which include basketball, gymnastics, and soccer. Moreover, he has been a Zumba fitness instructor for the last 12 years. He stays happy and healthy by following his passion for improving people’s lives through fitness in daily life.
Valuable Advice
Being an experienced leader, Jason shares words of wisdom with the younger generation.
- Pick a career field in life, stay focused, and become an expert in it.
- Take help from mentors to stay grounded and humble.
- Do not take things personally, neither the criticisms nor the failures.
- It is important to trust and empower those that work for you.
Quote:
“A leader should be inclusive of other people’s opinions while making decisions, especially when the decision can impact the lives of people.”
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