Learning and implementing best practices in operations can prevent mistakes, maintain a consistent flow of business to better meet patient demands and keep our clinical practice effective and productive. Below are a few updates of interest to our employees.

Tip of the month: Ensure all you annual training is complete

Employee annual evaluations are just around the corner. Be sure you have completed all of your annual training. If you have any questions, please meet with your manager.

Closed for Memorial Day

All UT Health practice locations will be closed in observance of Memorial Day on Monday, May 27. The phone operators at 210-450-9000 will be available to answer calls.

Sign up for new training this month

Insurance Concepts and UT Health Physicians Collections trainings have been combined into one session, located at the PARC. This is a required training for BCs, front desk staff and schedulers.

June training dates:

June 5, 8:30 a.m. – noon

June 19, 8:30 a.m. – noon

You may sign up for both of these using the Knowledge Center.

Contact Theresa Lomperski for more information.

New hire orientation

The next UT Health Way Training and Certification class for new employees will be on Friday, June 14. Contact Theresa Lomperski for more information.

Reminder: We cannot accept gifts from companies and vendors

Please remember that UT System policy states that we are not allowed to accept gifts (food, pens, etc.) from drug companies, device companies or vendors. For further clarification, please review UT Health San Antonio’s Handbook of Operating Procedures, Chapter 10 – Ethics, Standards of Conduct and Relationships with External Entities

Your practice operations team is here to support all of you in your effort to provide exceptional care to UT Health San Antonio patients. If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to your practice operations leaders: Casey Peterson, senior director of practice operations; Jeanette Hernandez, director of practice operations; Johnna Nerios, director of practice operations; and Dina Wright, director of practice operations. 

Leaders of UT Health Physicians presented the quarterly Wow! Awards, High-Five and Patient Experience Practice Champion of the Quarter Awards on Wednesday, April 24, at the Medical Arts & Research Center. Please congratulate this quarter’s winners.

The quarterly Wow! Awards were created to recognize practices, providers and employees who go above and beyond to ensure every patient has the best experience at UT Health Physicians. Every day, more than 1,000 patients come to UT Health Physicians to feel better. When our patients have a great experience with us, they feel better, they trust us more and they are more compliant.

They also tell their family and friends to come to UT Health Physicians for excellent care. Every positive patient experience we provide propels our mission to make lives better and sets us apart as the leaders in health care.

Wow! Award Winners 

A committee formally recognizes Wow! Award winners using the comments and kudos collected from patients and UT Health colleagues. Congratulate this quarter's WOW! Award winners when you see them, and thank them for living out our promise to provide exceptional care to our patients.

Congratulations to:

Maria Rayas, MD

Medical specialties, pediatric endocrinology

Alexandra Rodriguez, LVN

Medical specialties

Melina Moore, LVN

Primary care at UT Health Hill Country 

Holly Ortiz, MA

Primary care at UT Health Hill Country 

Nominate your coworkers for Wow! Awards

If you see a colleague living out our promise to provide exceptional care to our patients, nominate them for a Wow! Award by emailing a short nomination letter to: medinam11@uthscsa.edu. Or, you may deliver it in person to the first floor administration offices at the Medical Arts & Research Center. A committee formally recognizes Wow! Award winners using the comments and kudos submitted by patients, employees, managers, supervisors and providers during each quarter.

Patient Experience Practice Champion

During the Wow! Award ceremony, the committee also names the quarter's Patient Experience Practice Champion. This champion is the practice that receives the highest scores on the National Research Corporation (NRC) survey question, "Would you recommend this office to a family or friend?" The goal is for every UT Health Physician practice to have their patients answer, "YES" to this question 95.2 percent of the time.

Congratulations to

Cardiothoracic Surgery

at the Medical Arts & Research Center

98.9% of their patients said they would recommend their practice to a family or friend.

High-Five Practice Winners  

The gynecologic oncology practice tops this quarter’s High-Five Practice Winners – the five practices with the next highest percentage of patients who would recommend the practice to family and friends:

This quarter's High-Five Practice winners are:

1. Gynecologic oncology at UT Health Medical Arts & Research Center – 97.3%

2. ENT – Voice Center at UT Health Medical Arts & Research Center – 97%

3. ENT – Audiology at UT Health Medical Arts & Research Center – 96.8%

4. Orthopaedics at UT Health Hill Country – 96.6%

5. Dermatology at UT Health Hill Country – 95.7%

New self-pay kiosks have been added at the Medical Arts & Research Center to make paying for parking easier for our patients. Instead of waiting in line at the pay booth, patients can now pay for their parking before leaving the building.

The kiosks accept multiple forms of payment and are located at all of the building’s patient entry/exit points. If our patients require assistance or help using the kiosks, they simply requests “Help” on the kiosk, and an attendant will instantly be able to answer and assist them.

This is new technology for our practice and for many of our patients, so please remind them to stop by the kiosk to pay for parking before they head to their vehicles.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to your practice operations leaders: Casey Peterson, senior director of practice operations; Jeanette Hernandez, director of practice operations; Johnna Nerios, director of practice operations; and Dina Wright, director of practice operations. 

We are recruiting people who are passionate about making lives better through exceptional health care. Meet the newest providers and staff joining UT Health San Antonio.

Marisa Alarcon, immunology; Linda Alonzo, radiology; Montreay Caprenter, psychiatry; Isabella Castillo, neurology; Kayla Chamberlin, Mays Cancer Center; David Chavez, pediatric allergy, Sarah Cordell, neurosurgery; Elizabeth Erickson-Lantry, urology; Kimberlea Gray, HPI MOB; Emily Hood, PT/OT; Eva Hughes, orthopaedics; Tina King, ob/gyn; Veronica Martinez, urology; Michelle McGinnis, managed care; Sarah Roy, orthopaedics; Veronica Sanchez, orthopedics; Erica Sandoval, clinical quality and safety,; Amanda Schultz, pain management; Stephanie Serna, ophthalmology; Valarie Steen, ophthalmology; Ann Vela, ophthalmology; Arturo Vela, PT/OT; Deborah Zapata, dermatology

Know someone who is passionate about making lives better? Let them know we are hiring at UTHealthSA.org.