The Georgia Scroll
July 1998
Member Spotlight:
Cathy Dougherty
"My pet peeve is people who say ‘I can’t do it’ or ‘we’ve always done it that way.’ " These phrases are absent from Cathy Dougherty’s vocabulary. (In fact, her mother would not allow Cathy and her siblings to say "I can’t"). As the Director of Patient Financial Services for the Promina Gwinnett Health System, and an extraordinarily active member of HFMA, Cathy exemplifies a "can do" attitude.
A long-standing, active member in HFMA, Cathy has held many leadership roles. She is currently chairperson of the Logistics Committee and last year she served as the Chair for the Educational Content Committee. She has led the CPAR Committee for two years and, in addition, she’s served on the Membership, PFS and Quality committees during her membership tenure. She took time, in the midst of Joint Commission, to reflect on her career path and share her views on health care with the Scroll.
Cathy’s start in the work world was a far cry from health care; it was in the "bra and girdle department" at Sears on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta! "My parents wouldn’t let me work in high school; they said I had my whole life to work." Her experience selling women’s foundation garments was short-lived, and by her account, not a positive experience, "I was very naive then."
Cathy left Sears to attend Georgia Southern, an experience that left her with great memories. "I was a Delta Zeta - that was special for me. Some of my sisters are still close friends." After graduation Cathy worked for ten years at what is now AT&T, as an Insurance Specialist. "I did everything," she said, "including investigation of workers’ compensation claims, disability, and insurance."
Surprisingly, Cathy’s start in healthcare was unplanned, the result of "begging and pleading" from her husband and his boss. She intended, after leaving AT&T, to stop working, not start a new career!
Cathy explained, "I met my future husband while I was working at AT&T. We got married and moved to the Keys....I wasn’t going to work. I wanted to rest!" Their move was the result of her husband’s new job: the administrator of a brand new Nursing Home. His subsequent search for a Business Office Manager wasn’t going well, Cathy explained, laughing, "They (her husband and his boss) couldn’t find anyone who knew insurance, Medicare or Medicaid; they were desperate. He begged me - and his boss begged me - to come and work for them!" She agreed to take the job, and she says, "I really liked it, even though what I thought I wanted to do was rest."
When her husband accepted a new position two years later, in Charleston, Cathy again was determined to rest. She admits to quickly becoming bored, "I was looking through the paper (at the classified ads) and there was a Business Office Manager position listed." Cathy applied and was hired by what is now Roper North Hospital. She says she was hired for her people skills, and even today she admits, "there’s nothing about numbers that I like!" She managed a staff of 25 people - admissions through collections, and the switchboard. "It was just me...I didn’t have any supervisors, I had to learn it all." And, she admits, she did learn the intricacies of patient financial management. It was at this point in her career that Cathy says she heard the "most rewarding statement anyone’s ever said about me" (see sidebar).
Cathy arrived in Atlanta four years later, again thanks to her husband’s job transfer. Hired as the Admissions Manager at Gwinnett in 1990, she was promoted to Director of Patient Financial Services two and a half years later. Cathy readily admitted, "Admissions is my favorite because of the people (patients)." She cites the "constant turmoil and dealing with people and patient contact, good and bad" as the aspect of her job she loves most. "I like turning around angry customers...I like the people I work with, especially at Gwinnett."
What motivates her? "The challenge of balancing patient care and financial viability of my hospital." Her hospital’s biggest challenge is maintaining this balance in the face of monumental growth and decreasing reimbursement. "Patient volumes have doubled and tripled, the result of growth in the county and managed care contracts." "It’s a wonderful challenge to have" she noted, but coupled with the increasing volume is decreasing reimbursement, "We have to staff up and keep costs down."
How does she handle the challenge? "We use CQI theory - it’s engraved here. Process improvement and automation is the way we keep staffing down in PFS." Cathy speaks proudly of the steps Gwinnett is taking to ensure this ongoing success. "We’re becoming a learning organization; this involves taking process improvement (CQI) to the next level." The next level involves a substantial initiative - Gwinnett is becoming a high performance organization - "fast, focused, and flexible."
Gwinnett’s goal in this initiative is learning; "we have to be able to learn - to meet the challenges of the healthcare market." To meet it’s goal, the hospital is working with a consultant; together they have created five teams of employees who will lead the organization through the learning process. Cathy is proud that she was chosen to lead the strategic management team. "I’m honored" she said, "we’re going to optimize customer satisfaction..." Eventually, up to 50% of Cathy’s time will be spent executing the "fast, focused, & flexible" initiative.
With so much time dedicated to work, Cathy still manages to give substantial amounts of time to HFMA. (This year Cathy is the Chair for the Logistics Committee). Her reason: "I have a theory about learning outside of work...If I gain one piece of knowledge - at a meeting or workshop - that I can apply at work, then I know it was worth it." Attending HFMA meetings, networking, and sharing perspectives, always results in an idea that can be used to improve the processes at the hospital. "The hospital strongly supports involvement in HFMA;" Cathy noted that several PFS managers are members also.
The people from whom Cathy has learned the most are many. She immediately mentioned her mother who instilled in her a desire to learn (both of her parents were educators). Others she mentions as having had a significant impact on her include her boss in Charleston, "she taught me a global financial perspective, everything from PFS to general ledger," and her current boss, Tommy McBride, who, Cathy says, is the best person she’s ever worked for. Cathy mentioned three strengths she’s gained from him, "he’s taught me systems thinking, to be patient, and to have a global perspective of health care."
Cathy is looking forward to the future. Balancing patient care and financial viability is her underlying goal; she’s particularly excited about continuing the "fast, focused, and flexible" initiative at Gwinnett. She readily admits she’s taken on tremendous responsibility - and she’ll face it like she does all other opportunities in her life, with a "can do" attitude! It’s clear the members of HFMA have gained, and will continue to benefit, from Cathy’s ongoing hard work. Thanks Cathy!
Last modified: June 22, 2001