Dean Riggott Photography
Surescripts
In an effort to give patients access to much-needed medical care from home during COVID-19, the federal government has eased some restrictions and expanded benefits for telehealth.
While this has enabled more providers to implement the technology and leverage Surescripts tools, healthcare organizations need an expert they can count on—now more than ever.
Enter Erin Metzger, a truly #dedicated account manager who supports our health technology partners in serving providers and their patients as many of them enter the telehealth space.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how Erin offers support to the healthcare professionals who are giving their all on the (oftentimes virtual) front lines.
Q. Describe your role and how it helps keep the nation’s most trusted and capable health information network secure and reliable during a pandemic.
A. As an account manager on the Health Technology Vendor team, I help provide our customers the support and resources they need from across Surescripts. In a sense, I “triage” my customers’ requests and connect them with all of the technical and business resources they need.
Q. Which areas of healthcare does your work most impact and how?
A. Since I work with our health technology partners, my work has the most immediate impact on the frontline workers using electronic health record (EHR) software, whether it be in an acute, ambulatory or telemedicine setting. Telemedicine has grown considerably in the last few months. In fact, some of our telemedicine vendors experienced a 227% increase in transaction volume between February and March—and we were right there beside them, supporting them while the industry put a spotlight on the benefits of remote patient care. Ultimately, my work sets up these partners to positively impact patients, which is especially critical right now.
Q. What is your message to frontline healthcare workers?
A. You are my heroes. There aren’t word to express how grateful I am for all you do – not only during this pandemic, but day in and day out, as part of your ongoing commitment to deliver healthcare to anyone and everyone in need. Your dedication is simply unmatched. I am here working for you to make sure you can show up however and whenever your patients need—no matter what—whether that’s the exam room or the living room.
Q. What keeps you going? What inspires you to stay #dedicated in tough times?
A. I figure if our frontline workers can keep going, even in the face of such adversity, then I can too. If I’m having a tough day, I only need to think about those who are out there fighting this fight, and it really helps me keep things in perspective. I am one of many here at Surescripts who are truly honored to deliver on our purpose. And knowing that I can help our customers sleep at night is also very gratifying. This has been a massive adjustment for the industry, and I’m blown away by how quickly our customers have adapted and are innovating on behalf of patients everywhere—especially for our most vulnerable for whom a trip to the doctor could actually risk their life right now.
Q. What do you want people to know about the work that Surescripts does behind the scenes?
A. We are an organization of passionate and driven individuals who take pride in the work we do to arm frontline workers with accurate and relevant information, ultimately allowing our healthcare providers to do what they do best.
To learn more about how Surescripts is working to keep the nation’s most trusted and capable health information network up and running during the COVID-19 pandemic, check back soon for more in our #Dedicated series.
