State of the GSCC - June 2025 Edition (but includes January through May!)
Happy first week of June, GSCC Team!
Beginning this month, we’ll share a “State of GSCC” update after each Board meeting (held on the fourth Tuesday). This will keep everyone—across all roles—informed about our progress and priorities. To start, I’ll recap our annual goals and highlight the strides we’ve made so far.
2025 GOALS
1. Patient Care Delivery & Quality – Building a comprehensive care delivery model that structures the care team roles and responsibilities in such a way that it empowers patients to more effectively improve health outcomes for the thousands of patients that we serve.
2. Workforce Development – Investing in personal growth, professional development, mission engagement and patient wellbeing.
3. Operational Excellence – Improving and streamlining processes, technology and accountability for outstanding results.
4. Capital / Financial Improvement – Identifying and filling financial gaps while protecting and diversifying our revenue to accommodate future infrastructure growth.
5. Community Engagement – Establishing the GSCC as a leader in care delivery to best serve the healthcare needs of the community.
What together we’ve accomplished so far this year…
PATIENT CARE DELIVERY & QUALITY
New Provider Onboarding (January): Dr. Lance Mwangi, MD and Jo Fuller, APRN joined in early January, immediately increasing appointment capacity and reducing patient wait times.
Why: Adding two clinicians directly addresses provider shortages, allowing us to see more patients sooner. Reduced wait times mean earlier diagnoses and interventions, which improve health outcomes across our entire patient population.
Women’s Health Expansion (February): Dr. Pamela Kimbrough agreed to join the team this summer to perform monthly advanced gynecological procedures, and all providers completed updated women’s-health training modules.
Why: By bringing advanced gyn procedures in‐house, we eliminate referral delays, reduce travel barriers for patients, and keep revenue within GSCC. Upskilling every provider ensures consistent, high‐quality women’s health care across all our sites.
Care Management Model Finalization (March): Defined our three‐tiered Care Management (CM) framework—CM-1 (low‐touch care coordination), CM-2 (episodic care), CM-3 (high-risk longitudinal management). CM-1 workflows will be launched this month; CM-2 and CM-3 training is set for June with additional refinement of all three-tiers in Q3. (More details about the Care Delivery Model below.)
Why: A tiered CM model guarantees that each patient receives precisely the level of support they need. Low‐touch coordination for stable patients frees up nurse care managers to focus on high‐risk patients, improving overall care quality and lowering avoidable hospitalizations.
New Hygienists Hired (April): After a nine‐month search, our new hygienists, Kara Idleman, RDh and Jese Valeriano, RDh, joined the team dramatically reducing our preventive‐care backlog and increasing oral-health access.
Why: Regular dental cleanings and screenings are critical for detecting and preventing oral disease, which often correlates with chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. Filling this vacancy immediately improves preventive care metrics and strengthens our integrated care model.
CM-1 “Go-Live” & CM-2 Prep (May & June): Care Coordinator & Referral Coordinator roles have been split to provide more focused care. CM-1 and RC training begins this week, and CM-2 preparation is underway.
Why: The new model will require more strategic focus on care coordination efforts, particularly around patient panel management (more on this below) as well as referral management. This level of care coordination ensures that every patient is care managed at some level—the minimum being an appointment once per year to see their PCP. Referral closure ensures patients are connected to follow-up services quickly—minimizing gaps in care. Preparing for CM-2 means we’ll soon provide targeted episodic support for acute and post-hospitalization patients, further reducing readmissions and improving continuity of care.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Cross-Functional Strategic Workgroups (January): Launched a workgroup meeting structure with cross-functional teams to co-create solutions.
Why: Involving diverse voices breaks down silos, ensures that operational improvements meet the needs of each department, and builds shared ownership—boosting department engagement and accelerating implementation and results.
Internal Promotions (March): Celebrated Ashley Taylor’s promotion to Patient Experience Manager and Tamika Ward’s to Director of Nurses—demonstrating GSCC’s commitment to career advancement.
Why: Promoting from within reinforces that GSCC values talent development and invests in your long-term growth. Visible career pathways increase retention, encourage professional development, and cultivate leaders who already understand our culture and mission.
Cost-of-Living Adjustment (April): Approved a 3 % COLA for all non-provider and non-C-Suite roles, effective in May, to help offset inflation and recognize staff contributions.
Why: Competitive compensation is crucial for staff wellbeing and retention—especially in today’s inflationary environment. Ensuring your pay keeps pace with rising costs demonstrates GSCC’s appreciation for your work and stabilizes our workforce.
GSCC YOUniversity Mastermind Groups (April): Launched learning cohorts—“Becoming a Person of Influence” for providers, directors, and “Developing the Leader Within You 2.0” for team leads. Early feedback: “Game changer.”
Why: Structured leadership development and peer support deepen engagement, sharpen management skills, and create a common language around our values. Investing in your growth directly translates into better team performance and overall patient experiences.
1:1 Forms & Anniversary-Based Merit Reviews (May): Plans to roll-out role specific 1:1s across departments and aligned with new easier to manage merit reviews to coincide with hire-date anniversaries, creating transparent, predictable career pathways.
Why: Clear performance expectations and dedicated career conversations empower you to chart your own growth path. Predictable review timelines reduce ambiguity, ensure fairness, and help managers focus on coaching rather than administrative tasks.
Permanent Remote Work Transition (May): Prepared for the transitioned twelve team members to permanent remote status effective June 13th.
Why: Due to the sale of the Bunker (admin site), we were forced to seek alternative solutions for workspace. Not finding anything suitable in Ardmore led to the decision to move to a remote work arrangement for twelve of the 16 team members who would be displaced. The remaining 4 would be relocated to various GSCC workspaces.
Those moving to remote work:
Dana Ramming, Financial Controller
Katie Luttrell, Payroll/Benefits Manager
Vickie Knight, AP Specialist
Kelly Gentry, RCM Director
Derrek Sellers, Billing Team Lead
Linda Webb, Biller/Coder
Marcela Bojorquez, Biller/ Coder
Kourtnee Meeks, Biller/Coder
Karesa Burkhalter, Biller/Coder
Ashley Carranza, Compliance/Credentialing Manager
Jordan George, Marketing Director
Jessie Kelley, Marketing Assistant
Those relocating to alternative GSCC workspaces:
Tiffany Sellers, Workforce Development Director – moving to the bank
Troi Sweetland, Patient Financial Services Manager – moving to Walnut
Megan Hoskins, Quality Improvement Director – moved to the Annex (former Bloom building)
Amanda Marr, Health Informatics Specialist – moved to the Annex (former Bloom building)
OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE
Bloom Move (January): Transitioned into the new Bloom space—due to the need for additional space to add Jo Fuller, APRN to the team.
Why: Improves upon previous space constraints at the former Bloom location as well as added additional space for the increase in patient volumes brought by the addition of Jo Fuller to the team.
· Electronic Check-In Pilot & System-Wide Rollout (February - May): Implemented electronic check-in, reducing patient paperwork and front-desk bottlenecks.
o Why: Automated check-in reduces manual data entry errors and form constraints, accelerates patient intake, and frees front-desk staff to build rapport rather than shuffle forms. Fewer forms lead to faster clinic flow and improved patient satisfaction.
· Accountability Chart Refresh, KPIs & Utilization Sprints (April): Refined our org chart to support the new Care Delivery Model and in the process of launching targeted sprints to improve schedule utilization (filling the schedules)—aligning roles, processes, and developing role-based KPIs.
o Why: Clear lines of accountability ensure every position knows exactly how its work contributes to GSCC’s mission. By actively monitoring and optimizing schedule utilization, we maximize access to care, increase revenue per provider, and reduce wasted capacity.
· Sage Intacct Go-Live (May): Migrated our finance operations to Sage Intacct after months of parallel testing, streamlining month-end close and providing real-time visibility into revenue and expenses.
o Why: Faster, more accurate financial reporting allows leadership to make timely decisions on staffing, program expansions, and capital projects. Real-time dashboards help us identify trends early and adjust course before small issues become big problems.
· Online Self-Scheduling Preparation & Q3 Launch (June): Building on the electronic check-in foundation by configuring the patient portal for online self-scheduling, going live Q3.
o Why: Empowering patients to book appointments directly reduces administrative calls, shortens lead times, and decreases no-show rates. Better access—and less friction at the front desk—translates to improved patient experience, healthier patients and a more efficient health center.
CAPITAL / FINANCIAL IMPROVEMENT
· 340B Advocacy (March): Joined statewide advocacy efforts at the Capitol to protect our 340B drug-purchase program—ensuring continued discounts on pharmaceuticals that generates about half of our annual revenue.
o Why: The 340B program allows us to purchase medications at steep discounts. Those savings underwrite free or reduced-cost care, fund staff positions, and cover operational overhead. Losing 340B revenue would force program cuts and limit patient access.
· PCMH & FTCA Renewals (May): Completed and submitted our Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) renewal packets—maintaining primary-care recognition and malpractice coverage, which safeguard existing funding and open doors for future grants.
o Why: PCMH status signals to payers and grantors that GSCC provides comprehensive, high quality, coordinated care—unlocking performance incentives and grant opportunities. FTCA coverage preserves our current malpractice protection, preventing catastrophic liability costs and enabling continued provider recruitment.
· Commercial Payer Contract Negotiations (June): After a detailed review of our commercial insurance reimbursements, we discovered that we currently receive around $225 per visit—well below our actual cost of approximately $442 per visit under our existing staffing and care‐delivery model. To address this shortfall, we will partner with a specialty consulting firm to renegotiate payer contracts and secure rates that more accurately reflect the true cost of the comprehensive care we provide.
o Why: Ensuring our reimbursement rates cover the real costs of care is vital for GSCC’s financial sustainability. By closing this gap, we protect our ability to maintain staffing levels, deliver high‐quality services, and avoid cutting patient programs due to insufficient funding.
How the “Why” Connects to Our Mission
· Patient Care Delivery & Quality: Each clinical addition and model refinement is designed to elevate health outcomes, reduce gaps in care, and keep patients healthy where they live.
· Workforce Development: Investing in talent—through pay, promotions, and professional learning—builds a resilient, engaged workforce capable of sustaining high-quality care over the long term.
· Operational Excellence: Streamlining processes and upgrading technology fosters efficiency, reduces burnout, and lets everyone focus on patient care rather than administrative burdens.
· Capital / Financial Improvement: Advocacy and accurate financial systems protect our revenue streams, allowing us to reinvest in people, expand services, and remain fiscally responsible.
· Community Engagement: Direct outreach and partnerships build trust, remove access barriers, and position GSCC as the “go-to” community health resource—ensuring that every family knows we’re here for them.
Thank you for embracing these strategic initiatives and for continually asking “Why?” Your curiosity, feedback, and commitment to purpose keep GSCC moving forward—one meaningful accomplishment at a time.
Through the month of June we will be wrapping up our Q2 initiatives above and preparing for Q3 Goals…primarily improving schedule utilization and implementation of CM 2 and CM3!
Be sure to check out the post on our NEW CARE DELIVERY MODEL to learn more about CM1, 2 and 3!
— Teresa