Leadership

Get to Know the #MSPWeek® Digital Contest Winners

By NAMSS Staff

During #MSPWeek® in November, almost 700 MSPs voted on the photo submissions for the #MSPWeek Digital Contest. The team at Val Verde Regional Medical Center received the most votes and was crowned the winner of this year’s contest! NAMSS connected with a member of the team, Gloria Ziegler, CPCS, who shared her team’s loyalty and dedication to patient safety. She also encouraged MSPs to take advantage of the benefits of joining the NAMSS community. Get to know the team in this Q&A.

The team at Val Verde Regional Medical Center from left to right: Gloria Ziegler, CPCS; Dr. Mark Manning, credentials chairman/CMO; Annette Welch, CPCS; and Arlene Abrego, credentialing. Not pictured: Mostafa Salama, M.D., and Jaime J. Gutierrez, M.D.

NAMSS: Congratulations on winning the 2023 NAMSS #MSPWeek Digital Contest! To start, tell us about your team members’ responsibilities.

Gloria Ziegler (GZ): The three doctors, Mostafa, Jaime, and Mark, have been on the credentials committee for at least 10 years. Annette is the main credentialing associate and handles all appointments and reappointments and has been in our department for 20 years. Arlene is new to our team and has been with us for a year and a half. She answers our phones, inputs applicants into our credentialing database, keeps up with applicants’ licenses, and is beginning to do minutes for our committees. I am the medical staff/credentialing director and have been in the department for 42 of my 45 years with the hospital. I handle the call schedules for physicians and administration for the physicians’ death record registry; oversee scheduling for all the quality meetings; and I’m the keeper of the medical staff bylaws, rules and regulations, and minutes.

NAMSS: How has NAMSS impacted your career and relationships in the industry?

GZ: NAMSS has impacted our careers tremendously for the good of our community and our patients. Having the resources to communicate with the MSP network has been a blessing. When I first started back in 1979, we were the first to ever experience the quality/credentialing process in the industry. No one before us had ever done or even knew what credentialing for medical staff was. NAMSS has been a godsend to the industry and for all the patients out there.

For a long time, people didn’t know what we did or why it was important. We take our job very seriously, and we know the processes that have been established with the help of NAMSS. NAMSS has made a huge impact on how patient care is delivered and how we keep our patients safe. Attending NAMSS conferences where we’re able to interact with other people in our unique industry has helped us grow. It’s also made us comfortable with speaking up when we see an issue or problem with a process, an applicant, etc. Your job as an MSP is of utmost importance, and if you have not yet joined NAMSS, you are making your work life harder. We encourage everyone out there to join.

NAMSS: What distinguishes your team? What makes them stand out from the competition? 

GZ: Communication and years of experience. Communication is key. Knowing what we have learned through NAMSS influences our everyday decisions and actions. Having good, solid, long-term members on our credentials committee has been the cherry on top.

NAMSS: What is your favorite thing about being in the medical services industry?

GZ: One of our favorite things is having the ability to network with other NAMSS colleagues. Another one is being part of a unique industry where there are always new scenarios and new experiences. There’s never a dull moment! Most of all, we take pride in knowing that what we do keeps our patients safe.

NAMSS: If you could give one piece of advice to MSPs, what would it be?

GZ: You are not alone. Sometimes it’s difficult to get physicians on board, but don’t be discouraged when that happens. It’s important to get them involved and invite them to attend a NAMSS conference. When they find that a group exists with the sole purpose of ensuring patient safety, that will have an impact on their involvement. We cannot do this alone — we need their commitment for the good of the people. The solution is to always put our patients first. We must win the trust of our patients and our community. Having the support of your facility administration is key to your success. Please reach out to any one of us in the NAMSS community, and we will try our best to help.

Be sure and join us for next year’s #MSPWeek celebration! Until then, join NAMSS today, and don’t miss out on the networking, community, and education available year-round to MSPs.