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TENA MESSER EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT PRACTICE OPERATIONS
1. How long have you been with AON? I have been with AON for four years (started January 2020), but I have been with a legacy practice for 31 years. 2. What does a "day in the life" look like for you in your role? My day begins with coffee and a quick assessment of calendar events and a plan for the day to achieve key tasks for projects. And then more coffee. I am typically fielding calls and texts from physicians and direct reports by 7:30 a.m. Pending meeting commitments, I arrive at a clinic location by 8:00 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. and then it is on! I am juggling project work between meetings, taking impromptu calls to support team members as well as keeping a running list of “to-dos” collected along the way. I try to be available to managers, directors and physicians as much as possible when they have questions, so they can keep moving with their work. Meeting commitments can be a bit challenging and quickly consume a day, often pushing project work and email catch-up to the evening. During the day, I keep a running mental and physical list of key tasks and projects, and I reference reminders placed on my calendar to achieve deadlines and goals for the timely completion of key items for the day. I typically pick a focus and a few of the key items that I must complete by the end of the day, and I often do this by clinic, division or physician. I have found this most successful when there are many competing tasks and projects. I typically head home around 7:00 p.m. if I do not have a late meeting requiring
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Inside the Network
me to be in person at the particular office. After dinner, I typically return to the laptop to churn out a bit more work, answer emails and ensure systems work is complete (Concur, WorkDay, Circulus, etc.). Typical tasks for the day include contract reviews, agreement updates, financial statement and expense reviews, revenue cyclerelated reports reviews and clinic performance reviews among other projects. I visit practices at a minimum quarterly and more often as needed for problem or project management. 3. What goals are you and your team working to achieve? I have incredible team members, and we are continually striving to improve efficiency, staff support and cost savings. It is critical for our leaders to understand the tasks and challenges of the different positions in the clinic to give proper guidance. An overarching goal is to support, train and empower managers to operate their clinics confidently. We are currently focused on staff engagement, front office/financial counselor workflow accuracy and efficiency and ensuring a smooth transition of patient care support services to the clinics. 4. How does your role contribute to AON's overall mission and goals? Supporting physicians to grow and lead their practices. Our mission is to promote quality patient care, a positive work culture and financially healthy divisions.
