Q&A with Mona Hadley

It’s been a whirlwind year for our new Senior Director of Practice Operations, but if anyone can keep pace it’s Mona Hadley. After stepping into the Director role last June, Mona seamlessly transitioned to Senior Director of Practice Operations this spring. Her bright energy has helped guide Practice Operations through staff changes, departmental restructuring, and the impacts of the global pandemic. With more change in store for 2022, what better time for a quick catch-up?

Whether as a CSR, Site Manager, Project Coordinator or Director of Clinical Operations, you’ve always been a part of Practice Operations. How have you seen Practice Operations evolve since you started?

Yes, I have remained with the team since beginning as a temp employee in 2014. Back then we had one administrative director and no community sites except for the Convalescent Care Program! Today, we have a division of 40 people when fully staffed who manage COVID screening, check-out, Supportive Housing administration, Pediatrics administration, referrals and medical records across departments and clinic sites. In addition, we oversee the call center, benefits, and mobile clinic teams, which will soon report to our new Director of Client Access, Muhammed Mamman. 

Over the years, we’ve also broadened our 'touch' with other departments. For example, we established a better understanding of how the client data we are collecting—or the way we code each visit—impacts our ability to bill insurance companies for those services.

What does it mean to oversee Practice Operations across all sites, not just 421 Fallsway? What’s your vision or hope for what that change will mean.

I would love to encourage the dynamic of “one team.” While we do have multiple locations, the functions are primarily identical and support clients and staff in the same way. I would love for that view to be adopted and understood throughout the agency and with clients.

My role (in collaboration with Dr. Tyler Gray) is to bond all sites together; there is a perception of separation that we need to address. That means working together to pool resources, coverage, and care; rather than individual sites working within their own silos.  We want to make sure that we're merging all of our forces to deliver the best possible care for clients, which could mean I refer someone to West Baltimore for dental but they come back to Fallsway for vision. Ultimately it should always come back to what makes the most sense for client care.

How has your approach to racial equity in this work evolved over the years?

I want to invite more staff to engage in conversations around racial equity. Right now we have conversations at the macro level, but I will be overseeing the incorporation of REI conversations into regular team meetings. From a structural perspective, we need to take a closer look at care equity across the agency. I want to know that we are truly meeting the needs of Spanish-speaking clients, and that we are tailoring resources to reflect the needs of the community. I see progress, but there is still much more work to do.

What are the primary projects or goals for Practice Ops this year?

Right now we’re trying to improve client experience by receiving and implementing client feedback in real-time—this includes quick post-visit surveys, comment boxes and possibly push messages after a visit; a few of these measures are in the pipeline. We’re also putting a lot of thought into how changes at the agency are shared with clients. How are we communicating those changes, and are we leaving enough space for clients to make that transition with us? Are they partners in that process? That’s one of my primary focal points this year.

Additionally, one of our guiding KPI goals this year is to improve the completion rate of confirmation calls to clients, which helps decrease the rate of appointment no shows and improves attendance overall. We want to make sure that clients are receiving a reminder one day before their scheduled visit, and so far the effort has been a real success.

We are excited for these multi-measures to help us fulfill the strategic plan targets.

With so much happening day to day, how do you find time for balance? 

I am still a work in progress. I love my job, my team, and this agency; sometimes that can lead to longer hours, skipped meals, and lacked sleep. Yikes! However, I have learned the importance of caring for yourself in order to care for the many. Now I’m actively making space for self-care and will do better in my journey. Ultimately, I have learned to practice what I preach: I leave work at work, and enjoy home at home. The phone stays at the door :) . 

Be sure to congratulate Mona next time you see her!