4
SEPTEMBER 2026
EVERYONE Message from a Leader: Joshua Johnson Promotions: Lucy, Dawn, and Demetria Visit Auto Pay
ACCESS NAVIGATION CENTER Quality Tip: Patient Returning Call from Outbound Quality Performance Recognition: August
ENGAGEMENT FOR EVERYONE Culture Corner Fall Festival: Coming Soon! KUDOS
M E S S A G E
LEA JOSHUA JOHNSON DIRECTOR Ambulatory Access Analytics
OUR COMMITMENT TO EVERY PATIENT Every patient who reaches out to us is placing their trust in our hands. They may be seeking an appointment, waiting for an answer, or trying to navigate a healthcare system that can sometimes feel overwhelming. What may be one interaction in our day can be an important moment in theirs. Our commitment to patients extends far beyond the people who speak with them directly. It is reflected in the analytics that help us understand where improvement is needed, the provider templates that create opportunities for timely care, the customer relations team members who listen and help resolve concerns, and the training and quality teams that strengthen every interaction.
F R O M
A
DER
Whether your work is experienced directly by a patient or takes place behind the scenes, it contributes to their journey. Every report, schedule, solution, conversation, and improvement can help make care easier to access and the experience better to navigate.
thank you T H A N K
Y O U
Thank you for bringing compassion, accountability, and purpose to your work each day. The work you do matters—and our patients experience the difference.
ON BEING PROMOTED!
BARBARA “LUCY” BROWN Lucy has worked in the healthcare industry for over 30 years. She has held various roles from Certified Nursing Assistant to a Clinical Liaison. Lucy joined Vanderbilt in August of 2024, working in Women’s Health and IMPC / Internal Medicine. She has been married for 29 years and has 4 wonderful children and 1 grandchild. In her spare time, she loves to cook, fish, write, and spend time with her family. She resides in Brighton, TN. And her first children’s book will be released on September 14, 2026!
DAWN REMILLARD After 30 years in the telecom industry, Dawn made the switch to healthcare where she always wanted to be to help people. She joined the PAS team as an Associate Access Specialist in January 2025 where she worked in the DDC and Endocrinology clinics. Originally, Dawn is from just outside of Boston, MA, however, she and her husband decided to get out of the cold and made the move to North Carolina and currently live in Raleigh. Fun fact: Dawn loves traveling and soaking in everything a new place has to offer.
Please join us in congratulating the following on their recent promotion to Referral Coordinator on the Referral Management Team, effective AUGUST 31.
DEMETRIA GAINES Demetria worked in customer service for over 18 years before joining PAS Care Connections team in February 2024 as an Associate Access Specialist, where she supported Digestive Disease, Comprehensive Care, Infectious Disease, Travel, and Eskind before joining RMC. Fun fact about Demetria is she have a 16-year-old and a 2-year-old and likes to make custom treats and crafts. She resides in Nashville TN.
AUTO VISIT PAY The Visit Auto Pay (VAP) feature for Adult and Pediatric Primary Care, Urgent Care, and Walk-In Clinics went live on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1. No action is required by PAS schedulers. If patients call with questions, some basic information is below. For more details, please visit the Visit Auto Pay: Patient Facing-Script article in Hubbl (VUMC2Go). Patients can be directed to VUMC Billing for further assistance.
WHAT IS VISIT AUTO PAY? Visit Auto Pay is a new program that allows guarantors to place a credit card or bank account on file during Check-In and be automatically charged, up to an agreed-upon amount, for their visit balance. When a visit qualifies, users are prompted to enroll in Visit Auto Pay instead of collecting a prepayment or copay through Payment Collection. Guarantors receive either a text message reminder or an email notification, based on their preferred communication method, before their scheduled payment. They also have the option to modify or cancel the payment, if needed. This process is entirely voluntary for the patient.
PATIENT RETURNING CALL FROM OUTBOUND TEAM When the Outbound Team is unable to reach a patient, they may leave a voicemail requesting a call back to schedule an appointment OR sent a MHAV message. When a patient calls back in response to our outreach, review the chart first and, if you’re able to, schedule the appointment. Only send a message if the decision tree does not provide a scheduling pathway.
CHART SECTIONS
I’m returning a call about scheduling an appointment.
Refer to the list below where you can look to help determine the patient’s needs: Active and Finalized Requests Finalized Requests CAN be Reinstated Open Communications Appointment Notes
Do you have a helpful tip / trick you would like to share with your colleagues? Email us at QPA.PAS@VUMC.ORG
AUGUST 2026
14
TEAM MEMBERS ACHIEVED 100%!
Congratulations to the following for achieving all 100s on their quality evaluations!
AMANDA JUSTICE CHARLENE DREADEN EZRA SEVERIN GAIL HAMMONDS KATIE CARPENTER LAQUCIA CHARLES LEKEISHA PRICE LIZ SAFFOLD PRINCESS BOYD STEPHANIE SWEET SUSIE TURZA TORCIA LEONARD TRISHA MEEKS VIRGINIA COOK
PATIENT ACCESS
CULTURE CORNER We Hear You BECAUSE You Matter!
STAR TREK DAY! Live Long and Prosper! Calling all Trekkies to the Cinema Room on SEPTEMBER 8 to test out your Star Trek knowledge!
LABOR DAY WEEKEND RECAP Labor Day Weekend is coming up soon! Swing by the General Room on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 and share how you spent your extended weekend!
9/11-MAY WE NEVER FORGET Swing by the General Room on SEPTEMBER 11, as we honor and never forget the events that happened in our country 25 years ago.
POP-IN MINDFUL STRETCH BREAKS Health Plus presents Mindful stretch breaks! CLICK HERE to join Health Plus every Wednesday from 11-11:30a for LIVE sessions or stretch alongside your favorite pre- recorded video found in the Files section. SEPT 8: Star Trek Day | Cinema Room SEPT 8: Labor Day Weekend Recap | General Rm SEPT 10: Fall Decor | General Rm SEPT 11: Never Forget 9/11 | General Room SEPT 14-18: Fall Festival | 2026 Fall Festival Room
SEPTEMBER 14-18
COMING SOON! Get ready for a week filled with fun and prizes!
14 SEASONAL STYLES MON.
Favorite Fall Fashions
15 TUES
Fall Emoji Pictionary
harvest hobbies Childhood Favorite Fall Memories
Fall Festivals Around the World
16 AUTUMN ATHLETICS WED
Team Spirit Share
17
THURS
Guess the Team Logo
FALL FOODIE Favorite Fall Recipe / Dish
18 BINGO FRIDAY FRI
Claim a Bingo Card and get ready to play BINGO!
Take a Bite! Apple Dish Quiz!
STAY CONNECTED! EMAILS Daily emails will be sent out highlighting the activities for that day!
ENGAGEMENT LOUNGE All the photo / post activities will be featured in the newly created 2026 Fall Festival Room located in the PAS Engagement Lounge. The room may be hidden, to view it: 1. Under PAS Engagement Lounge channel, click See all channels 2. Under Hidden channels, find the 2026 Fall Festival room and click Show 3. The room will now be visible
CLICK THIS LINK to claim a Bingo Card:
Enter your name, click Join Game You will be assigned a code - REMEMBER THIS CODE! Use your code to access your Bingo card on Friday, September 18!
KUDOS
& Recognition
KUDOS FROM OUR PATIENTS & CLINICAL PARTNERS LATOYA LITTLE New patient wanted to recognize Latoya for her kindness. Stated that Latoya was so sweet and made the process easy.
BARBARA BRADLEY Patient stated " I just spoke with Barbara and she is sooooo sweet!! She advised me of everything I need to have in order to get an appointment and had a great sense of humor- HUGE KUDOS!!"
KENDRA SMITH The patient wanted to share that Kendra was very kind, efficient, and extremely helpful during their interaction. They stated that she did a great job and wanted everyone to know how much they appreciated her assistance.
ANITRA GOFF Patient wanted to acknowledge Anitra for being so kind and helpful on what was otherwise a difficult morning. He was supposed to spend his birthday at the doctor's office, but unfortunately, he had a flat tire on the way. He was incredibly grateful for Anitra's kindness in making his day brighter and for helping get him scheduled for another appointment.
CHELSEY MURPHY Chelsey, thank you for providing such a personal touch to your call. You were praised for your kindness and your patience. You provided an unforgettable experience. Caller expressed immense appreciation.
SIERRA AHMANN A wonderful call from a patient praised Sierra for being so kind and understanding. She did an amazing job actively listening and making sure every single detail was taken care of before wrapping up the call.
MORGAN MEREDITH Patient wanted to to make us aware how much she appreciated Morgan and her help today. Patient states they have a healthcare background and appreciated how thorough Morgan was as well as going above and beyond in trying to get her scheduled. Another patient wanted to send a special shout-out to Morgan for demonstrating exceptional patience, problem-solving, and dedication to patient care, saying, "I had to call several times to find a primary care provider, and Morgan took her time to investigate the issue. She discovered an insurance error that had been preventing me from getting scheduled and helped get everything resolved."
QUESTIONS / COMMENTS
If you have any questions / comments pertaining to any content listed in this newsletter, please email PAS Leadership at PAS_Leadership@vumc.org and copy your Supervisor.
PAS LINKS PAS Central Epic Downtime, Newsletter Archive PAS Resources: Logos, MS Teams Backgrounds, Templates
PAS Staff Wins & Celebrations