Ms. Acker has been with Blake Woods since July 2000. Prior to coming to the ASC, she was a director at a home health agency, and she has also worked as a floor nurse, a nursing supervisor and a clinical nurse manager in acute care. Before becoming a nurse, Ms. Acker worked for a power company.
Blake Woods has seen a lot of growth and success under Ms. Acker's leadership. Over the past nine years, the center received a certificate of need and added an additional operating room. Additional specialties were added including orthopedics, retina and general surgery. "We have also done major work in improving our efficiencies through physician and staff initiatives as well as a significant remodel of the physical plant," Ms. Acker says. "We moved to EMR 15 months ago and have automated our inventory, all the while keeping our patient satisfaction in the 95th percentile or better. It seems that there is always some project to complete to make the center better for patients, surgeons and staff."
Ms. Acker attributes much of the center's and her success to the staff at Blake Woods. "I feel very blessed to work with quality people every day," she says. "Our surgeons are stellar, and our staff is a cohesive team of very talented, hard-working individuals. With these folks on board we can try out new ideas quickly and utilize the expertise of each and every one. This keeps us from stagnating and allows us a true continuous learning environment. A huge added bonus: All of our patients get better. That is exciting for a nurse!"
The role of an administrator is ever-changing and fairly demanding, according to Ms. Acker. "Doing the job right keeps me intellectually engaged all the time. This business is dynamic, and one must keep on top of all the new information and implement requirements as dictated," she says. "I am a business major turned nurse, so I get to marry the clinical and operational. My favorite topic is performance improvement, especially in the realm of patient satisfaction. We rate exceptionally high because all members of our staff own patient satisfaction."
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