Kelley Esparza

Accomplished Patient Access Representative at Sanford USD Medical Center, adept in registration management and providing exceptional customer service. Demonstrated expertise in insurance verification and problem-solving, contributing to improved revenue cycle management. Fostered teamwork and confidentiality compliance, enhancing patient support and operational efficiency.

• Achieved Community Hero of the Month Award April 2024 through effectively helping with a patient and her family in Lab.

I was working at MB2 lab when a patient with quadriplegia came in with her patient to have labs drawn. The mother stated right away to me that her daughter was a very "hard poke". This message was also relayed to the phlebotomist. The patient was taken by the phlebotomist to have the lab drawn and they attempted the lab draw for about 20 minutes with no success. I overheard staff telling the patient that the would have to come back at another time to retry . The parents became very upset by this , explaining how much work it is to get their daughter ready and transported to the hospital for this and that rescheduling another date was going to be a huge inconvenience. 

 Overhearing this, I inquired with the phlebotomist on whether they had access to the "vein finder" like staff can use in ER, where I normally work. The phlebotomist stated that they did not, but if I had a "connection" in the ER that I could call, ad they would be more then happy to accept the help. I called over the ER Coordinator and explained the patient's situation and coordinator stated that ER flight team was available. Within a few moments, the flight team came over and brought some warmers and within in about 15 minutes were able to get the lab draw done. The parents thanked me for going above and beyond to find a solution for their daughter that day and not having to reschedule.