When it comes to creating software that smooths out workflows, increases efficiency, and helps operators increase profits, we rely on real-world experience from those that have been there. April Gillam, our new Head of Industry Relations, has been on both sides of the waiting room desk and now brings years of expertise to the Solv team.
A Keen Eye on the Patient Perspective
April knows what the world of medicine is like–she grew up in it. Her mother was not only a primary care physician but a pioneer in the world of urgent care in the 80s and 90s. She saw firsthand how much went into running a convenient and acute care clinic.
She had goals of becoming a physician herself and pursued a degree in biomedical sciences from Texas A&M University. During the summer before her senior year, however, she developed a very rare form of slow-growing cancer, derailing her dreams of medical school. She took a break from pursuing healthcare as she recovered to consider her next move.
A Focus on Delight
Throughout college, April worked at Nordstrom, a retailer famous for its focus on customer service. April says that when she turned her mind back to medicine, she took that Nordstrom perspective with her.
“Nordstrom really curated my love of customer service and my love of consumerism,” April says. “When I did get back to healthcare a couple of years later, it was because I had that really keen insight from consumer first retail behavior that I was able to quickly take that into running urgent cares.”
April first worked with urgent cares on the marketing side, speaking specifically to a prime demographic of urgent cares: moms.
“There are about 30 unique touch points between when a patient first becomes aware of you to them actually getting through the clinic, and I focused on making sure that every single one of those touchpoints was delightful,” April says. “Then, even if the patient is told, ‘Hey, we may not be able to completely treat you here in our clinic today and need to refer you to another specialist,’ they trust that experience because of all of that delight, and all that trust that's built throughout the experience.”
A Staff Advocate
After mastering what patients want, April moved to the other side of the desk, ascending to the role of Chief Operating Officer and taking on the challenge of urgent care operations scaled across multiple metroplexes. That experience gave her unique insights into how to run a clinic that is efficient, profitable, and a pleasant place to work.
“People in patient care cannot take great care of patients unless great care is invested in them first,” April says.
She says that while she saw many mistakes along the way, it deepened her resolve to create an environment of growth and positivity, advocating especially for hourly workers. These frontline workers are often the first cut and most overstressed.
“Financial stability and financial incentivization for frontline healthcare workers is key, along with all the operational efficiencies that make them feel as though they aren’t trudging through mud all the time,” she says.
A Bridge To Our Partners
April is now taking on the mantle of Head of Industry Relations, where she will act as a sounding board and barometer for what Solv partners need most. She’ll be listening to Solve partners to see how Solv can evolve and improve while giving guidance earned from years in the trenches.
We’re thrilled to hear more from April in the coming months and welcome her expertise as we continue to create the future of urgent care marketing, scheduling, registration, and billing. Welcome, April–we look forward to what’s next!
To connect with April personally, reach out on LinkedIn—she’d love to meet and connect with other urgent care operators and clinic managers and is happy to share her experience with you.
