Employee Spotlight: Danielle Donovan

What’s your role at PS&F?

My role here is to partner with clients and help them to identify and put controls in place to prevent any adverse consequences and minimize any losses. I also work with internal teams when they are prospecting, and help the clients to understand that Parker, Smith & Feek does have very unique resources that can help them in their quest to higher quality care.

What inspired you to start a career in clinical risk management?

I started off studying nursing in college, and quickly realized that it wasn’t the right path for me. I loved being connected to patients and solving problems, but I didn’t enjoy the science aspect

I switched gears to business…but soon realized that also wasn’t what I wanted to do, or where I saw myself. It was too generalized, and it didn’t have the same kind of human interaction that I found so fulfilling.

So I returned to healthcare and got my master’s degree in healthcare administration and management. It was kind of the best of both worlds for me – I still get to connect with patients in a rewarding way without hands on care.

That’s how I found my way to risk management; not only am I helping organizations protect their assets, but there is often direct correlation with improving the quality and safety of the healthcare being delivered to patients. I have the best of both worlds now!

You’re from Massachusetts originally. How did you find your way to the Pacific Northwest?

I grew up there, and got recruited to play soccer at a small division II school in Miami, Florida. There were four other girls on my team who were from Seattle, so I would travel up here on breaks to visit them. I loved it here! I decided I was going to move up once school was over; I was not ready to go back to Massachusetts just yet.

That was seven years ago now. I don’t have plans on leaving any time soon, either, especially since I am in the middle of purchasing a home.

What is something your co-workers would be surprised to
learn about you?

I did some childhood modeling when I was seven or eight. I even ended up in a math book! I remember I really wanted my school to use that math book so everyone would see it, but that never happened (laughs).

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I have a seven-month-old puppy named Charlie; a lot of my spare time goes into keeping her entertained. My boyfriend and I are big Sounders fans too, and he has season tickets. We’re at a game it feels like every weekend. We just switched our seats to a 100 level, which are all standing sections. I kind of miss the higher seats though, you could see the whole pitch. And sit down!

I also enjoy being outdoors and traveling to what seems like constant destination weddings for friends. I snowboard in the winter and go to lots of concerts in the summer. This year I’m planning to see Mumford and Sons and Portugal. The Man, Brandi Carlile, Lord Huron, and Shakey Graves so far.

Tell me about your family?

The majority of my family is all back east, still. My brother and sister-in-law live in Michigan though, with my 1-year-old nephew. They have a little girl on the way in June. They’ve definitely got their hands full!

My nephew is the best, and so cute though. He’s all about putting his sneakers on and running right now. He has a little ball pit, and any time I FaceTime with them he’s just throwing the balls out for the dog to come and puncture. It’s pretty hilarious to watch.

What’s something exciting happening in the industry?

Something exciting (and needed) is the growing focus on healthcare equity, especially pertaining to behavioral health patients. In the last five or ten years, there’s been more and more cutbacks to behavioral health programs, and outpatient facilities in general. So, instead, people are either flooding into hospitals,  clinics, or not getting care at all, and it’s become a real problem.

People are beginning to take a hard look at that now, ensuring that the care is not only available, but is effective and not just pushing the patient out the door and somewhere else.

What’s the best career advice you ever received?

My last boss was a really amazing mentor to me, and she gave me a little poster before she left that said something along the lines of, “Just say yes.” I’ve been trying to live more like that ever since…stop overthinking things or making excuses to not do them. Just say yes, and see how things go from there.

Return to Blog index