HOSPITAL CORNER

POMEROY–It is a pleasure and honor to celebrate Mary Allbright, Certified Professional Coder, as she announces her retirement after two decades. "She has been a dedicated employee for many years," and is an iconic presence at the hospital. She joins a handful of faithful employees that reached their retirement goals.

Mary became interested in the medical field and began seeking employment with Garfield County Hospital District. In June of 2001, the opportunity presented itself and she was hired in the Business Department where she worked in the hospital front office. In the earliest stage of her career, her position encompassed several duties with "many hats," fulfilling the job descriptions of Admitting, Receptionist, Payroll, Residents' Accounts, Human Resources to include training and overseeing employee orientation, and finally taking on projects for the CEO as the Executive Administrative Assistant. In addition, each day she was required to deliver the deposit to the Garfield County Courthouse on her way to picking up the hospital mail at the local post office. Admittedly, the most challenging part of her job, at that time, was juggling all those responsibilities but she did it with grace and always offered a warm greeting for all who entered. Today, the mail is delivered to the hospital and every one of these job duties have since been replaced by a staff member for each separate position, which speaks volumes for Mary's organizational skills!

In March of 2004, she became the Clinic Receptionist and transitioned into the Medical Records department, now known as Health Information Management. While in this position, she took on the duties as the medical coder for the Pomeroy Medical Clinic and discovered her love for coding. Mary pursued a national coding certificate and obtained her Certified Professional Coder in 2005. "Coding creates a story and I enjoy fitting the pieces together," but Mary's favorite aspect of her job is the reimbursement piece. "I like charge capture and deciphering what was done for each patient." Mary's expertise is a significant asset to GCHD. "The work she does is behind the scenes but vitally important to our billing process." Mary's dedication to the district spans nearly 20 years in extensive medical billing and coding experience. Her hard-working ethic, coupled with her positive attitude, are some of her best attributes.

Mary was recognized for her accomplishments and nominated by her co-workers for Employee of the Month in May of 2020. Staff members said, "Not only did Mary keeping up on the billing challenges, but she also covered the front desk, the screening desk when needed, and was always willing to rotate working hours to make sure we had coverage and did it with a smile on her face." She volunteered as the Vice President of Employee Ancillary Council (EAC) and has spent many hours beautifying the hospital rose garden, which she considered a labor of love.

Mary's last day at the hospital was Wednesday, September 23, 2021. Her retirement plans include moving to the west side of Washington State to be near her family. She and members of her family are making travel arrangements to Las Vegas in October of 2021 and next year are planning to tour the east coast states of New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine. A return visit to Virginia is also on her horizon to spend time with her daughter and son-in-law.

From the GCHD Staff and Board, we extend our great appreciation to you Mary, for the many years of service and for being such a loyal and faithful GCHD employee. It has been a privilege to work with you and we wish you all the best. Congratulations on your retirement, and just know that you will be greatly missed!