Susie Hayes began working with Baptist on July 9, 1956, as a medical secretary trainee in the Radiology department at the first Baptist Memorial Hospital in Midtown Memphis. This year, Susie celebrated 67 years with Baptist. She currently works as a Charge Description Master (CDM) specialist at Corporate. Susie has been a part of Baptist longer than anyone else and has witnessed our growth from a single hospital to a large system, as well as the advent of new technology.
Susie began her career with Baptist when she was 18 years old, shortly after graduating from high school. She became a medical secretary one year after starting as a trainee, and in 1965, she was promoted to supervisor of the secretarial department. Susie later worked as a manager. Today, she enjoys her work as a CDM specialist, a role she’s had since 1990 when she transitioned from Radiology to Finance at Corporate into a position that was created to keep abreast of the outpatient Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began mandating for ancillary departments.
“She has served in only a few roles in her tenure, but I can’t begin to tell you how much she is respected, admired, and needed by so many in the organization with respect to clinical and financial leaders in the system,” said Director of Revenue Integrity and CDM Frankie King.
In 1962, Susie decided to further her education and continued as a Baptist team member while working toward her Bachelor of Arts in English, which she earned from the University of Memphis (then known as Memphis State University). With financial assistance from Baptist for continuing her education, Susie also went on to earn a master’s in geography and library science from the University of Memphis. While she intended to leave Baptist to teach, Susie changed her mind after she was offered a newly created supervisory position at Baptist.
With her long tenure at Baptist, Susie has seen much change. She was at Baptist when the first CT machines arrived, and when ultrasound and MRI screening were offered to patients for the first time. Susie also witnessed changes in technology that have made recordkeeping much more efficient.
“When I started with Baptist, we didn’t have an automated financial system. We entered our charges by hand on a typewriter and kept up with them manually,” said Susie. “Now we have Baptist OneCare, one application for a patient’s financial and clinical information.”
Susie cherishes her experiences from her long career and finds it a challenge to name a favorite, though she did mention the large dinner she attended for the 75th anniversary of the first Baptist hospital in 1987.
“With so many experiences along the line, there are too many to recount. I like what I do,” commented Susie.
Retirement isn’t something Susie thinks of often. She works full time and doesn’t enjoy working from home. You can find Susie, who turns 86 years old in September, at her desk at Corporate on most weekdays, barring a snowstorm or power outage.
“That’s not in my wheelhouse as far as thinking about retirement,” noted Susie.
Susie said that with the generous paid time off benefits at Baptist, she’s been able to travel freely, visiting other countries and many states in the U.S. She’s planning her next trip for August with her husband Jerry.
