Rebecca Herrmann, Office Manager
“Teamwork” Isn’t a Catchphrase at Crovetti Ortho – It’s How We Do Things
If you were to ask Rebecca Herrmann about her most important priorities, she’d tell you that quite simply, “It’s all about family.” As a wife and the mom of two active teenagers, nothing gives her more pleasure than being involved in their lives and spending time with them.
Six years ago, when the family left Oregon to move to Henderson, Nevada, it didn’t take long for the couple to realize that this was a pretty great place to live and raise their kids. And it was shortly after landing here that chance and good timing brought together Rebecca Herrmann and Dr. Michael Crovetti.
“One day, I decided to make some in-person visits to a few businesses with my resume. I saw the Crovetti Orthopaedics office, pulled in, and was fortunate enough to speak with the Office Manager right then. It seems my ‘cold call’ decision came at just the right time, because next I met with Dr. Crovetti, and in just days I was the new Front Desk Receptionist!”
Herrmann had a good feeling about Dr. Crovetti and his staff from the start, and with good reason. Only nine months later when the Office Manager left, Dr. Crovetti moved her into that position.
“Taking on that kind of responsibility is a big step,” explains Rebecca. “But whenever I had doubts or questions, Dr. Crovetti always had my back, just as he does for everyone here. However, the most important thing he helped me to learn was that I needed to see this place as a family. And that really clicked with me.”
Ever since, in her role as Office Manager of this dynamic team of nine talented individuals, she’s kept that in mind. As a result, it’s possible that she’s part of one of most friendly, functional, and focused teams in town. When all that positive energy is concentrated on a single goal – in this case, providing the best care for their patients – it’s almost a no-brainer that it’s going to turn out well.
“That’s not to say that people don’t sometimes make mistakes,” she adds. “But when they do, I try to reach out and help them find solutions and learn how to do a better job moving forward. I’ve always had a “How can we fix this and do it better the next time?” mindset. Maybe my teaching background has something to do with that,” she smiles.
“Of course, the entire patient experience begins right at the front desk – so I make sure that the first person who connects with them fully understands our overall philosophy,” continues Rebecca. “It’s important that our patients have a seamless experience, and that means we have to work efficiently as a team. Each of us have our own strengths in our job, but we do a lot a cross-training behind the scenes to make it work even better. And Dr. Crovetti very much encourages all of us to grow in our positions and expand our knowledge – knowing that what helps us individually will benefit the team, too.”
As needed, Herrmann is also the calming presence when issues arise. “I’m there for patients to hear their concerns, because let’s face it – things do go wrong sometimes. But it’s important to be able to speak with them directly and understand their situation fully so that we can take care of the matter as quickly as possible.”
As Office Manager, Rebecca oversees everything that occurs in the clinic – from the initial patient contact, to appointment flow, tests, insurance, billing, scheduling, and more. But for her, the best thing about working in a real workplace ‘family’ setting is being able to rely on those you work with.
“To put it simply, Dr. Crovetti hires good people. He inspires and encourages them – and most importantly, he lets them do their job,” explains Herrmann. “A lot of companies don’t understand how critical that is, but he does. As a result, we all communicate well and efficiently – which is a huge benefit to our patients. It’s just a smarter, more efficient way to do things.”
After nearly five years on staff, Herrmann was given the opportunity to observe Dr. Crovetti in action during surgery. It was an exciting event as it gave her more insight to the total patient experience. As she recalls, “I was completely mesmerized and found it incredibly interesting to watch.
“But what really stuck with me was seeing how Dr. Crovetti is so enthusiastic about doing the job well – even after he’s performed thousands of such surgeries. It’s obvious this is not “rote” for him. He sees each patient as unique and he is totally invested in helping to eliminate their pain by making their surgery a success and their recovery as easy as possible.”
Family at home, family at work – Rebecca Herrmann has hit on a winning combination that allows her to welcome each day with a smile.
“It’s an amazing place, and I guess it all comes down to having the right priorities, good energy, great communication, and a lot of trust. Early on, Dr. Crovetti explained to me that he has an “Open Door” policy – and he told the staff “If there comes a day you feel that my door isn’t open – we have a problem.” That’s a pretty transparent way to get the message across, I think. Basically, “We’re all in this together.”