McLeod Health's close-knit team thrives in a family atmosphere

Department managers often talk about the culture of teamwork they've tried to instill in their staff. But that doesn't have quite the same effect as when a management team tells you, as a group, how much they value working together.

A team of six – including a director of payroll services, a director of reimbursement and financial planning, two accounting managers, a departmental secretary, and the vice president of finance who manages them all – recently discussed reasons for the success of the finance department at McLeod Health, in Florence, S.C. Observations jumped out from all angles, like conversation at a family dinner.

Indeed, that might not be too different from what it's like to work at McLeod. As David Anderson, an accounting manager, described it, "We have about as close to a family atmosphere as you can get."

"The department works hand in hand," explained Mark Cameron, vice president of finance. "Nobody has a single job. People are pretty much willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done."Given the array of new challenges facing hospital finance departments, Cameron said, maintaining a calm environment "really comes down to trying to allocate the projects evenly rather than unloading on one person."

"You can tell when someone's getting overloaded – it's almost like you've got to be out there and look in everybody's eyes" in order to know how they're holding up, he said. 

To that end, Cameron noted that "David (Anderson) and Dianne (Bryant, director of payroll services) do a really good job of being out there and communicating."

"People have been here a long time," Bryant chimed in, "and they know what they're doing."

According to Cameron, one of the keys to keeping things running smoothly is "we celebrate our successes," often with luncheons or breakfasts where staffers are rewarded for their good work.

Given the emphasis on helping out, it's not surprising that the management team, when asked what they look for in new employees, described a go-getter who is not afraid to take on new challenges.

"We look for someone who knows they don't have to be the best to do a good job," Cameron explained. "We want people who are willing to jump in; there's no point in having prima donnas."

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