One of the best decisions ProHealth Care HTM and Biomedical Engineering Manager Rob Bundick ever made was the day he hired Biomedical Equipment Parts Procurement Specialist Mickie Wong.
“Mickie has meant a lot to not only this department, but to ProHealth Care. She has been a valuable member of our team and will be missed by all of us,” Bundick said about Wong’s retirement. “Mickie was key in developing both our parts sourcing program and equipment disposition program. We would have had a difficult time achieving the success we have had without her.”
A positive outlook and can-do attitude are just two of the qualities Wong brought to work with her on a daily basis. She radiated a feel-good karma that infects the rest of the HTM department creating a wonderful workplace for everyone.
The positive vibe was an added bonus to Wong’s amazing work. She produced significant cost savings and fueled an efficient operation throughout an HTM department that covers approximately 15,000 pieces of medical equipment from patient monitors to diagnostic imaging devices.
The department utilizes an equipment disposition process to improve how equipment can be redeployed, sold, traded-in, donated or salvaged. Wong helped the department fine-tune this process and create a number of avenues for the parts disposition process.
Wong was the parts procurement specialist and was also in charge of equipment disposition. She looked at any equipment that was not being used in the organization and came to a conclusion about each piece in regards to redeploying it within the organization, if there is a need at another campus or at one of the health care system’s clinics.
“She also looks at trade-in versus selling it,” Bundick said in a previous interview. “Sometimes when you are getting rid of a device, or replacing it with another device, or are offered a trade-in value from the company that we are purchasing the new equipment from, her job is to try to source it on the secondary market to see if we, as an organization, are better off selling it ourselves or trading it in to get the better value.”
When there was not a trade-in, Wong considered selling equipment. The department has developed a workflow process with a centralized location for this equipment. Wong would create an inventory and the department would send it out to buyers with pricing and the offer of purchase. They will then negotiate the price if there are multiple vendors involved.
If she could not sell it or we redeploy it within the organization, she looked at other options, including using the device for parts to maintain other devices still within the organization.
ProHealth Care Purchasing Director Tom Lindl, who serves as Bundick’s director, was impressed with Wong long before she set foot in one of the ProHealth Care facilities.
“I first worked with Mickie in the early 1980s when she was a newly minted LPN (yet-to-be RN), and I was a purchasing manager. We both worked on the Product Evaluation Committee and even at that early time in her health care career she distinguished herself. Qualities and characteristics that she harnessed and refined over the years include tenacity, an unwavering focus on goals, a strong practical curiosity and interest in technology, a genuinely sweet manner of engaging with customers and co-workers, and a positive outlook,” Lindl said.
Lindl left that organization only to cross paths with Wong a few years later.
“In the mid-80s, I moved on to take a lead role in an emerging consulting firm,” Lindl said. “Several years later, Mickie joined the company working for one of my managers, and what a tremendous hiring decision he made when bringing Mickie on board! Mickie earned several roles over the years with that company, lead roles that included managing technical staff at customer locations around the United States; technical and business analysis and diverse self-starting management responsibilities. Now, that degree of tenacity, focus on goals, and the other characteristics … well, Mickie thrived during those years of professional challenge, and notably her manner of dealing with coworkers and customers remained true to her nature, her natural self – warm, genuine, welcoming.”
Lindl changed jobs and left that organization to join ProHealth Care around 2007.
“And one day, Rob Bundick presents me with his two semi-finalists for the newly created parts sourcing position, which was a critical hire. One of whom was incredibly over-qualified – Mickie! Unpredictable circumstances of life created this amazing coincidence, I’ve been blessed again to be working in the same place and focused on some of the same objectives with the very talented, accomplished and very nice Ms. Mickie Wong,” Lindle exclaimed.
Wong’s decision to retire generates bittersweet feelings for her colleagues. They are happy for her, but she will be missed.
“Mickie, I have appreciated your contributions to work over the course of your career, and have valued your uplifting disposition and effect on those around you including me! My very best wishes to you in every respect,” Lindl said.
“Mickie Wong, so much to treasure,” he concluded.
Deb Parkhurst will be taking over as Biomed Tech Procurement Specialist. She can be contacted at 262-928-4081 or via email at debra.parkhurst@phci.org.