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Andrea Tait
Access to timely, equitable and effective care is essential for all and its my life’s work
Andrea Tait is a seasoned healthcare technology professional currently serving as the Global Senior Vice President of Patient Empowerment and Equity at Orion Health.5 With approximately 17 years of experience in leadership roles within the healthcare sector, Andrea is based in Ontario, Canada.1
Career and Expertise
Andrea's career at Orion Health has been marked by significant contributions:
- She previously held the position of Vice President of Client Value at Orion Health.1
- Her work focuses on leveraging technology to enhance value for healthcare providers and patients.1
- Andrea is known for her dedication to value-based healthcare and her commitment to improving healthcare systems for patients, clinicians, and taxpayers.1
Professional Philosophy
Andrea's approach to leadership and healthcare is characterized by several key principles:
- Authenticity: She believes in being true to oneself, embracing qualities like persistence and optimism.1
- Self-belief: Andrea acknowledges overcoming imposter syndrome and recognizing her own contributions to her success.1
- Transparent Leadership: She values sharing her thought processes, including doubts and reasoning, to strengthen her leadership and team performance.1
- Inclusive Decision-Making: Andrea practices being the last to speak in discussions, allowing team members to formulate ideas without the influence of her leadership position.1
- Decisive Action: She advocates for making timely decisions and creating a culture that embraces innovation and learns from mistakes.1
Recent Developments
In September 2023, Andrea played a key role in announcing a strategic global partnership between Orion Health and WELL Health Technologies Corp. This alliance aims to enhance health integration tools and reshape the healthcare landscape by focusing on patient empowerment and reducing administrative burdens for healthcare providers.23
Andrea Tait is recognized as a passionate and knowledgeable health technology expert, bringing a compelling mix of skills and energy to her work.4 Her LinkedIn profile can be found under the username andrea-tait-2586b917.4
Highlights
From Advocate to Patient
I have spent several weeks considering this post. It is deeply personal and my initIal reaction was to keep it private. I have decided that, as a leader in patient empowerment and equity, this is an opportunity. At the end of June in 2024, I had a routine mammogram scheduled by the Ontario breast screening program and an "architectural distortion" was detected.
And just like that, I went from passionate patient advocate to cancer patient. I have decided to post my journey here with a focus on the system. A patient's perspective on what is working, what isn't and what we, as system planners, contributors and digital health experts can do better.
I should note here that all indications so far are that I'm lucky. It seems this was caught in it's very early stages and the prognosis is very good. That is why I feel this is an important lesson to share in my network. So we all do better, collaborate more and accelerate our work and make sure every Canadian can say, "I'm lucky and the prognosis is very good."
So, here we go ........
Step 1: Regular mammogram notice received by letter in the mail notifying me to make a mammogram appointment. Good - we do have a system in Ontario "Ontario Breast Screening" that tracks women for regular mammograms as most Canadian provinces and territories do. Needs work - reminder came in the mail with no option for email, text or other digital interaction. This is slow, expensive and ineffective. Appointment booking was through a series of "tag you're it" phone calls, no digital appointment booking was available. I ended jumping of a work call to grab the phone when I saw Quinte Health.
Step 2. : Architectural distortion detected, I received a phone call from the hospital scheduling a follow up ultrasound and biopsy for 10 days later. I have a history of breast cancer in my family including my mother's death of MBS 5 years ago.
My perspective:
Good - The hospital followed up quickly to schedule next steps in the investigation. I am lucky in my area, Prince Edward County, to have a family doctor, many don't and the waiting list for primary care in our area can be years. Needs work - I had already accessed my Mammogram images and report through a private system provided in Ontario. That system costs me $49.00 per year which I pay with a credit card, if I could not pay this fee or did not have a credit card, I would not be able to access this information easily. Having this information helped me prep for the next steps. Patients need access to their health information with no delay, no cost and as easily as possible.
I will post again on my patient perspective later this week. This Bay of Quinte sunset is posted to illustrate that we are so lucky, in so many ways in this country but our healthcare system needs work and I'm hoping to share my experience to shine a light on this.
Andrea
In case you needed a reminder, Dorothy is why we do what we do. Congratulations on this important work NLHS and thank you Dorothy for teaching us all. As Orion Health's SVP of Patient Empowerment and Equity, #IworkforDorothy.
NL Health Services
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Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
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