Fifty-two clinics: Kim Plaggemeyer makes the rounds

Kim Plaggemeyer has dedicated her entire career to clinical practice management, first as a clinic manager, then a practice administrator, and most recently as a manager of ambulatory quality under clinical excellence. She recently celebrated 23 years with the organization (which was St. Vincent Regional Hospital when she started). Here, she talks about closing care gaps, planning a good scrapbook, and why her favorite Intermountain Health value is “We do the right thing.” 

You’re a regional manager of ambulatory quality. Tell me about that role. 

I’ve been working since 2017 in the quality department, which has now transformed into clinical excellence. We went from being a group of four people to a department of several hundred. It’s been fun to see that transformation. 

In Montana, we have 52 clinics. I visit each one annually and help them assess compliance with the standards of care that keep patients and caregivers safe. 

What do you look for when you visit a clinic? 

We look at processes that directly impact patient care, things like safe storage of medications and fire safety. Does everyone know what to do if they need to evacuate the building? We also help caregivers improve delivery of care by teaching them how to address care gaps. For example, encouraging patients to get cancer screenings or diabetic patients to have regular eye exams. 

How did you get into this kind of work? 

I’ve dedicated my entire career to physician practice management. I was actually the manager who opened the Broadwater Clinic back in 2002. Over the years I’ve worked in many different roles within the organization: clinic manager, practice administrator and now quality professional. 

What were you doing before you came to St. Vincent? 

I was a clinic manager in private practice. 

So you know your stuff. 

Well, there's always more to learn, but yes, I know quite a bit! 

“If we take care of the patient, everything else will follow.” - Kim Plaggemeyer, ambulatory quality manager

Tell me about your scrapbooking hobby. 

I enjoy taking long walks and I like to take pictures while I do it. We have a family cabin near Big Timber, and the wildflowers are beautiful. The neighborhoods around the St. Vincent campus are filled with lovely perennials and blooming trees, so during the spring and summer months I’ll often be out walking and snapping photos on my cellphone that I share with friends on social media. During the winter, I take those photos and make scrapbooks. 

What goes into the creation of a scrapbook? How do you decide what goes where? 

First you decide what pictures to use, then what type of paper. Next, you crop the pictures and add frames and fun stickers and inspirational quotes. Each page is unique and has its own feel. 

And every scrapbook has a theme. You know, there’s the Christmas scrapbook, the sports scrapbook, the vacation scrapbook. And then all the flower scrapbooks. 

I wonder if there’s a parallel between this hobby and what you do at work. 

You know, I haven’t ever thought of it that way, but there is. Both my work and my hobbies require some planning. You have to set a goal, and then you take steps to meet the goal. 

Do you have a favorite value? 

I do. “We do the right thing.” I quote this value often when I teach new caregivers in the Medical Group about quality metrics. If we take care of the patient, everything else will follow.