e4health Team Spotlight – Derek Goodwin

Introducing Derek Goodwin

 

Join us in celebrating Derek Goodwin, our HIM Manager, and explore how his leadership is driving innovation at e4health.

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Can you walk us through your career path and how it led you to your current role at e4health?

One of my first project placements was on Meridian Health, working on eMPI duplicate MRN remediation. Shortly after we spent two weeks onsite training in New Jersey, we brought on a second wave of e4health staff remotely. I was tasked with training all the new staff remotely from Meridian Health, but onsite at our old Leesport office. I worked with a large majority of our internal eMPI team (at the time) directly and helped create a strong foundation of knowledge around the fundamentals of validation and duplicate MRN merging. This is where I believe my some of my leadership and personal qualities stuck out to e4health. Shortly after the Meridian Health project, e4 was engaged on multiple different eMPI duplicate MRN projects with different clients. I was tasked with managing my first eMPI project for Heritage Valley Health System.
I would say my role is probably a little more non-traditional than most. I help serve and manage many different functions in the HIM space. I most often manage eMPI duplicate projects and various HIM functions that help support EPIC go-lives along with support of any paper management projects.

What aspects of your work at e4health ignite your passion for improving healthcare outcomes?

At e4health we are creating and or executing solutions that can directly help patient care. Being in my position it allows me to oversee the success and execution of day-to-day operations and tasks that have a direct result for each health network I’m engaged in. I put myself in the patient’s position knowing I would want the best possible healthcare I could get. Knowing our work is directly tied to some of those successes is very important and rewarding to continue to drive forward for all our clients, current and future.  

At e4health, we pride ourselves on WEGROW values. Which of these values resonates most deeply with you, and can you share a specific instance where you’ve embodied this value in your day-to-day work?

The one core value that resonates most deeply with me is Get Stuff Done (GSD). No matter how big the task, we want to deliver the best solution we can each and every time. One specific instance is with one of our net new logos from 2024, Memorial Hermann Health System. The biggest task for my team was we had to switch gears from empi related work and onboard and train 35+ people on CernerValidation errors. The staff needed to “Embrace change, fun & learning! As most have not had a lot of experience doing interface errors. This was a great experience for all of us, as we were able to pick it up very quickly.  Not only were we able to onboard and train the staff, but we also had a very short runway of approximately a week and a half to complete around 25k errors for the client’s 5/22 ambulatory go-live!  We really had to embrace “Get Stuff Done!” and resolve the majority of the errors to put the client in a place they didn’t think they would be in for go-live. 

How long have you been with e4health, and what aspects have motivated and engaged you through your tenure?

I started with e4health on December 24th, 2014. I have been with e4 for a little over 10 years. I truly love the flexibility I have with my work schedule; it allows me to participate in my hobbies or being there for my family when I need to. It allows me to create a work life balance that is important to me. Another thing that has kept me engaged and motivated is the wide range of projects and responsibilities I have been tasked with over the years. I have always been up for anything that has been assigned to me. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges that I have been tasked with, each have allowed me to develop professionally. During those challenging tasks, I have always felt supported by leadership. 

Are there any interesting facts about you that your colleagues may not know?

Many might already know, but wrestling is a huge part of my life. I competed for most of my life and coached high school wrestling for a few years. I’ve been involved in the wrestling community for more years than I have not. I had a very interesting experience when I joined the Division 1 wrestling program at Bloomsburg University as a walk on, that I believe changed my entire life. I had a desire to get back in shape and join the sport I loved so much growing up after not wrestling my freshman and sophomore year.

I met with the wrestling coach, and he gave me a date/time to be back on campus that summer, and I remember him telling me “I’ll give you two weeks before you quit”. I went in not knowing anyone on the team or where I would stay for the summer. I ended up sleeping on a couch all summer. Along the way I met some of my best friends and I started dating my now wife, which we now have 2 children (one boy and one girl) and 1 dog. This experience shaped me in many ways. First, knowing some people are always going to doubt you and some people are going to always support you. Either way you can always make the decision to keep pushing forward, especially if you are passionate about something.  Secondly, all your choices have outcomes that are either good or bad. Had I not decided to put myself there that day I might not have ended up married to my wife today. 

When you are not focused on your work at e4health, what activities or interests do you pursue that help you recharge and find balance?

I enjoy being outdoors hiking, hunting, fishing, running and golfing. I also enjoy staying active with working out. Most importantly I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. My wife and I just welcomed our second child into the family in December of 2024, being a dad and spending the quality time with my children is tiring but also very rewarding. 

What goals does Derek have for his future at e4health?

My goals are always to be the best version of myself. I try to carry that goal with me in my work and in my daily life. I want to continue to challenge myself in areas professionally and personally, doing so I believe I will continue to elevate my career.