Six months ago, I made the decision to make a huge career change and leave the comfort of a 30-year business relationship and join the ProviderTrust team. As you can imagine, this change didn’t come without many hours, days, and weeks of considering all of the pros and cons. It was hard to leave old friends but as my husband reminded me so many times, just because you change jobs doesn’t mean you change friends! But in the end, I knew it was time for a change, and I couldn’t think of a better team to join. I might even say family to join. As I reflect on this life changing, career changing event, I can honestly say that it was the best professional decision I have ever made! I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to share this great adventure.
The ProviderTrust team has welcomed me with open arms and made me feel instantly at home. At times, I feel like the matriarch of this incredibly young team, but that’s okay. My children are grown so I needed a few more young people in my life on a day-to-day basis!
Before and After
Before joining ProviderTrust I was the Chief Compliance Officer of a very large organization (over 25,000 employees) with layers of management, a complicated network infrastructure…and it goes without saying a very high-stress level.
Now, I am the Director of the new Compliance Integrity Division and the Chief Compliance Officer of ProviderTrust. I get to work with compliance officers all across the country helping them improve their compliance programs and hopefully lower their stress levels and improve their quality of life. Each month, I conduct compliance webinars with Mike Rosen, co-founder of ProviderTrust. Mike has over 25 years of experience in compliance, is a “recovering” attorney as he likes to say, and has the best sense of humor of anyone I know. He has more creative ideas in a week than I do in a year. With my hands-on compliance experience and Mike’s legal mind, we make a great team!
I also get to spend time with the sales team which is led by Chris Redhage the other co-founder of ProviderTrust. Chris was my first contact with ProviderTrust over five years ago. He came to my company to present the ProviderTrust exclusion monitoring product, and we instantly clicked. Chris has a personality that just puts you instantly at ease. Chris leads by example with integrity and honesty.
Shortly after joining ProviderTrust Chris and I were on our way home from a prospective client meeting and I was quite excited about how the meeting went and how well Chris and I worked together. Honestly, I was a little shocked at how comfortable I felt in a “sales” situation since I had never spent any time in that type of role. But I realized right then that I had found another way to contribute to the ProviderTrust team. I was going to be able to enhance the “Provider” role in ProviderTrust. Having first hand experiences as a provider, growing up in a post acute organization as a compliance professional, and as a former ProviderTrust client, I feel confident in my role in helping explain our solutions to the compliance community. I didn’t have to know anything about sales to contribute; I could just be me, sharing my experiences and helping compliance officers see how ProviderTrust can reduce their risk of non-compliance and help reduce their stress. It is a great fit!
The ProviderTrust leadership team is made up of three great leaders; Chris Redhage, Mike Rosen, and Andrew Luers. I have already told you about Chris and Mike but not Andrew. Andrew leads from afar but finds a way to mentor and motivate no matter what time zone he is in. Andrew has been a huge help to me as I transition into a consulting role. He had many years of experience in the consulting arena prior to joining the ProviderTrust team. Andrew’s coaching and support continues to make this transition the best decision ever.
Six Months Have Flown By
Looking back at my time with the ProviderTrust family, I have to chuckle at how scared I was to make this change and how nervous I was the first week. On my first day, I arrived at the office full of confidence and ready to get started on this new adventure but then they handed me my new 17 inch MacBook, and I started to panic. I have always thought of myself as relatively tech savvy, but at that exact minute I realized I was starting all over. I can laugh about it now, but I sure didn’t on that day. I had never used an Apple product before. Both of my children have iPhones and MacBooks but I was a traditional PC girl. So, within a few minutes I had texted both of my children and told them mom was going to need some tutoring and fast! Thankfully I have great kids and a great ProviderTrust team that never got annoyed with my silly questions. Now, I LOVE my computer and all the new communication tools that this young and innovative team uses. In my case that old saying, “Can’t teach an old dog new tricks” was wrong. I have learned all sorts of new tricks, and I can’t wait for more!
I am also supported by an amazing marketing team that is helping build our Compliance Integrity Division. They are full of great ideas, positive support every day, and all around wonderful people. Who knew that in a few short months, I would be writing multiple blogs every month, participating in an OIG Roundtable, be a guest on an SCCE podcast, or co-presenting with members of the Office of Inspector General.
It is truly a privilege to be part of the ProviderTrust family! We are a growing company so come check us out. You too could be a part of this great ProviderTrust team!
Written by Donna Thiel, Director of Compliance Integrity Team 
dthiel@providertrust.com
Connect with Donna on LinkedIn
Donna Thiel is the Director of our Compliance Integrity team, a consulting division of ProviderTrust. Donna works with compliance officers across the country to help reduce the stress and anxiety of this very difficult role.
