Diane C. Lee, DBA, MBA

AAAEM Member-at-Large Candidate Jefferson Einstein Hospital

Biography

I am currently the Administrator for the Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Einstein Hospitals (JEH), a safety net hospital, now part of Jefferson Health System providing a leadership role in alignment of health services operations and processes across all sites, outreach, financial oversight, strategic planning, research, program development and clinical service delivery. Additional core responsibilities extend to support for the department divisions to include emergency medical services, informatics, ultrasound sonography, toxicology services, clinical research studies, and medical education programs. Revenue cycle management has been another key area of focus building a collaborative infrastructure to provide direction in support of billing education and high-quality clinical documentation. I explore opportunities for partner relationships, oversee grants and contracts to ensure timely completion of promised deliverables and communication with funders. Most interesting has been civic engagement and the opportunity to work with Vot-ER, a nonpartisan organization that works to bring voter registration into health care settings with the goal of giving patients a voice in the policies that directly impact them. Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia was an early adopter as a model site for registering underrepresented patients through the emergency department. I have held positions in diverse healthcare environments involving varied disciplines. Among my significant accomplishments are implementing monitoring systems and processes to optimize operational and financial performance and collaborative strategies to enhance the delivery of patient centered care; organizational initiatives employing population health management as a key strategy to enhance patient centered care delivery, control cost of care, and impact health outcomes; and identified care transition coordination opportunities to improve patient care and services between hospitals and community service providers to improve quality of care. Driving innovative health solutions for underserved populations has also involved supporting community health opioid use disorder programs and trauma intervention services. I earned a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA), a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. I have been an active member of AAAEM for the past six years benefiting greatly from participation at the annual retreats, utilizing data from the benchmark surveys, and serving on the IDEA Committee. These activities have promoted my professional growth and have allowed me to make positive contributions in the decision-making process at my institution on various projects. This past year as a Member-at -Large of the Executive Committee (EC), I had the opportunity to participate in leadership and strategic initiatives of the Academy. Serving a second year will be even more valuable. I am more prepared and equipped to participate to a higher degree having gained experience in setting priorities that align with the Academy mission in maintaining a community forum for dissemination of information and exchange of ideas among administrators within emergency medicine academic programs. I would be honored to serve another year in EC leadership fulfilling the Academy mission and contributing to the success of committee and project related activities.