In My Opinion: Career and company growth with Paula Payne, Manager of Compliance

The fact that the letters IMO don’t just stand for Intelligent Medical Objects isn’t lost on this medical coding company. Indeed, we believe it’s high time IMO embraced our text-slang status and we’re doing just that with In My Opinion, a new Ideas series featuring Q&As with IMO employees. Next up is the Legal and Compliance team’s Paula Payne.
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How long have you worked at IMO, what is your role, and what does it entail?

I have been a proud part of the IMO story for over seven years. I am the Manager of Compliance with the Legal and Compliance (“L&C”) team. L&C focuses on contracts (customer and third-party), laws, and regulations like HIPAA and HITECH. My focus is on ensuring IMO is complying with rules, laws, contracts, and regulations that affect not only IMO but IMO’s customers. 

How does your job at IMO add value to our clients?

Everyone at IMO is critical to its success and the success of our customers. There are many things I do that add value, and one of the most critical is ensuring that IMO is complying with laws, contracts, and regulations that affect our customers’ businesses. Since most of IMO’s customers provide care to patients, they have requirements that are specific to the healthcare world. While IMO may not be providing healthcare, we provide services that are used by the healthcare providers. Our customers need their vendors, like IMO, to follow the same rules and regulations they do. It is my responsibility to make sure that IMO is aware of, following, and complying with those applicable laws, regulations, and requirements.  

Many employers say they support their employees both professionally and personally, IMO proves this through its words and actions and this reminds me often that I am in the right place.

How has working at IMO changed your perspective as a patient, an employee, a manager, or otherwise?

Since I started working at IMO, I now research if my healthcare providers use our products. Before, I never thought about how a doctor would document information about me or how that information translated electronically or through data. When I came to IMO, I realized that being able to send medical information electronically and through standardized codes in a systematic and concise way helps the doctor to provide me with better care. IMO makes it so  they don’t have to dig through a chart to find important information – which means they have more time to spend with me.

What has been your favorite project to work on at IMO, and why?

I led a contract reconciliation project at the end of 2019. It allowed me to use my critical thinking skills to drive revenue for IMO. Those of us who work in the infrastructure of an organization have the ability to save the company money, but rarely are we given the chance to actually participate in something that brings money in the door.

Tell us about a moment, an exchange, or experience you had at IMO that made you realize, “I’m in the right place.”

When I accepted the legal assistant position at IMO I wasn’t sure that this was going to be the best fit, but over the years there have been many instances where I realized that I was in the right place, personally and professionally. Professionally, when I accepted the legal assistant position I was hoping to expand the role and my abilities – and with IMO’s support and trust, I did just that. The original responsibilities increased and changed as I had hoped, to where I am today, Manager of Compliance. IMO continues to support and believe in me so that as the company grows, so can I. 

Personally, as a single mother IMO has always supported my ability to be a parent during working hours. I’ve never missed a sporting event or school function, and I’ve always been able to be there when she was sick. I’ve never had to decide, nor have I ever felt I needed to decide, between my job and my family. Many employers say they support their employees both professionally and personally, and IMO proves this through its words and actions. This reminds me often that I am in the right place. 

To learn more about what it’s like to work at IMO, visit our Careers page.

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