October 22, 2025 • 25 mins
On this episode of the MGMA Insights Podcast, host Daniel Williams, senior editor at MGMA, welcomes Idalis McPhail, practice administrator at Fairfax Pediatric Associates and one of MGMA’s 2025 Future Five Award winners. With a background that spans from bedside nursing to executive administration, McPhail shares her journey of bridging clinical and administrative leadership, fostering unity across departments, and implementing evidence-based safety and workflow improvements. Listeners will gain practical insights into building communication, strengthening patient experience, and leading change in long-standing healthcare organizations.
Key Takeaways
[02:34] – Recognition and Mentorship
Idalis describes the surprise and excitement of receiving her MGMA Future Five Award and how MGMA resources and mentorship accelerated her professional growth as a new practice administrator.
[05:11] – Career Evolution: CNA to Administrator
Her transition from clinical roles to leadership positions taught her the importance of empathy, teamwork, and leadership’s impact on both patient outcomes and staff morale.
[06:09] – Inside Fairfax Pediatric Associates
Fairfax Pediatric Associates—serving Northern Virginia for nearly 60 years—includes three locations, 80 staff, and offers care ranging from pediatrics to ADHD and mental health services as part of the Trusted Doctors network.
[09:30] – Speaking a Common Language: Clinical Meets Administrative
McPhail explains how she united departments by defining the patient experience as a shared goal—covering every touchpoint from insurance verification through follow-up care.
[11:23] – Leading a Culture of Safety
Her infection-control initiative began with observation and staff education. By focusing on the “why” behind safety standards, McPhail built buy-in and accountability, reducing employee sick days and patient cross-contamination.
[13:50] – Sustaining Quality through Engagement
Monthly “secret shopper” audits keep infection-control practices consistent, reinforcing awareness without creating a punitive culture.
[17:14] – Mentorship and Collaboration Across Roles
Transitioning from nurse manager to administrator required humility, curiosity, and asking direct reports for insight. McPhail emphasizes showing how operational decisions affect patient outcomes to motivate staff from all backgrounds.
[19:33] – Redefining Impact: Taking Care of the Caregivers
Moving into administration expanded McPhail’s impact—now supporting both patients and the 80 employees who care for them through operational efficiency, fiscal stability, and workplace culture.
[21:55] – Thriving Amid Change
McPhail views healthcare’s constant evolution as a learning opportunity, encouraging leaders to collaborate, stay adaptable, and embrace innovation with confidence and curiosity.
Resources:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Daniel Williams (00:03):
Well, hi, everyone. I'm Daniel Williams,
senior editor at MGMA, host ofthe MGMA Podcast Network. We are
back as we've been doing allmonth. We are looking at and
recognizing our MGMA awardwinners. Today we have another
of our twenty twenty five FutureFive award winners.
(00:25):
Our guest today is IdalisMcPhail. Idalis is a practice
administrator at FairfaxPediatric Associates. She's also
worked to bridge the clinicaland administrative sides of her
practice, leading to initiativesin safety, technology, revenue
cycle, and culture. And we areso excited to welcome Adalis to
(00:49):
the show today. Adalis, welcome.
Idalis McPhail (00:51):
Thank you so much, Daniel.
Daniel Williams (00:53):
Yeah. You and I had wow. Did we have some
technology issues getting set uptoday?
Idalis McPhail (00:59):
That's perfect.
Daniel Williams (00:59):
Yeah. You told me you had a theater background.
And so you're used to the showmust go on. Right?
Idalis McPhail (01:05):
The show must go on. Exactly.
Daniel Williams (01:08):
So I certainly had a first question for you.
Your your name is so unique. Iwas so interested in it. I love,
kind of the etymology of wordsand names. Where did Adalis come
from?
Idalis McPhail (01:22):
Yeah. Everyone, they they always ask. They're
like, where where is this from?I am the daughter of teenage
parents that watched a lot ofMTV. And so Idalis was a video
announcer, I guess, on MTV, andmy mom was like, that's the one.
So there it is.
Daniel Williams (01:39):
That is so cool. I will tell you. Not that
you asked or anybody else, but,my particular name, I have three
older siblings. My dad, he mighthave, I don't know. He might
have stretched the truth alittle bit, but he say it sounds
kinda like the lion king, but hesaid he held me up in the in the
maternity ward and everythingand said, we will name you
(02:02):
Daniel because you have beenborn into a lion's den because I
had these three older siblings,and I think he might have just
seen the lion king or something.
But although this pre I'm I'dcertainly predate the lion king,
but, I think his storytelling,it was once the lion king had
come out. So, you know, anybodylistening, if y'all have
interesting name origins, sendthose in to me. I'd love to hear
(02:25):
them so we can go in thatdirection. So let's talk about
future five. So let's thinkabout this.
You, are one of our fiverecipients, of course, and we're
so excited to have you as one ofthose recipients. Where were you
when you found out? What wasthat like? Did you even know you
(02:46):
had been nominated? Tell usabout, learning about your,
honor.
Idalis McPhail (02:51):
Definitely. I was so surprised. It was a
Monday in clinic. And you know,Mondays at any point in time are
just rough getting started. Youget your coffee.
And I was kind of going throughthe emails that had come over
through the weekend. And, youknow, I was going through the
emails and I stopped a littlebit and I had a phone call, but
(03:14):
I was going into anothermeeting. And so all these things
were happening and I was readingthe transcription of a voicemail
that came in from my phone. Andit was someone saying, Please
call me back. You won this awardfor MGMA.
And I just, I was in the middleof the hallway, in the middle of
a conversation, and I juststopped and I said, I won an
award. And so it was very, verysurprising to me. I was so
(03:38):
excited. I shared the news withmy colleagues, my medical
directors, and I was just sothrilled because I am very new
to practice administration. Andso MGMA has been a resource for
me to learn about medical groupmanagement.
And so I just started amentorship through MGMA. I just
(04:01):
started really diving into theresources. And so to be honored
from this organization that Ijust kind of became a part of
and started learning more about,it's been amazing.
Daniel Williams (04:14):
Yeah, that is so cool. And I appreciate your
resilience and your patience aswe were trying to get set up. We
actually, everybody, we jumpedinto a different platform. We're
recording this in Zoom, but wewere recording it in another
platform and things just weren'tworking for us. That's just what
(04:34):
we do.
That sounds like healthcare,right? It doesn't work here, and
we're going to make anadjustment. We pivot. Pivot. We
make executive decisions in realtime to get things to work.
So you and I did as we weretrying to get set up and get
things going, we had time tothink about this. And so you
(04:54):
were able to share some of yourbackground with me, as you just
mentioned. You're more recent onthe administrative side. You
have been in healthcare for alittle while. So share with us
that healthcare journey,anything you might want to share
about what has led you up towhere you are today?
Idalis McPhail (05:11):
Absolutely. So I actually started as a certified
nursing assistant in thehospital. I then graduated with
my bachelor's in nursing. So Ibecame a registered nurse on the
inpatient side. And I really sawhow my leaders, my managers,
their motivation and theirleadership was impacting staff
(05:31):
morale.
It was impacting patientoutcomes. And I just kind of
felt I want to be a part ofthat. Like, I want to have that
bigger impact. And so Itransitioned into nurse
management and finished up mymaster's in nursing as well as
my master's in businessadministration. And very, very
quickly after graduationtransitioned at the beginning of
(05:54):
this year in 2025 to practiceadministration.
So I've kind of, I've been init, I've been from the nurse
assistant side to theadministration side. So I've
learned a lot about thedifferent aspects of healthcare
for sure.
Daniel Williams (06:09):
Yeah. And what can you tell us about, Fairfax
Pediatric Associates? Anythingabout the size, scope, anything
of where y'all's focus is as apractice you might want to
share?
Idalis McPhail (06:19):
Definitely. So Fairfax Pediatric Associates,
we've been in business foralmost sixty years now. We have
three locations in NorthernVirginia taking care of the
pediatric population. So newbornpatients all the way to 18, 19
year olds. And we're primarycare, but we also handle a lot
of ADHD, mental health,different specialties like that
(06:42):
within our practice as well.
We have about 80 employees andwe're part of a larger
conglomerate called TrustedDoctors in the DMV. And
everything is pediatrics. Sothere's lots of color and
bubbles and stickers to goaround.
Daniel Williams (06:57):
Now you said DMV, and so just to clarify,
acronyms always catch me. WhichDMV is this? Because I think of
the Department of Motor Vehicle.And so Like, the the
Idalis McPhail (07:08):
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia. That's what
very close to DC.
Daniel Williams (07:12):
Says I thought that's what you were referring
to. And, you know, that's when Ialways hear these, acronyms. I'm
going, wait a minute. Are areyou also moonlighting with the
Department of Motor Vehicles?
Idalis McPhail (07:23):
Manage. Break your forms, everybody.
Daniel Williams (07:26):
Well, that is wonderful. So let's focus in
then on where your energy istaking you right now at the
practice. I always laugh when Iask this question, what's a
typical day like? But what is aday in the life of a Dallas in
your practice? What does a daylook like for you?
Idalis McPhail (07:45):
Yeah, I would say a typical day does not look
like yesterday for sure. Soevery day is different. There's
always something new that popsup, maybe a fire that needs to
be put out or a patient thatmaybe a parent needs to be de
escalated. But really what I'velearned as a practice
(08:06):
administrator is that the scopegoes throughout all the
different departments. So maybeone day the focus is our billing
department and really makingsure that those workflows and
those questions are answered andpeople feel supported there.
But maybe the next day it'ssomething on the clinical side,
Maybe there's some training thatneeds to happen or some, you
(08:31):
know, there's a new, you know,new, so vaccines right now are
huge in kind of that realm. Sojust being able to clearly
communicate to the team, makesure that everyone's on the same
page. And lots of meetings, I'velearned as a practice
administrator. So making surethat I'm spending my time in an
(08:53):
appropriate manner between allthose meetings.
Daniel Williams (08:56):
Yeah. Now you brought up something really
interesting that you do havethat clinical background. Now
you're on the administrativeside. How have you leaned into
that experience that youpreviously had where you can
bridge that gap? Sometimes, andwe've done studies where we've
seen that the administrativeside at a practice and the
(09:18):
clinical side sometimes arespeaking a different language.
They might even say, Oh yeah,things are going great in X, Y,
Z. And then you interview theother side and they go, No,
they're going actually terribly.And so how do we speak that same
language? How do we connect? Sowhat have you done with your
experience to help bridge thosegaps?
Idalis McPhail (09:38):
I was really thankful to start at FPA as the
nursing manager. So I was ableto get a lot of that experience
on the clinical side, learningabout the ins and outs of what
the clinical staff, theproviders, what they needed in
terms of support to take care ofpatients. And when I
transitioned to theadministrative side, I was able
(09:59):
to really kind of have thatbalcony view. And I saw that
what FPA kind of needed, becausewe have three different
locations and because we have alot of different departments,
there really needed to be thatunification between everybody
where you're saying, we need tospeak the same language. We need
to be on the same page.
And so really we needed thatcentralized mission. And that's
(10:25):
going to be, it's the patientalways, right? So it's patient
first, it's patient experience.I had to remind everybody that
the patient experience is notjust the check-in process or the
vital signs with the nurse ormedical assistant or the
provider visit. The patientexperience goes across the whole
(10:45):
spectrum from insuranceverification all the way through
the visit and then evenfollow-up after the visit.
So we needed to make sure thatour departments were all
centered on the same mission.And once we kind of opened up
that communication and said,Hey, we're all on the same team
here, we're all on the samepage, it really helped to kind
of unify and build thisenvironment where, you know,
(11:08):
we're collaborating now. It'snot us versus them. It's we're
all on the same team.
Daniel Williams (11:13):
Yeah, I love that. Well, thank you for
sharing that. You also, inreading your nomination, you led
a major initiative to review andstandardize infection control
and safety practices. Talk aboutwhat that was about and what
some of the results were fromdeveloping that initiative.
Idalis McPhail (11:32):
Definitely. That was exciting. I definitely
learned in that process to kindof change up my approach to
things. Usually I'm the first toraise my hand. I'm the first to
give my best ideas as soon assomeone asks a question.
And I learned that when I'mgoing into a clinic or an
organization that's been herefor over sixty, almost sixty
(11:54):
years, I really needed toobserve what was currently
happening. And so I kind ofapproached that with an open
mind and a closed mouth. So Iwent in, was really trying to
observe the workflows, handhygiene, different, you know,
(12:15):
safety needle protocols,different things like that. And
I just went around, I observed,I asked questions. I really
wanted to know, how did we getto this process?
What were the obstacles thatthis team tried to overcome? And
how did this process come out ofthose overcoming those
obstacles? And so in that, Ilearned kind of how we got here.
(12:38):
And then after I identified theneed for a change in some of
these workflows and processes,we talked before we even rolled
out any changes in expectation,we did a lot of staff education.
We talked about the why.
Why is it even important thatIdalis walked around and watched
me wash my hands? Why is thatimportant? How does that affect
(13:00):
the patient? And so after wedid, you know, PowerPoints and,
you know, different just opentalks and meetings about why
it's so important. We thenrolled out those expectations so
that way staff had more of a buyin and more of an understanding
of, okay, this isn't somethingcrazy that Dallas just made up.
(13:21):
There's a reason behind it.There's statistics. It's an
evidence based workflowapproach. So that has been
great. We've seen less employeecallouts during flu and sick
season.
We've seen less crosscontamination between patient
rooms. And so just doing thathas definitely impacted not only
(13:43):
the employees, but also thepatients as well.
Daniel Williams (13:46):
That is so interesting. I'm just imagining
you following someone and thenwatching them wash their hands
and y'all reciting the ABCstwice through and wait a minute.
Idalis McPhail (13:58):
Very seriously.
Daniel Williams (13:59):
The thumbs there. I remember watching all
these videos during the pandemicon was I washing my hands wrong
all these years? You know?
Idalis McPhail (14:08):
It's something that we do every day that, it's
very easy to kind of overlookthe importance. But going
through nursing school anddifferent trainings, I just
wanted to make sure thateveryone had that same
understanding of the importance.And then once we rolled out
those expectations, it wasn't aone and done kind of like, all
right, hope you guys wash yourhands. It was more so we do
(14:32):
monthly kind of I'd almost dolike a secret shopper situation.
So I pick one of the staffmembers and I just say, hey,
observe the people around you.
Are they washing their hands?Are they using hand sanitizer
appropriately? And so we cankind of continue the
conversation from there.
Daniel Williams (14:47):
That is so cool. Wow. Thank you for sharing
that. That's so interesting. Sowhen I'm looking at your
nomination and I'm looking at,all the different areas that
you're touching in the practice,are you a practice administrator
that is wearing basically allthe hats, or are where where is
(15:08):
your focus?
Tell us about that because I'vegot, you know, that kind of
safety control stuff, thetechnology, the initiatives, the
financial side, strategicplanning, helping people park
their cars. No. I don't knowabout that one. But exactly.
You're outside guiding peoplein.
No. I mean, seriously, are youwearing all the hats there?
(15:30):
Where would where would you sayyou land in the practice?
Idalis McPhail (15:33):
We have an awesome team. We have a lot of
different managers andsupervisors that are over these
departments. And so we workreally closely together, having
a lot of one on ones, makingsure that we're all on the same
page. But I do wear a lot ofhats and I also, since January,
wanted to kind of see and learnas much as possible. And so I
(15:56):
kind of got myself excited andlearned a lot about the
different departments and gotexcited about all of the things
that could be optimized and, youknow, more safe, more secure.
And so I do wear a lot of hats,but I also have an amazing team
that in this transition fromnurse manager to practice
(16:17):
administrator, I have a lot oftrust and support from the team
already because I've been withinthe organization for, this will
be my second year with FairfaxPediatric Associates. So I've
been able to have theserelationships with people and
they know that when a workflowneeds to be rolled out or when
(16:38):
we need to have a conversationabout safety and things like
that, it's coming from a placeof, I want you to have a better
work day. I want the patient tohave a better experience. And so
I feel like I gained a lot oftrust in that. But there is
something new to learn everysingle day.
So it's been great.
Daniel Williams (16:56):
Well, it's so interesting that you did make
that transition from clinical toadministrative. For our
listeners who are practiceleaders, maybe they have
somebody that is coming ontotheir team, they're going to be
onboarding or is new to theirteam who came from that clinical
side, making that transition.What were the biggest maybe
(17:17):
friction points or challengesfor you to go from one side to
the other? And then maybe whatwould be the best way for a
practice leader communicate tosomeone, maybe something you
wish you had learned or you didhave a mentor who brought you
along in the right way?
Idalis McPhail (17:32):
I definitely had a lot of mentors. Am a person.
I'm not afraid to admit when Idon't know something, and I'm
not going to pretend that I aman expert in it. So I really
leaned on the people who havebeen within this practice for a
really long time. I leaned ontheir wisdom and I asked
questions.
I wasn't afraid to ask thepeople that I now supervise,
(17:56):
Hey, can you teach me a littlebit about what you do here, what
your role is? How can that helpfit the pieces together in my
mind? Because coming from thenursing side, we don't talk
about, I mean, as a nurse, wedon't talk about finances or the
business aspect or, you know,how long does the patient need,
you know, timings andefficiency. I'm there to take
(18:19):
care of the patient as thenurse. And so moving over to
that administrative side, it'sreally learning about how the
financial and the business sideof things impacts the patient
directly.
Because coming from a clinicalbackground, that's my main
focus. We are people taking careof people. And so if you tie
(18:43):
those things together and youmake that connection that the
things that you are doing, youknow, making sure that we have
insurance verification, makingsure that we're putting claims
to the right payers, that isdirectly impacting the patient,
I think it really helps tomotivate people coming from a
clinical background becausethey're able to see that bigger
(19:03):
picture.
Daniel Williams (19:04):
Yeah. That's so interesting that you knitted
those two together because whenyou are on that clinical side,
you can directly see the impactthat you're making that perhaps
some people on theadministrative side don't always
see. They might hear about it orlearn about it more indirectly.
So when you think about it thatway, what? Because you can get
(19:26):
more of that immediategratification of really working
with a patient and seeing thatyou're helping them in real
time.
So when you're now on theadministrative side, what fires
you up that way? Where's thatgratification that you really
did something right, you made adifference? What have you
(19:47):
gravitated to there on theadministrative side?
Idalis McPhail (19:50):
Yeah, such a timely question because I have
been thinking about that a lot.I was just talking to a
colleague about, you know, whenI was a nurse, was, man, I was
resuscitating people. I was init, you know, I gave them
medication and I could tell thenext day that it helped them.
And so on the administrativeside, it's less of that instant
(20:13):
gratification. But what I'velearned is that I have a larger
now impact, not just on that oneon one relationship with a
patient, I'm actually able toimpact every patient that walks
through our doors.
And it's not necessarily just tothe patient, but I get to take
(20:35):
care of the 80 people that workhere as well. So I kind of had
to transition my perspective tonow it's not necessarily Idalis
taking care of patients. It'sIdalis taking care of the
people, taking care of patients.And so I really had to kind of
make that switch in my headwhere we spend a lot of time at
(20:55):
work. We spend a great deal oftime at work.
And so when people come and theywork here at Fairfax Pediatric
Associates, I want to make surethat they feel supported, that
they have the information thatthey need to take care of
patients. They feel secure intheir job, which means I got to
keep the lights on and I've gotto make sure that the money
comes in. So it's really metaking care of those aspects of
(21:18):
the employees that work here,which felt like I had a larger
impact for sure.
Daniel Williams (21:23):
Yeah. That is so cool. Last couple of
questions in. First one up, whatare you excited about, about the
future of healthcare? You'vemoved from the clinical side to
the administrative side.
You've really gotten a broaderview of all the aspects where
people can be impacted throughcare that takes place. There's
(21:47):
always a but here, buthealthcare is rapidly changing.
It is complex. It is frustratingas heck at times. It's all these
things, but you can make adifference as a leader.
So where are you focusing on asyou project out and think of
ways where you can make adifference or where healthcare
(22:09):
can continue to make adifference in people's lives?
What are you excited about?
Idalis McPhail (22:13):
Yeah, people can probably find it a little bit
scary how, you know, healthcareis just ever changing forever
and ever. It's that there'salways something new and
different, but that's where Ithink leaders really thrive in
taking this new experience as anew opportunity to learn and
grow. And so every day I'mlearning something new, and I'm
just excited to kind of absorbmore, network more, really learn
(22:36):
from other leaders how they'vedone it in the past. I'm not
really trying to reinvent thewheel on something that has
worked for somebody else. Butwhen new things come up, I'm
game to brainstorm and think ofideas and really try to, you
know, think about the fullpicture before we roll something
(22:57):
new out.
So I'm just excited that, youknow, as long as there's people
to take care of, there's goingto be a need for healthcare. And
as long as there's a need forhealthcare, there's going to be
employees to lead and to manageand to mentor. And so there's
always going to be this need forhealthcare leadership. That
means that there's always goingbe something to learn. There's
(23:19):
always going to be anopportunity to grow.
And so as a forever learner,that's the place to be because
you'll never know everything.
Daniel Williams (23:28):
That is so cool. All right. Last question
then. Are you planning to go toOrlando for the Leaders
Conference? Have you made anyplans in that direction?
Idalis McPhail (23:39):
So I originally, because I'm so new, I read that
there was an MGMA conference.And I was like, man, that would
be amazing. But, you know, Ijust started as a practice
administrator. I don't know ifI'm ready to play with the big
dogs yet in Orlando at MGMA. Butwith, you know, this award and
this opportunity, I have learnedthat MGMA is not just for people
(24:01):
that have been medical groupmanagers for a really long time.
It's a place to learn andnetwork and, you know, really
lean on different mentors andlearn from them. So I am gonna
be in Orlando this year, and soI'm excited to see everybody
there.
Daniel Williams (24:18):
That is so exciting. Well, we'll look you
up there in person andcongratulate you there as well.
So so good to have you here atDallas on the MGMA podcast.
Idalis McPhail (24:28):
Yeah. Thank you so much for having me, Daniel.
Daniel Williams (24:30):
Alright. Well, everybody, I'll give you the
information that I've beengiving out for the MGMA Leaders
Conference. It's gonna be inOrlando. It's October September
28 through October 1. You can goto mgma.com/leaders and get
right to it, learn more aboutit, and register.
(24:50):
So I hope to see you all there.So until then, thanks everyone
for being MGMA podcastlisteners.
Well, hi, everyone. I'm Daniel Williams,
senior editor at MGMA, host ofthe MGMA Podcast Network. We are
back as we've been doing allmonth. We are looking at and
recognizing our MGMA awardwinners. Today we have another
of our twenty twenty five FutureFive award winners.
(00:25):
Our guest today is IdalisMcPhail. Idalis is a practice
administrator at FairfaxPediatric Associates. She's also
worked to bridge the clinicaland administrative sides of her
practice, leading to initiativesin safety, technology, revenue
cycle, and culture. And we areso excited to welcome Adalis to
(00:49):
the show today. Adalis, welcome.
Idalis McPhail (00:51):
Thank you so much, Daniel.
Daniel Williams (00:53):
Yeah. You and I had wow. Did we have some
technology issues getting set uptoday?
Idalis McPhail (00:59):
That's perfect.
Daniel Williams (00:59):
Yeah. You told me you had a theater background.
And so you're used to the showmust go on. Right?
Idalis McPhail (01:05):
The show must go on. Exactly.
Daniel Williams (01:08):
So I certainly had a first question for you.
Your your name is so unique. Iwas so interested in it. I love,
kind of the etymology of wordsand names. Where did Adalis come
from?
Idalis McPhail (01:22):
Yeah. Everyone, they they always ask. They're
like, where where is this from?I am the daughter of teenage
parents that watched a lot ofMTV. And so Idalis was a video
announcer, I guess, on MTV, andmy mom was like, that's the one.
So there it is.
Daniel Williams (01:39):
That is so cool. I will tell you. Not that
you asked or anybody else, but,my particular name, I have three
older siblings. My dad, he mighthave, I don't know. He might
have stretched the truth alittle bit, but he say it sounds
kinda like the lion king, but hesaid he held me up in the in the
maternity ward and everythingand said, we will name you
(02:02):
Daniel because you have beenborn into a lion's den because I
had these three older siblings,and I think he might have just
seen the lion king or something.
But although this pre I'm I'dcertainly predate the lion king,
but, I think his storytelling,it was once the lion king had
come out. So, you know, anybodylistening, if y'all have
interesting name origins, sendthose in to me. I'd love to hear
(02:25):
them so we can go in thatdirection. So let's talk about
future five. So let's thinkabout this.
You, are one of our fiverecipients, of course, and we're
so excited to have you as one ofthose recipients. Where were you
when you found out? What wasthat like? Did you even know you
(02:46):
had been nominated? Tell usabout, learning about your,
honor.
Idalis McPhail (02:51):
Definitely. I was so surprised. It was a
Monday in clinic. And you know,Mondays at any point in time are
just rough getting started. Youget your coffee.
And I was kind of going throughthe emails that had come over
through the weekend. And, youknow, I was going through the
emails and I stopped a littlebit and I had a phone call, but
(03:14):
I was going into anothermeeting. And so all these things
were happening and I was readingthe transcription of a voicemail
that came in from my phone. Andit was someone saying, Please
call me back. You won this awardfor MGMA.
And I just, I was in the middleof the hallway, in the middle of
a conversation, and I juststopped and I said, I won an
award. And so it was very, verysurprising to me. I was so
(03:38):
excited. I shared the news withmy colleagues, my medical
directors, and I was just sothrilled because I am very new
to practice administration. Andso MGMA has been a resource for
me to learn about medical groupmanagement.
And so I just started amentorship through MGMA. I just
(04:01):
started really diving into theresources. And so to be honored
from this organization that Ijust kind of became a part of
and started learning more about,it's been amazing.
Daniel Williams (04:14):
Yeah, that is so cool. And I appreciate your
resilience and your patience aswe were trying to get set up. We
actually, everybody, we jumpedinto a different platform. We're
recording this in Zoom, but wewere recording it in another
platform and things just weren'tworking for us. That's just what
(04:34):
we do.
That sounds like healthcare,right? It doesn't work here, and
we're going to make anadjustment. We pivot. Pivot. We
make executive decisions in realtime to get things to work.
So you and I did as we weretrying to get set up and get
things going, we had time tothink about this. And so you
(04:54):
were able to share some of yourbackground with me, as you just
mentioned. You're more recent onthe administrative side. You
have been in healthcare for alittle while. So share with us
that healthcare journey,anything you might want to share
about what has led you up towhere you are today?
Idalis McPhail (05:11):
Absolutely. So I actually started as a certified
nursing assistant in thehospital. I then graduated with
my bachelor's in nursing. So Ibecame a registered nurse on the
inpatient side. And I really sawhow my leaders, my managers,
their motivation and theirleadership was impacting staff
(05:31):
morale.
It was impacting patientoutcomes. And I just kind of
felt I want to be a part ofthat. Like, I want to have that
bigger impact. And so Itransitioned into nurse
management and finished up mymaster's in nursing as well as
my master's in businessadministration. And very, very
quickly after graduationtransitioned at the beginning of
(05:54):
this year in 2025 to practiceadministration.
So I've kind of, I've been init, I've been from the nurse
assistant side to theadministration side. So I've
learned a lot about thedifferent aspects of healthcare
for sure.
Daniel Williams (06:09):
Yeah. And what can you tell us about, Fairfax
Pediatric Associates? Anythingabout the size, scope, anything
of where y'all's focus is as apractice you might want to
share?
Idalis McPhail (06:19):
Definitely. So Fairfax Pediatric Associates,
we've been in business foralmost sixty years now. We have
three locations in NorthernVirginia taking care of the
pediatric population. So newbornpatients all the way to 18, 19
year olds. And we're primarycare, but we also handle a lot
of ADHD, mental health,different specialties like that
(06:42):
within our practice as well.
We have about 80 employees andwe're part of a larger
conglomerate called TrustedDoctors in the DMV. And
everything is pediatrics. Sothere's lots of color and
bubbles and stickers to goaround.
Daniel Williams (06:57):
Now you said DMV, and so just to clarify,
acronyms always catch me. WhichDMV is this? Because I think of
the Department of Motor Vehicle.And so Like, the the
Idalis McPhail (07:08):
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia. That's what
very close to DC.
Daniel Williams (07:12):
Says I thought that's what you were referring
to. And, you know, that's when Ialways hear these, acronyms. I'm
going, wait a minute. Are areyou also moonlighting with the
Department of Motor Vehicles?
Idalis McPhail (07:23):
Manage. Break your forms, everybody.
Daniel Williams (07:26):
Well, that is wonderful. So let's focus in
then on where your energy istaking you right now at the
practice. I always laugh when Iask this question, what's a
typical day like? But what is aday in the life of a Dallas in
your practice? What does a daylook like for you?
Idalis McPhail (07:45):
Yeah, I would say a typical day does not look
like yesterday for sure. Soevery day is different. There's
always something new that popsup, maybe a fire that needs to
be put out or a patient thatmaybe a parent needs to be de
escalated. But really what I'velearned as a practice
(08:06):
administrator is that the scopegoes throughout all the
different departments. So maybeone day the focus is our billing
department and really makingsure that those workflows and
those questions are answered andpeople feel supported there.
But maybe the next day it'ssomething on the clinical side,
Maybe there's some training thatneeds to happen or some, you
(08:31):
know, there's a new, you know,new, so vaccines right now are
huge in kind of that realm. Sojust being able to clearly
communicate to the team, makesure that everyone's on the same
page. And lots of meetings, I'velearned as a practice
administrator. So making surethat I'm spending my time in an
(08:53):
appropriate manner between allthose meetings.
Daniel Williams (08:56):
Yeah. Now you brought up something really
interesting that you do havethat clinical background. Now
you're on the administrativeside. How have you leaned into
that experience that youpreviously had where you can
bridge that gap? Sometimes, andwe've done studies where we've
seen that the administrativeside at a practice and the
(09:18):
clinical side sometimes arespeaking a different language.
They might even say, Oh yeah,things are going great in X, Y,
Z. And then you interview theother side and they go, No,
they're going actually terribly.And so how do we speak that same
language? How do we connect? Sowhat have you done with your
experience to help bridge thosegaps?
Idalis McPhail (09:38):
I was really thankful to start at FPA as the
nursing manager. So I was ableto get a lot of that experience
on the clinical side, learningabout the ins and outs of what
the clinical staff, theproviders, what they needed in
terms of support to take care ofpatients. And when I
transitioned to theadministrative side, I was able
(09:59):
to really kind of have thatbalcony view. And I saw that
what FPA kind of needed, becausewe have three different
locations and because we have alot of different departments,
there really needed to be thatunification between everybody
where you're saying, we need tospeak the same language. We need
to be on the same page.
And so really we needed thatcentralized mission. And that's
(10:25):
going to be, it's the patientalways, right? So it's patient
first, it's patient experience.I had to remind everybody that
the patient experience is notjust the check-in process or the
vital signs with the nurse ormedical assistant or the
provider visit. The patientexperience goes across the whole
(10:45):
spectrum from insuranceverification all the way through
the visit and then evenfollow-up after the visit.
So we needed to make sure thatour departments were all
centered on the same mission.And once we kind of opened up
that communication and said,Hey, we're all on the same team
here, we're all on the samepage, it really helped to kind
of unify and build thisenvironment where, you know,
(11:08):
we're collaborating now. It'snot us versus them. It's we're
all on the same team.
Daniel Williams (11:13):
Yeah, I love that. Well, thank you for
sharing that. You also, inreading your nomination, you led
a major initiative to review andstandardize infection control
and safety practices. Talk aboutwhat that was about and what
some of the results were fromdeveloping that initiative.
Idalis McPhail (11:32):
Definitely. That was exciting. I definitely
learned in that process to kindof change up my approach to
things. Usually I'm the first toraise my hand. I'm the first to
give my best ideas as soon assomeone asks a question.
And I learned that when I'mgoing into a clinic or an
organization that's been herefor over sixty, almost sixty
(11:54):
years, I really needed toobserve what was currently
happening. And so I kind ofapproached that with an open
mind and a closed mouth. So Iwent in, was really trying to
observe the workflows, handhygiene, different, you know,
(12:15):
safety needle protocols,different things like that. And
I just went around, I observed,I asked questions. I really
wanted to know, how did we getto this process?
What were the obstacles thatthis team tried to overcome? And
how did this process come out ofthose overcoming those
obstacles? And so in that, Ilearned kind of how we got here.
(12:38):
And then after I identified theneed for a change in some of
these workflows and processes,we talked before we even rolled
out any changes in expectation,we did a lot of staff education.
We talked about the why.
Why is it even important thatIdalis walked around and watched
me wash my hands? Why is thatimportant? How does that affect
(13:00):
the patient? And so after wedid, you know, PowerPoints and,
you know, different just opentalks and meetings about why
it's so important. We thenrolled out those expectations so
that way staff had more of a buyin and more of an understanding
of, okay, this isn't somethingcrazy that Dallas just made up.
(13:21):
There's a reason behind it.There's statistics. It's an
evidence based workflowapproach. So that has been
great. We've seen less employeecallouts during flu and sick
season.
We've seen less crosscontamination between patient
rooms. And so just doing thathas definitely impacted not only
(13:43):
the employees, but also thepatients as well.
Daniel Williams (13:46):
That is so interesting. I'm just imagining
you following someone and thenwatching them wash their hands
and y'all reciting the ABCstwice through and wait a minute.
Idalis McPhail (13:58):
Very seriously.
Daniel Williams (13:59):
The thumbs there. I remember watching all
these videos during the pandemicon was I washing my hands wrong
all these years? You know?
Idalis McPhail (14:08):
It's something that we do every day that, it's
very easy to kind of overlookthe importance. But going
through nursing school anddifferent trainings, I just
wanted to make sure thateveryone had that same
understanding of the importance.And then once we rolled out
those expectations, it wasn't aone and done kind of like, all
right, hope you guys wash yourhands. It was more so we do
(14:32):
monthly kind of I'd almost dolike a secret shopper situation.
So I pick one of the staffmembers and I just say, hey,
observe the people around you.
Are they washing their hands?Are they using hand sanitizer
appropriately? And so we cankind of continue the
conversation from there.
Daniel Williams (14:47):
That is so cool. Wow. Thank you for sharing
that. That's so interesting. Sowhen I'm looking at your
nomination and I'm looking at,all the different areas that
you're touching in the practice,are you a practice administrator
that is wearing basically allthe hats, or are where where is
(15:08):
your focus?
Tell us about that because I'vegot, you know, that kind of
safety control stuff, thetechnology, the initiatives, the
financial side, strategicplanning, helping people park
their cars. No. I don't knowabout that one. But exactly.
You're outside guiding peoplein.
No. I mean, seriously, are youwearing all the hats there?
(15:30):
Where would where would you sayyou land in the practice?
Idalis McPhail (15:33):
We have an awesome team. We have a lot of
different managers andsupervisors that are over these
departments. And so we workreally closely together, having
a lot of one on ones, makingsure that we're all on the same
page. But I do wear a lot ofhats and I also, since January,
wanted to kind of see and learnas much as possible. And so I
(15:56):
kind of got myself excited andlearned a lot about the
different departments and gotexcited about all of the things
that could be optimized and, youknow, more safe, more secure.
And so I do wear a lot of hats,but I also have an amazing team
that in this transition fromnurse manager to practice
(16:17):
administrator, I have a lot oftrust and support from the team
already because I've been withinthe organization for, this will
be my second year with FairfaxPediatric Associates. So I've
been able to have theserelationships with people and
they know that when a workflowneeds to be rolled out or when
(16:38):
we need to have a conversationabout safety and things like
that, it's coming from a placeof, I want you to have a better
work day. I want the patient tohave a better experience. And so
I feel like I gained a lot oftrust in that. But there is
something new to learn everysingle day.
So it's been great.
Daniel Williams (16:56):
Well, it's so interesting that you did make
that transition from clinical toadministrative. For our
listeners who are practiceleaders, maybe they have
somebody that is coming ontotheir team, they're going to be
onboarding or is new to theirteam who came from that clinical
side, making that transition.What were the biggest maybe
(17:17):
friction points or challengesfor you to go from one side to
the other? And then maybe whatwould be the best way for a
practice leader communicate tosomeone, maybe something you
wish you had learned or you didhave a mentor who brought you
along in the right way?
Idalis McPhail (17:32):
I definitely had a lot of mentors. Am a person.
I'm not afraid to admit when Idon't know something, and I'm
not going to pretend that I aman expert in it. So I really
leaned on the people who havebeen within this practice for a
really long time. I leaned ontheir wisdom and I asked
questions.
I wasn't afraid to ask thepeople that I now supervise,
(17:56):
Hey, can you teach me a littlebit about what you do here, what
your role is? How can that helpfit the pieces together in my
mind? Because coming from thenursing side, we don't talk
about, I mean, as a nurse, wedon't talk about finances or the
business aspect or, you know,how long does the patient need,
you know, timings andefficiency. I'm there to take
(18:19):
care of the patient as thenurse. And so moving over to
that administrative side, it'sreally learning about how the
financial and the business sideof things impacts the patient
directly.
Because coming from a clinicalbackground, that's my main
focus. We are people taking careof people. And so if you tie
(18:43):
those things together and youmake that connection that the
things that you are doing, youknow, making sure that we have
insurance verification, makingsure that we're putting claims
to the right payers, that isdirectly impacting the patient,
I think it really helps tomotivate people coming from a
clinical background becausethey're able to see that bigger
(19:03):
picture.
Daniel Williams (19:04):
Yeah. That's so interesting that you knitted
those two together because whenyou are on that clinical side,
you can directly see the impactthat you're making that perhaps
some people on theadministrative side don't always
see. They might hear about it orlearn about it more indirectly.
So when you think about it thatway, what? Because you can get
(19:26):
more of that immediategratification of really working
with a patient and seeing thatyou're helping them in real
time.
So when you're now on theadministrative side, what fires
you up that way? Where's thatgratification that you really
did something right, you made adifference? What have you
(19:47):
gravitated to there on theadministrative side?
Idalis McPhail (19:50):
Yeah, such a timely question because I have
been thinking about that a lot.I was just talking to a
colleague about, you know, whenI was a nurse, was, man, I was
resuscitating people. I was init, you know, I gave them
medication and I could tell thenext day that it helped them.
And so on the administrativeside, it's less of that instant
(20:13):
gratification. But what I'velearned is that I have a larger
now impact, not just on that oneon one relationship with a
patient, I'm actually able toimpact every patient that walks
through our doors.
And it's not necessarily just tothe patient, but I get to take
(20:35):
care of the 80 people that workhere as well. So I kind of had
to transition my perspective tonow it's not necessarily Idalis
taking care of patients. It'sIdalis taking care of the
people, taking care of patients.And so I really had to kind of
make that switch in my headwhere we spend a lot of time at
(20:55):
work. We spend a great deal oftime at work.
And so when people come and theywork here at Fairfax Pediatric
Associates, I want to make surethat they feel supported, that
they have the information thatthey need to take care of
patients. They feel secure intheir job, which means I got to
keep the lights on and I've gotto make sure that the money
comes in. So it's really metaking care of those aspects of
(21:18):
the employees that work here,which felt like I had a larger
impact for sure.
Daniel Williams (21:23):
Yeah. That is so cool. Last couple of
questions in. First one up, whatare you excited about, about the
future of healthcare? You'vemoved from the clinical side to
the administrative side.
You've really gotten a broaderview of all the aspects where
people can be impacted throughcare that takes place. There's
(21:47):
always a but here, buthealthcare is rapidly changing.
It is complex. It is frustratingas heck at times. It's all these
things, but you can make adifference as a leader.
So where are you focusing on asyou project out and think of
ways where you can make adifference or where healthcare
(22:09):
can continue to make adifference in people's lives?
What are you excited about?
Idalis McPhail (22:13):
Yeah, people can probably find it a little bit
scary how, you know, healthcareis just ever changing forever
and ever. It's that there'salways something new and
different, but that's where Ithink leaders really thrive in
taking this new experience as anew opportunity to learn and
grow. And so every day I'mlearning something new, and I'm
just excited to kind of absorbmore, network more, really learn
(22:36):
from other leaders how they'vedone it in the past. I'm not
really trying to reinvent thewheel on something that has
worked for somebody else. Butwhen new things come up, I'm
game to brainstorm and think ofideas and really try to, you
know, think about the fullpicture before we roll something
(22:57):
new out.
So I'm just excited that, youknow, as long as there's people
to take care of, there's goingto be a need for healthcare. And
as long as there's a need forhealthcare, there's going to be
employees to lead and to manageand to mentor. And so there's
always going to be this need forhealthcare leadership. That
means that there's always goingbe something to learn. There's
(23:19):
always going to be anopportunity to grow.
And so as a forever learner,that's the place to be because
you'll never know everything.
Daniel Williams (23:28):
That is so cool. All right. Last question
then. Are you planning to go toOrlando for the Leaders
Conference? Have you made anyplans in that direction?
Idalis McPhail (23:39):
So I originally, because I'm so new, I read that
there was an MGMA conference.And I was like, man, that would
be amazing. But, you know, Ijust started as a practice
administrator. I don't know ifI'm ready to play with the big
dogs yet in Orlando at MGMA. Butwith, you know, this award and
this opportunity, I have learnedthat MGMA is not just for people
(24:01):
that have been medical groupmanagers for a really long time.
It's a place to learn andnetwork and, you know, really
lean on different mentors andlearn from them. So I am gonna
be in Orlando this year, and soI'm excited to see everybody
there.
Daniel Williams (24:18):
That is so exciting. Well, we'll look you
up there in person andcongratulate you there as well.
So so good to have you here atDallas on the MGMA podcast.
Idalis McPhail (24:28):
Yeah. Thank you so much for having me, Daniel.
Daniel Williams (24:30):
Alright. Well, everybody, I'll give you the
information that I've beengiving out for the MGMA Leaders
Conference. It's gonna be inOrlando. It's October September
28 through October 1. You can goto mgma.com/leaders and get
right to it, learn more aboutit, and register.
(24:50):
So I hope to see you all there.So until then, thanks everyone
for being MGMA podcastlisteners.
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