Tammy Imlay has witnessed many changes throughout her 43-year career at CRH. When she started, she was in high school and worked part-time in the evenings. Because we were using paper charts then, one of her jobs was to go to the floors to pick up dismissals. The records were put in a particular order and then filed in folders by medical record number. She also typed birth certificates.

Some changes she has been through include the conversion from paper to electronic medical records, working for three different CEOs, the building projects, the hospital name changes, the implementation of the tube system, more physicians joining and expansion of services, and no longer clocking out from a shift using paper cards. She also fondly recalls the times she and other coding team members would put on skits when there were retirements or other events. They were called the Doopetts.

Tammy has always worked in Health Information. In her current role as a certified outpatient coder, she does the coding on outpatient charts. As a denial specialist, she submits appeals to insurance companies and works with physicians to obtain information so the hospital can be reimbursed.

She also has fond memories following the 2008 flood. She helped the Health Information department set up an area to work in the parking lot. They stored records in a locked Emergency Department shed-type building that also included a copy machine and filing system. “That was kind of interesting and unique. Not that I wanted to go through a flood – just how we were able to compensate for that and make it work,” she said. Tammy was grateful that Administration kept employees on the payroll during the flood recovery period and for the camaraderie among team members. “It was like one big family coming together to help restore that back to normal. We had one goal – to get CRH back and going. That was special to me how it all happened and then what the outcome was of all of that,” she said.

Tammy has stayed at CRH for four decades because of the work environment. She likes the family-oriented environment and the variety of work she does. “Every chart is different, so every day is different. I like finding problems and solving them,” she said. 

Thank you for all you do at CRH, Tammy! We're glad you have been part of the team for 43 years!