Angie Kennedy: A master multi-tasker

TOLEDO, Ohio — Born with the “gift of gab” and a natural multi-tasking ability, Angie Kennedy has used these tools to notable advantage in the HME sales field. Innate personable qualities, combined with a penchant for listening, have served Kennedy well during her 22-year healthcare career, the bulk of which was spent as an RN and in various supervisory roles. She has excelled at sales during her three-year tenure at Young Medical, and President Tim Pontius said she was a valuable find. “Angie has a long history of involvement in healthcare, and it's difficult to find a nurse who has the ability to go out and sell,” he said. “If you find someone like that, you're blessed.” Whether it's dealing with clinicians or finding her way through the hospital labyrinth, Kennedy draws upon her nursing experience in her duties as director of sales and marketing. This familiarity with the institutional environment has helped her gain access to referral sources others may overlook. “Finding the decision-maker at the hospital can mean going through four or five levels,” she said. “If I'm selling a ceiling lift system, it's the purchasing director; if it's an oxygen referral, it could be the bedside discharge planner. It's about defining your customer and your primary goal of that encounter. Based on my goal for that call, I may call on a variety of people — the director of outcomes management, utilization review, respiratory director, infectious disease or rehab services.” Successfully navigating the healthcare facility also means becoming familiar with support personnel, she said, such as the front desk receptionist, office manager and mail clerk. Because she worked in administration as well as nursing during her career, Kennedy says she is a multi-linguist when it comes to dealing with people in all areas of the hospital. “I am fluent in the clinical, business, finance and operations languages,” she said. Referral sources may differ, but Kennedy says they share one common characteristic: They want to deal with an organization they trust, that is clinically competent, accountable and demonstrates compassion for the patients they serve. This is where the Young organization shines, she said. “My oxygen concentrator isn't any different than the next guy's, so I'm selling the people in my organization — their knowledge, their accountability and their dedication to patients,” she said. “My referral sources understand and appreciate that.”