Jeff Thomas
Director, Clinical Quality Initiatives Team

As the cofounder of the Clinical Quality Initiative Team and the developer of the Ouftcomes Assessment program, Jeff leads a group of dedicated and experienced people who provide a patient focused, team oriented, clinical consultative approach to Acute Care™ Diagnostics. With over 10 years of experience at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Jeff has honed the consultative approach in developing practice management protocols, negotiating corporate agreements and contracts, as well as organizing medical staff training and in-service programs. Jeff and the CQIT members work in collaboration with practitioners, medical staff and administrators to create synergistic relationships and deliver total clinical solutions to help improve patient management within hospitals and healthcare networks.

Amy Cotner, RN
Manager, Clinical Quality Initiatives Team

Amy started her clinical career in west Tennessee performing comprehensive cardiac risk assessments and providing post-op care for patient who underwent CABG procedures, cardiac catheterizations and heart transplants. With significant experience as a Staff Nurse and as a Quality Improvement Coordinator, Amy collected and presented clinical data, monitored adherence to documented guidelines and prepared utilization reviews. She then enhanced her skills as a corporate officer at Genesis Medical Services where she researched new healthcare products, conducted clinical oversight, managed quality assurance programs, enhanced reimbursement procedures and ensured customer compliance of industry guidelines.

At Siemens, Amy is fostering relationships between clinical laboratory, pathology, risk management, emergency department, cardiology, and hospital administration personnel by conducting patient management assessments, consulting with laboratorians and emergency center on process improvement strategies and assisting in implementing of process redesign and measurement of outcomes, as well as establishing Chest Pain Centers of Excellence. She is also heavily involved with educating physicians and medical staff on practice guidelines and regulatory requirements in Acute Care™ Diagnostics.

Richard Heitsman, EMT, MICT
Coporate Accounts Manager

Richard's clinical background started as an EMT in Kansas where he also served as an instructor of an Emergency First Responder course. He also has received extensive experience as a Billing Coordinator. Having participated on Education, Renovation and Statistical Review Committees in cardiovascular medicine, he provided education and training for pre-hospital patient care and organizational enhancements. As a supervisor in an Invasive Cardiac Laboratory, Richard was involved in troubleshooting and maintenance of a vast array of medical equipment where he developed several cost saving measures, monitored the quality of care and instituted educational programs, including Continuous Quality Improvement programs. Richard has extensive experience in cardiovascular medicine in areas such as echocardiography, electrocardiography and cardiac catheterization.

Richard works with Siemens assisting hospital personnel in the redesign of Acute Care™ Diagnostic processes utilizing biomarkers and analytical systems. Here, he has excelled in fostering relationships between clinical laboratory, pathology, risk management, emergency department, cardiology, and hospital administration personnel. He has augmented these responsibilities by conducting operational assessments in various EDs, consulted with laboratorians and emergency centers on process improvement strategies and assisted in implementing of process redesign and measurement of outcomes, as well as establishing Chest Pain Centers of Excellence.

Mary Lee Matuson, BS
Cardiac Applications Consultant

Mary Lee started her career as a medical technologist at diagnostic laboratories in the south Florida area. For nearly 20 years, she has been acquiring significant experience demonstrating, training and installing sophisticated diagnostic equipment with a strong focus in the cardiovascular area for Siemens. As part of the Clinical Quality Initiative Team, Mary Lee has been heavily involved in managing specific studies to improve operational functions and processes. She also provides technical sales support by investigating and solving complex technical / clinical issues.

Noemi Melendres, RN, BSN
CQI Specialist

Noemi began her clinical career as an intensive care nurse in the Houston area where she was intimately involved in facilitating and teaching various treatment protocols, assisting in hospital accreditation processes where she helped establish Quality Improvement and Outcomes Management Programs, as well as utilizing other tools to enhance patient care and improve compliance with regulatory guidelines. She was responsible for business and program development in cardiovascular medicine where she developed, implemented and evaluated key cardiovascular initiatives for primary and secondary prevention in a group of 30 hospitals. With this background, Noemi assisted in Chest Pain Initiatives and established heart failure programs, which included performance monitoring, cost / benefit and outcomes data analysis, quality of care improvement and resource utilization, and implementing internal control systems for billing, collection and management.

Her primary responsibility at Siemens is educating physicians and medical staff on the latest practice guidelines and regulatory requirements in the care of acute coronary syndromes, including acute myocardial infarctions. She has augmented these responsibilities by conducting operational assessments in various EDs, consulting with laboratorians and emergency centers on process improvement strategies and assisting in the implementation of process redesign and measurement of outcomes, as well as establishing Chest Pain Centers of Excellence.

Mike Neu, POCTE, MT (ASCP)
Cardiac Application Consultant

As a registered Point-of-Care Testing Evaluator through the Board of Registry and the American Society For Clinical Pathology, Mike is well versed in conducting operational assessments in the point-of-care setting. Leveraging his degrees earned at the Medical College of Northern Illinois University and the Hines VA School of Medical Technology, Mike worked in a variety of laboratory settings, including Chemistry, Immunology, Special Chemistry and Hemostasis. Mike was also the Chemistry Clinical Lab and Lecture Instructor at the Myron E. Rubnitz School of Medical Technology.

At Siemens, Mike has acquired significant experience demonstrating, training and installing sophisticated diagnostic equipment with a strong focus in Acute Care™ Diagnostics. In this role, he is heavily involved in managing specific studies to improve product function and processes. He also provides technical sales support, where he investigates and solves complex technical / clinical issues, and also educates practitioners on the latest practice guidelines.

Sue Perrier, RN, CNS
CQI Specialist

Sue began her career as an Assistant Professor at the University of New Hampshire where she focused on Advanced Medical–Surgical and Critical Care specialties. She augmented this experience as a Registered Nurse, then as a Cardio-Pulmonary Clinical Nurse Specialist, where she managed the development of a cardiac rehabilitation program and provided consultative services to physicians and other healthcare practitioners. She was involved in developing and improving patient support services, as well as updating and developing practice protocols. Sue also has a significant level of experience in practice management and assessment from managing a multimillion dollar group medical practice.

Her primary responsibility at Siemens is educating physicians and medical staff on the guidelines and regulatory requirements in Acute Care™ Diagnostics. She augments this responsibility by conducting operational assessments in various EDs, consulting with laboratorians and emergency centers on process improvement strategies and assisting in implementing of process redesign and measurement of outcomes, as well as establishing Chest Pain Centers of Excellence.

Betty Jo (BJ) Phansiri, MHA, MT (ASCP)
CQI Specialist

BJ started her career in the medical field in administration where she has 13 years of experience in laboratory management; responsible for Diagnostic Services at Memorial Hospital in Greeley, CO and later in Materials Management at North Colorado Medical Center. She subsequently served as a System Operator and Trainer for all computer functions for laboratory and non-laboratory personnel. BJ has extensive experience in regulatory compliance for hospital laboratories and the laboratory industry.

BJ has significant experience in equipment installation, troubleshooting and customer training for distinguished firms, such as Dupont Diagnostics, Sanofi Diagnostics, Beckman Instruments and Siemens. At Siemens, BJ has significant experience demonstrating, training and installing sophisticated diagnostic equipment with a strong focus in the cardiovascular area. In that role, she is heavily involved in managing specific studies to improve product function and processes. She also provides technical sales support, where she investigates and solves complex technical / clinical issues.