Regina Heller
May 2025
Regina
Heller
,
RN
Embedded Care Management
Optum Ballard/Downtown Family/Internal Medicine
Seattle
,
WA
United States
She possesses the utmost level of compassion, which enables her to care for patients as a whole, emotionally and physically. Regina is not only dedicated and thorough with the patients she manages, but she's also always open to feedback and approaches her work in a collaborative fashion.
Story of Excellence:
Regina exemplifies nursing values through her unwavering dedication to patient care. Her exceptional efforts in a recent complex case, where she coordinated multiple care providers and community organizations, literally saved a patient's life. Her genuine care and commitment to her patients' health goals and wishes for care make her an outstanding nurse care manager.
Patient Safety Contribution:
Regina is accountable to her patients, community, and colleagues when delivering care. She avoids assumptions when assessing patients' understanding and goals for their care, ensuring clear and effective communication between patients and their providers. Regina advocates for both for patient safety and autonomy in their healthcare decisions through her creation of meaningful contingency plans.
Quality Outcomes Contribution:
Regina promotes optimal health outcomes through chronic illness education and also advocates for process improvement in all aspects of care. She applies evidence-based care practices through continuous CME education and ensuring that quality and safety are integrated into her daily work. Her efficiency in using the Electronic Medical Record, and her 2025 work project to collate DME/SDOH resources for five counties in Washington State demonstrate her commitment to improving care and reducing waste/work stress.
Advocacy Efforts:
Regina is a strong advocate for her patients, her colleagues, and her community. Every day she navigates a complex healthcare system to connect essential resources for those in need - from food to housing to outside specialists, she supports patients in what may otherwise be an unnavigable journey. Regina's commitment to mentoring new RN Care Managers in the department gives these new RN CMs the amazing opportunity to learn from her skills and the craft of "care management."
Respect in Practice:
Regina consistently listens and is considerate of both her colleagues' and patients' feelings. She affirms patients' health care goals and creates strong partnerships with them to achieve these goals. Her ability to navigate difficult conversations around health trajectory and chronic condition management showcases her respect for her patients' needs and concerns.
***
Story of Excellence:
Regina always goes above and beyond for our care management patients. I can think of many exemplary instances of why this is the case in Regina's work, but especially so with one of Dr. N’s patients who had been living without essential resources until she was under Regina's care. Not only did Regina help her resolve these issues promptly, but she drastically reduced this patient's ER visits, which at times were weekly, and triage calls given the level of emotional support she provided the patient. She possesses the utmost level of compassion, which enables her to care for patients as a whole, emotionally and physically. Regina is not only dedicated and thorough with the patients she manages, but she's also always open to feedback and approaches her work in a collaborative fashion. Our clinicians and patients are lucky to have Regina as a care manager.
Patient Safety Contribution:
Regina holds herself accountable to her patients and colleagues through a detail-oriented approach to the care she provides to each individual patient as well as the reports she gives to our clinicians through our IDT meetings. She ensures an open discussion and collaboration through these discussions to avoid assumptions in the patient's history and care. When there is an acute concern, such as a recent need to arrange home health care for a patient, she is prompt, and we can always feel confident that she will carry the assignment through safely.
Quality Outcomes Contribution:
Regina takes the time to patiently educate each individual she is assigned and does so in an evidence-based manner and informed through the collaborative discussions we have with our clinicians.
Advocacy Efforts:
Patient testimonials alongside their marked improvement as well as reduced hospitalizations are evident of Regina's thorough, supportive, and empathetic care.
Respect in Practice:
She is always open to respectful discussions and feedback in arranging the care of the patients she oversees.
***
Story of Excellence:
Regina has made an incredible impact on the lives of so many of our patients, especially at Ballard Primary Care. She continuously goes above and beyond, in any way that she can, to ensure that not only are patients receiving vital, safe care that they need, but that their quality of life is improved through social and emotional support.
We have a patient who developed pressure sores with extreme difficulty leaving his home. While I was unclear on how to initiate home wound care, with one message to Regina, she sprang into action. She directly contacted home health agencies to confirm services, initiated the referral, thorough follow up with the patient that is still continuing with ongoing support and regular care coordination from Regina.
Not only are our patients lucky to have Regina's invaluable knowledge and care, but I also feel lucky, as a nurse and colleague, to learn from her. Regina has, without a doubt, improved the quality of care we provide. Thank you, Regina, for all that you do!
Patient Safety Contribution:
Regina is diligent in ensuring that patients have the tools and resources to safely continue with their treatment and care plans in their everyday lives. If she does not have the answer, she will find it and is a colleague whom you can count on. Regina's ongoing follow through with patients is consistent, thorough and done with genuine compassion.
Quality Outcomes Contribution:
Regina collaborates with providers, nurses, and many other care team members to ensure patient needs and health management are the best that they can be and that everyone is on the same page.
Advocacy Efforts:
Regina leads our monthly IDT meetings, discussing any current or potential patient concerns. She will present any pertinent patient update or information. This consistent team communication and Regina's diligence have significantly decreased ER utilization from our patients.
Respect in Practice:
Regina is supportive, approachable, and a tremendous resource. She has fostered incredible, trusting partnerships, not only with our staff, but with patients and their families.
***
Story of Excellence:
Regina gets things done that I didn't even know were possible. She has arranged for truly life-changing interventions for my patients, like helping an elderly single woman get a functional bed and a working refrigerator. She also has single-handedly DRAMATICALLY reduced my patient's ED visits. This is good fiscal policy, but even better is the fact that my patients aren't going to the ED because they don't need to! She makes a bigger impact on my most vulnerable patients than I ever can.
Patient Safety Contribution:
Regina is the person who measures twice and cuts once. She gets the right things done (avoiding assumptions), the first time (follow through), every time (accountability).
Advocacy Efforts:
She is the strongest and most effective advocate for our patients that I have ever worked with. She is incredibly knowledgeable about resources and is able to effect changes that I did not imagine possible (eg getting a bed set up, beg bugs treated, a refrigerator fixed).
Regina exemplifies nursing values through her unwavering dedication to patient care. Her exceptional efforts in a recent complex case, where she coordinated multiple care providers and community organizations, literally saved a patient's life. Her genuine care and commitment to her patients' health goals and wishes for care make her an outstanding nurse care manager.
Patient Safety Contribution:
Regina is accountable to her patients, community, and colleagues when delivering care. She avoids assumptions when assessing patients' understanding and goals for their care, ensuring clear and effective communication between patients and their providers. Regina advocates for both for patient safety and autonomy in their healthcare decisions through her creation of meaningful contingency plans.
Quality Outcomes Contribution:
Regina promotes optimal health outcomes through chronic illness education and also advocates for process improvement in all aspects of care. She applies evidence-based care practices through continuous CME education and ensuring that quality and safety are integrated into her daily work. Her efficiency in using the Electronic Medical Record, and her 2025 work project to collate DME/SDOH resources for five counties in Washington State demonstrate her commitment to improving care and reducing waste/work stress.
Advocacy Efforts:
Regina is a strong advocate for her patients, her colleagues, and her community. Every day she navigates a complex healthcare system to connect essential resources for those in need - from food to housing to outside specialists, she supports patients in what may otherwise be an unnavigable journey. Regina's commitment to mentoring new RN Care Managers in the department gives these new RN CMs the amazing opportunity to learn from her skills and the craft of "care management."
Respect in Practice:
Regina consistently listens and is considerate of both her colleagues' and patients' feelings. She affirms patients' health care goals and creates strong partnerships with them to achieve these goals. Her ability to navigate difficult conversations around health trajectory and chronic condition management showcases her respect for her patients' needs and concerns.
***
Story of Excellence:
Regina always goes above and beyond for our care management patients. I can think of many exemplary instances of why this is the case in Regina's work, but especially so with one of Dr. N’s patients who had been living without essential resources until she was under Regina's care. Not only did Regina help her resolve these issues promptly, but she drastically reduced this patient's ER visits, which at times were weekly, and triage calls given the level of emotional support she provided the patient. She possesses the utmost level of compassion, which enables her to care for patients as a whole, emotionally and physically. Regina is not only dedicated and thorough with the patients she manages, but she's also always open to feedback and approaches her work in a collaborative fashion. Our clinicians and patients are lucky to have Regina as a care manager.
Patient Safety Contribution:
Regina holds herself accountable to her patients and colleagues through a detail-oriented approach to the care she provides to each individual patient as well as the reports she gives to our clinicians through our IDT meetings. She ensures an open discussion and collaboration through these discussions to avoid assumptions in the patient's history and care. When there is an acute concern, such as a recent need to arrange home health care for a patient, she is prompt, and we can always feel confident that she will carry the assignment through safely.
Quality Outcomes Contribution:
Regina takes the time to patiently educate each individual she is assigned and does so in an evidence-based manner and informed through the collaborative discussions we have with our clinicians.
Advocacy Efforts:
Patient testimonials alongside their marked improvement as well as reduced hospitalizations are evident of Regina's thorough, supportive, and empathetic care.
Respect in Practice:
She is always open to respectful discussions and feedback in arranging the care of the patients she oversees.
***
Story of Excellence:
Regina has made an incredible impact on the lives of so many of our patients, especially at Ballard Primary Care. She continuously goes above and beyond, in any way that she can, to ensure that not only are patients receiving vital, safe care that they need, but that their quality of life is improved through social and emotional support.
We have a patient who developed pressure sores with extreme difficulty leaving his home. While I was unclear on how to initiate home wound care, with one message to Regina, she sprang into action. She directly contacted home health agencies to confirm services, initiated the referral, thorough follow up with the patient that is still continuing with ongoing support and regular care coordination from Regina.
Not only are our patients lucky to have Regina's invaluable knowledge and care, but I also feel lucky, as a nurse and colleague, to learn from her. Regina has, without a doubt, improved the quality of care we provide. Thank you, Regina, for all that you do!
Patient Safety Contribution:
Regina is diligent in ensuring that patients have the tools and resources to safely continue with their treatment and care plans in their everyday lives. If she does not have the answer, she will find it and is a colleague whom you can count on. Regina's ongoing follow through with patients is consistent, thorough and done with genuine compassion.
Quality Outcomes Contribution:
Regina collaborates with providers, nurses, and many other care team members to ensure patient needs and health management are the best that they can be and that everyone is on the same page.
Advocacy Efforts:
Regina leads our monthly IDT meetings, discussing any current or potential patient concerns. She will present any pertinent patient update or information. This consistent team communication and Regina's diligence have significantly decreased ER utilization from our patients.
Respect in Practice:
Regina is supportive, approachable, and a tremendous resource. She has fostered incredible, trusting partnerships, not only with our staff, but with patients and their families.
***
Story of Excellence:
Regina gets things done that I didn't even know were possible. She has arranged for truly life-changing interventions for my patients, like helping an elderly single woman get a functional bed and a working refrigerator. She also has single-handedly DRAMATICALLY reduced my patient's ED visits. This is good fiscal policy, but even better is the fact that my patients aren't going to the ED because they don't need to! She makes a bigger impact on my most vulnerable patients than I ever can.
Patient Safety Contribution:
Regina is the person who measures twice and cuts once. She gets the right things done (avoiding assumptions), the first time (follow through), every time (accountability).
Advocacy Efforts:
She is the strongest and most effective advocate for our patients that I have ever worked with. She is incredibly knowledgeable about resources and is able to effect changes that I did not imagine possible (eg getting a bed set up, beg bugs treated, a refrigerator fixed).