About Our StaffAt The Hand & Wrist Center, we trust you will find piece of mind and comfort knowing that we employ some of the most professional, knowledgeable, and courteous individuals! We take "hand-picking" each member very seriously, and we take great pride in knowing that, together, they form a "lean, mean, 'healthcare team' machine!" We would like to invite you to learn more about our outstanding staff and why we consider them to be "hands down – the best around!" Kimberly Garcia, Front Office ReceptionistKimberly is one of our "Grade A" Front Office Receptionists! Before joining The Hand & Wrist Center, she had worked in the Aerospace Industry for 23 years. Switching to the Medical Industry has posed its challenges for Kimberly, but she has mastered the transition like an "airplane in perfect flight!" She holds a certification in Billing and Coding, but her learning has not stopped there. She admittedly "loves to stay busy at work," but she also stays busy outside of work! To say the least, Kimberly is quite actively involved with her son's Baseball games, family barbeques, cruising in her 1972 Caprice, attending car shows, and making crafts. And Kimberly absolutely adores her three children! She proudly reports that her son is an Honor Roll student; her baby girl is her "other half," and her teenager "drives her crazy!" She truly can be considered one of the world's "Greatest Moms!" And with a philosophy of "Hakuna Matata," Kimberly is easy-going and she "gets along" with everyone, and she is especially great at being a friend when needed! We consider Kimberly to be "the patient one" of the group. Oh, and did we forget to mention that she makes the best Barbeque Ribs and Peach Cobbler this side of the moon? She modestly describes her job duties at The Hand & Wrist Center as: "answering phones, registering patients, scheduling appointments, handling ledgers, helping patients, and working with adjustors," but she truly is a Celestial Star when it comes to providing great Customer Service and keeping the Front Desk in order. It would take several lists to describe all the activities that Kimberly partakes in on a daily basis, but in summary – definitely contact Kimberly when you need expert help with any of the following:
Jenee Brown, Front Office ReceptionistJenee is one of our "Grade A" Front Office Receptionists! Before joining The Hand & Wrist Center, she had worked in the Entertainment Industry for a few years. She brings to our organization experience in Customer Service, which truly earns her a "Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!" She holds a certification in Billing and Coding, and she is eager to learn everything she can about the Medical Industry. Jenee works really well with others, and her humor and great personality brings life to our Front Desk – making her an award-winning "Blockbuster!" Needless to say, we consider her to be the "Comedian" of the group. Outside of work, she is a proud mother of two handsome boys, whom she loves dearly. She enjoys swimming, painting, designing clothes, and poetry. And she tells us that although she is not involved in any community activities, she is happy to say that "she at least does not litter!" Jenee is great at multi-tasking. She works hard at juggling duties involving answering phones, providing excellent Customer Service, processing payments and collections, and scheduling appointments – but she particularly enjoys and takes pride in being our official "Candy Dish" gal. She makes it a daily priority to ensure that every patient and visitor enjoys a tasty treat every visit! Hollywood's movies do not have enough "credit rolls" to describe every task Jenee performs, but in summary, contact Jenee if you need expert help with any of the following:
Monica Gonzalez-Garcia, Front Office Supervisor / Surgery CoordinatorMonica is our Front Office Supervisor and Surgery Coordinator. She joined The Hand & Wrist Center almost 2 years ago – bringing with her a Billing and Coding certification. When she started, Monica was quite a shy young lady! So in an attempt to "de-shy" her, we placed her in a solitaire, Front Office Receptionist position. Her first reaction was like a "wide-eyed deer standing in front of oncoming traffic," but as we expected, Monica blossomed, and she is presently continuing to explode her true potential! She demonstrates great leadership qualities, organization-capability, and a high-level of responsibility and accountability. She is definitely a team player, and she demonstrates confidence in performing any task she is assigned. But in the most important roles of her life, Monica especially loves her little girl, being a mother, being a wife, and she is grateful to her parents for being great role-models. She particularly enjoys "being young," being with friends, and shopping. At present, Monica handles a great amount of responsibility including Surgery Scheduling and Pre-operative preparation coordination, as well as helping oversee Front Office operations. Do not hesitate to contact Monica if you have any questions regarding any of the following:
Isabel Mariscal, Lead Medical AssistantIsabel is our Lead Medical Assistant. She has been with The Hand & Wrist Center for almost 2 years now. Prior to joining our organization, Isabel had worked in a local, city-level government sector, a privately-held fueling company, and in administrative-support sectors of healthcare. We consider her the "Chameleon" of our bunch because she easily adapts to any situation, need, or task. She was initially hired as our Surgery Coordinator, but she quickly found herself also fulfilling secondary Front Office Receptionist duties. Isabel is a "hard worker" in every sense of the word. With or without experience, she does not hesitate jumping into any task – wherever there is work to be done, Isabel is there to do the job! Her true passion though is patient care. She now holds a certification in Medical Assisting, and her future plans are to pursue a Registered Nursing Degree, and eventually work in Nursing Administration. Outside of work, Isabel is even busier! She is completely dedicated and involved with her beautiful daughter's activities at school and church. She is dually involved with her parents, who are her role models. Between going to the movies, going dancing, travelling, spending time with her family, attending P.T.A. meetings, and keeping-up with other activities, it is amazing that Isabel still has energy to work! Fortunately, she has a high level of energy! Contact Isabel if you have any questions regarding any of the following:
Dorivel Rivera, Medical AssistantNot Available. LaDora King, Medical Assistant / Authorizations CoordinatorLaDora is one of our Medical Assistants. She presently holds a Certification in Medical Assisting. LaDora's primary responsibilities include assisting in direct patient care and obtaining patient authorizations for a variety of treatments and services. In addition, LaDora is always helping out with friendly Customer Service, problem solving, and other clerical ctivities. And not only does she work here fulltime – she also keeps very busy helping out at her Church, Mary Magdalene Church Family, in Los Angeles, where she is “First Lady” and Director of the Choir, and her husband is Pastor. Her most important and “divine” roles are motherhood and being a supportive wife. She is a proud mother of two beautiful daughters and a handsome son, and she enjoys spending time with and sharing in her husband's Church activities. Together, LaDora and Pastor King visit the Sick at local hospitals, and they are always available to help pray for the well-being of others. In LaDora's spare time, she enjoys shopping and spending as much additional time with her family as possible. She is presently in the process of returning to school to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse, and in the future (thereafter), she aspires to become a Registered Nurse. Contact LaDora for assistance with any of the following:
Pamela Taunton, Clinical SupervisorPam is our Clinical Supervisor and Chief Editor. She has been with the company going on 8 years now! It would be an understatement to say that Pam is a diligent, honest, and compassionate team member, but certainly we can say that her level of integrity makes her invaluable! She is a great listener, a great mom, "the world's Best Grandma," and there is nothing she enjoys more than spending time with her family and her dogs! With certifications in Medical Assisting, Electrocardiography, and Venipuncture, and over 16 years of work experience in Orthopedics (to say the least), Pam contributes a grand amount of knowledge and expertise in overseeing "Back Office" operations, maintaining inventory, composing reports and other documentation, and patient care. She is presently pursuing further certifications, with a tentative concentration in Radiology and Fluoroscopy. Feel free to contact Pam if you should have any questions regarding the following:
Arlene Kinyon, Transcriptionist / SecretaryNot Available. Aurora Pineda, Therapy Assistant / ReceptionistAurora, a.k.a "Lola," is considered the "baby" of our group! Although she is the youngest member of our organization, she possesses knowledge well-beyond her years! Aurora demonstrates strong confidence in her ability to execute any task that is assigned to her, and she fully proves it. Although she was initially hired into a front-office staff role, Aurora quickly demonstrated the ability to multi-task and deliver excellent assistance in all areas of the office. Demonstrating a genuine interest in learning about patient care, combined with the application of her skills, she quickly earned an Assistant position in our Therapy Department. She holds a certification in Billing and Coding, and experience in Customer Service. And with a history of being an Honor Roll student, and having received numerous Achievement Awards in high school, it is no surprise that "Lola" embraces her duties and responsibilities (at work and at home as a mother) like a pro! She recognizes, though, that she would not be where she is today if it had not been for the unconditional support she has received from her parents. "Lola," as we also call her, has grand future-career expectations, which include either (if not all) becoming a Registered Nurse, a Social Worker, a Correctional Officer, and/or opening her own restaurant franchise. Until then, Lola continues to enjoy working at The Hand & Wrist Center, and spending time with her wonderful 3-year-old son, and having fun going to theme parks, going on road trips, and travelling. Oh, and did we mention she also "sews" like a pro? Be sure to contact Aurora if you need help with any of the following:
Tamera L. Baker, OTR/L, APC (Occupational Therapist)Tamera is our Occupational (Hand) Therapist. She recently joined our center in June 2008, but already she has come in and helped re-organize and "vamp up" our therapy department! Her arrival has brought much-awaited, refreshing ideas and strategies, which have implemented a grand change in the way we provide therapeutic care to our patients. With a combination of the most skillful, therapeutic expertise, a "gentle touch," and a great personality, Tamera offers the best "hands-on" therapy this side of Tennessee! And we know for a fact that she is one of the best therapists around because we actually stole her from Tennessee! Tamera is truly a grand expert at what she does for our patients. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Occupational Therapy, as well as several certifications in First Aid, Wound Care, Modalities, Custom-fabricated Splinting, and Hand, Wrist, and Shoulder disorders. In addition, she is quite creative, innovative, and efficient when it comes to applying her extensive work experience into her final splinting products and therapy protocols. And at present, she is in the process of obtaining her Certification in Hand Therapy. Outside of work, Tamera is just as busy! She enjoys Soccer, Golf, and Running, and she is currently learning to play the Piano. She is involved extensively with her local community and Church, and in addition, she actively participates in the "Relay for Life," other volunteer activities, and she loves being a "24/7" Soccer Mom! Tamera is especially pre-occupied with being a wonderful mother to her adopted daughter, who is actually her niece. Together, they make a great Mother and Daughter duo, and a great addition to our family! We hope you have the opportunity to meet Tamera – whether it is through formal treatment, or by just stopping by to say "hello!" One thing is for sure – once you meet Tamera, her charm will have you coming back for that special treatment even when you feel all better!
Amanda Merino, AdministratorIf we could choose one word to describe the role Amanda plays at The Hand & Wrist Center, we would probably have to consider the word "everything." True to the word's meaning, this Texas-born, "Southwestern" Belle has no reservation about diving into any task! And although she is busy throughout most of the day overseeing day-to-day business operations, and fulfilling duties involving Marketing, Human Resources, Financial Planning and Accounting, Contracting, Project Management, I.T. and web development (to say the least), she never hesitates to jump in and also help room patients, change bandages, remove sutures, make appointments, or answer telephones. Amanda is one of our Senior Staff members – contributing over 12 years of combined patient-care and clerical experience in Orthopedics, as well as Administrative-Internship training experience at a major local medical center. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Administration, with a minor in Accounting, and a focus in Healthcare Management. And at present, she is in the process of obtaining her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license. Amanda's perspective on "running a business."When running a business, she admits that it takes a lot of discipline and determination to stay focused, as well as willingness to continue learning throughout the life of any career. She is a firm believer in higher education and the "good, old-fashioned" School of Hard Knocks. However, she states that for her some of the greatest lessons in running a business have come not from earning her degrees and working, but rather from being married to a great guy! Amanda quotes, "Just like in a marriage, when working with others in any business, it is important to learn how to listen first – then communicate, strategize and compromise, instill trust in the other, and always do what is best for the team as a whole. Everyone on the team is an important factor for success and it takes everyone involved to make 'it' work." Her husband, a General Contractor, metaphorically teaches her and reminds her everyday of one of the most valuable business (and life) lessons anyone could ever learn. He tells her that "...in order to build anything well, you must always first build a strong foundation and structure – thereafter, it's all just drywall and paint!" Amanda has definitely laid out a solid foundation on which everyone at The Hand & Wrist Center continues to help build-on day by day. In closing, she firmly states with confidence, "I see great potential in our company, and I strongly believe that we will continue to 'construct' a business that is better and greater! I foresee no problems achieving this – after all, we have the best and most important 'building' materials around – a great team!"
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