Meet TrueCare Innovators: Tracy Elmer, Chief Innovation Officer

As the Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) for TrueCare, Tracy Elmer holds what she proudly calls “the coolest job in the world.” She views her role as an “endless opportunity to make a difference” by connecting people, technology, and TrueCare’s mission, the holy trinity of improved community health care. From overseeing Information Technology and cyber security to project management and enterprise analytics, Tracy ensures innovation is a core value constantly woven into the fabric of the organization at every level and every turn.

At TrueCare, our team members are the most valuable asset in the community health care ecosystem. We constantly seek new ways to support them, leveraging technology not just to enhance patient care but also to foster provider well-being and professional growth. Learn how TrueCare is pioneering a new path forward, one that you should be excited to join.

[H2] Meet the TrueCare Innovators: Tracy Elmer, Chief Innovation Officer

Tracy Elmer is a natural strategist and solution provider, motivated by a passion for problem-solving and a deep love for people. For her, the role is about discovery and creation, empowering the TrueCare team to do their best work without barriers.

“When you’re a Chief Innovation Officer, you’re constantly in creation mode, discovery and opportunity mode, or problem-solving mode. Those are the three gears. So, if you like problem-solving and you love people, it’s like the perfect space,” explained Tracy.

[H3] How Does TrueCare Use Technology to Support Providers and Staff?

At TrueCare, every technological investment is made with the intentional goal of enhancing the experience for both the patient and the care team.

“Think about electronic health records and all our supportive technologies. We’re lost if we don’t have the right data to make the right decisions, so that’s my role as CIO. The key is, really, intentionality, which comes naturally to TrueCare because we’re so mission-driven that everything already innately has purpose. Innovation is one of our core values, so it’s just part of our everyday mission and vision,” explained Tracy.

Tracy said that her role as an innovator is to support the team, bottom line. In doing so, they can provide better care to patients.

“A lot of my day-to-day life is just really offering support and making sure everyone who’s here can do their jobs without any barriers. So much of my time is spent with strategy and working with close colleagues to advance that kind of support,” added Tracy.

Ultimately, however, Tracy said that the key is innovating with intention.

“I can’t emphasize it enough. Intentionality is so critical. There are so many cool, shiny objects and tools, but how do we know which one is best for us? That’s what’s really important when we’re considering what technology we want to embrace,” said Tracy.

A prime example is the implementation of the ambient AI listening tool (Abridge). This technology dramatically reduces the cognitive burden on providers by securely listening to patient conversations and drafting clinical notes, allowing providers to focus on the patient.

The result? Reducing clinician burnout, which has been widespread post-pandemic.

“We had providers writing to us for the first time saying, ‘I like this,’ or, ‘If you take this away, I don’t think I will ever come back to work.’ I mean, it was like a love note coming through. I love making our providers’ lives easier,” remembered Tracy.

[H3] How Do Team Members Drive TrueCare’s Innovation Strategy?

Innovation at TrueCare is a collaborative team sport, with the voice of the team member, or the internal “customer,” always leading the way. The organization utilizes a shared, two-way governance model that integrates feedback from staff, patients, and the local community.

“Innovation exists to create less friction with the care experience while enhancing the provider experience. What we really benefit from is having such a stronghold in our communities where we serve and those relationships, not just with other providers but the whole of the health care ecosystem and social system. We have a more formal, structured process to get the voice of the community. They call it an Engagement Assessment; it’s like a survey that helps us inform whether those larger trends and industry things are right for us. We also get tons of input through our community outreach program to understand the needs of our communities and patients,” said Tracy when asked about how being a community-first organization helps to drive innovation.

Tracy said that they also gather insight from the patients themselves.

“We have our own patient advisory group at TrueCare, and they provide input and react to our ideas. That way, it’s a two-way dialogue. It’s really important that we have all these different funnels from an ideation perspective,” said Tracy.

Just as importantly, Tracy described the power of partnerships in getting innovative technology, saying that every team member plays a part in creating the trust between organizations and showing that the organization shares the same values.

“The commitment our entire team has to vendors is really important. It’s why they trust us enough to partner with us – we help each other make a difference. We’ve spoken on behalf of companies to advocate for them, and we’ve been on different podcasts and webinars to talk through the value. It’s really just about showing that there’s something in it for us and them. Our team played a huge part in that,” elaborated Tracy.

Tracy said that TrueCare’s processes and check-ins also play a huge role in driving innovation.

“We have structured processes and methods of getting ideas from the team, especially when defining our priorities every year. Much of that comes through our strategic planning process, which commences formally every three years, but we check in every 18 months, and there, you get the voice of the team. Everybody has input. That’s a really easy way to get ideas. As for informal methods, those happen all day and every day. People are always sharing ideas with me in the hallways. I love it, and it really comes down to having open communication and being approachable,” reflected Tracy.

From formal strategic planning processes to informal daily check-ins, TrueCare ensures every perspective is heard. This open-door policy allows providers and staff to directly influence the adoption of new tools and processes.

“We have governance groups where we’re structured in a way where we have folks who are doing the work, who are on the front lines and in the middle of the workflows, who are giving us the ideas. I’m a partner to all, and my job is to understand what solutions exist. There’s not a day that goes by that someone isn’t providing some idea. That’s what we mean when we say it’s a core value. We live and breathe innovation every day,” said Tracy.

Tracy said they also have surveys that they use to gather feedback and ideas from the team.

“Every year, we do surveys to measure employee engagement, and we take them very seriously and review the answers. That’s one valuable way that we get ideas. But nothing replaces face time and collaboration, so Dr. Russell also hosts quarterly town halls with the providers in which we’re invited to participate. You get a direct audience of all providers to say, ‘Here’s what we’re thinking, here are the ways we want to help, and does that resonate?’ It’s a very shared, collaborative decision-making approach,” said Tracy.

[H3] What Opportunities Are There for Professional Growth and Upskilling at TrueCare?

TrueCare views its commitment to innovation as a continuous investment in its workforce, saying that it encourages networking as a great way to learn from professionals.

“Our employees at TrueCare do a lot of networking. It happens in a lot of different ways. Some of us are part of our own professional bodies, and a lot of our team goes out and speaks on behalf of TrueCare to their respective groups. Take Cheryl Peterson Pine, our CFO, for example. She’s been speaking at a lot of different groups. We really empower our team to be ambassadors, which drives professional development and innovation. We all share that passion – everywhere we go, we want to speak up and talk about how special TrueCare is so that, by the time we leave, everyone will know who we are and what our organization stands for. The whole team is really proud and passionate in that way,” said Tracy.

Tracy said this includes extensive, role-based training and dedicated professional development programs to ensure team members are not just keeping up, but leading the way in their respective fields.

The organization has invested in its own Organizational Development program and robust Leadership Development curriculum to build skills in every team member.

“You don’t just want to retain your talent. You want to grow your talent. We provide high levels of education to develop leaders, and we empower our team every day to bring their best, most talented selves to work, and leadership does the same. It’s just an unrivaled environment of support and growth,” said Tracy.

Looking forward, this commitment is most apparent in TrueCare’s proactive approach to new technologies like Artificial Intelligence.

“We’re in the midst of putting forward a formal plan for a strategy around what we’re calling our Role Evolution Roadmap. It’s not about replacing people ever, which is becoming more of a talking point with AI. Rather, it’s about elevating and upskilling the workforce – it’s about using that technology as a way to hone your craft. That will not only help them here, but will help them anywhere else they plan to go. We want to prepare everyone for their future, whether that’s with us or somewhere else. That’s the true definition of investing in your workforce – it’s unconditional,” said Tracy.

[H3] What’s TrueCare’s Culture of Innovation Like?

The powerful mission of community health care attracts a certain kind of person, and that is what Tracy Elmer credits most for TrueCare’s unique culture of innovation. It is a culture defined by trust and an overwhelming willingness to change.

“What makes TrueCare special is that our culture is really strong and resonates pretty consistently across locations, so the culture of innovation is consistent, too. But different communities and patient populations have different needs, so different locations might be driven to create different solutions. Every site comes up with great ideas,” beamed Tracy.

She said that the people themselves are the linchpin of innovation at TrueCare.

“It’s the people here that elevate our organization. There’s this spirit of innovation that lives in every single individual who works at TrueCare. Everyone starts from a place of ‘yes.’ There’s no resistance. There’s just a willingness to work and partner with us on anything we want to try, and there’s so much trust. Trust is key. Without that, innovation and improvement are kind of impossible. We’ve built a lot of trust equity with intention,” said Tracy.

TrueCare is an organization that actively fights against what they refer to as “silent suffering,” a culture that encourages team members to report problems rather than silently dealing with them. No matter what you’re dealing with, you have a team behind you.

Tracy also made the point of saying that innovation doesn’t have to be technology-centric.

“A good example is that, several years ago, we were trying to improve quality, that’s always a focus, but we knew with our Epic implementation, we were going to take a bit of a hit. That always happens with any kind of major change to workflows. We worked with Perris to design this quality ambassador program. We tested it there, and everyone was so helpful. It’s been hugely successful, and our outcomes show that our interventions and all the changes, data, ambassadors, and quality scores have improved dramatically year-over-year, which is what it’s all about – it’s really cool to see. Innovation will also look like translation tools because we have a lot of Spanish-speaking patients. It’s a balance between innovative technology and innovative processes, at the end of the day,” said Tracy.

This commitment to being open, trusting, and proactive ensures that every single team member is part of the solution.

“People here just think differently – it’s a mindset that’s all about yes, we’re in it until it doesn’t work. Until the wheels fall off. Then, we make a pit stop, see what happened, put them back on, and keep on trucking. They also start from a place of trust, or at least alignment, that they’ll get there through time and testing. Everyone is in it, and everyone plays a part. It’s a team sport. We really do try to be solution partners and strategists as opposed to change deliverers – we don’t just enforce change,” smiled Tracy.

[H2] Are You Inspired By the Words of Tracy Elmer, CIO? Apply Today to Make a Meaningful Difference in Your Community.

Tracy Elmer and the TrueCare innovation team are committed to providing the best tools, training, and support to ensure our staff can focus on the most meaningful part of their job: providing compassionate health care to those who need it most and meeting patients where they’re at. Our focus on elevation, upskilling, and provider well-being means you can grow professionally while making a real difference in the community.

If you are a talented, mission-driven professional looking for an organization that is ready for change and invested in your future, we’d love to have you on our team. Apply today to be part of an organization that is leading the charge in creating a more equitable future.

Meet the TrueCare Innovators: Tracy Elmer, Chief Innovation Officer