Misty Hawkins was in her 20s with a stressful job and two small kids, looking for a place that would help her attain more balance in her life.
Sue Royal had been through a series of workplaces that closed or moved out from under her and was looking for some stability, a place to stay a while.
They both found what they wanted at Internists Associated, Misty in 1987 and Sue in 1991—and so did we when they chose to stay!
They are our longest-running employees, both loved members of our patient accounts department, tasked with helping our patients navigate the confusing world of health insurance and get the care they need.
“Things change almost daily. It’s a challenge,” says Misty, an Alexandria native who’s married with two children and six grandchildren. Outside the office, she’s a fixture at her grandchildren’s athletic events and at her country house in southern Indiana.
“Insurance will change their rules on you every day—which is one of the fun things about it, though,” says Sue, a Tennessee native, mom of four, grandma of six, and line-dancing and square-dancing aficionado. “The rules are always changing, so it’s always something to keep your mind busy.”
They both occupy a back office patients rarely see, though their voices may be familiar on the phone. They both go out of their way to help resolve insurance questions, detour around roadblocks and explain bills.
Misty, a patient account representative, and Sue, a patient account supervisor, both started at Internists Associated before there were multiple internists—when it was just Dr. Steve Allen and his wife, nurse and office manager, Cindy Allen, running things. So, the insurance industry isn’t the only thing they’ve seen change over the last three decades or so as the practice has expanded.
Most notably, perhaps, they watched the Allens’ daughter, Dr. Megan Zelasko, grow up in the practice, graduating from filing papers for pocket money after school to getting her own white coat and exam room. Now she’s set to take over the practice someday.
“It was very family oriented,” says Misty. “It has to do, still to this day, with the loyalty and the goodness of the Allens. They go the extra mile for their employees.”
Sue concurs: “It’s a great place to work. The people—that’s the reason I’m still here.”
“It hasn’t been a hard decision to stay,” says Misty.
And the office love is entirely mutual.
RN Amy Combs, coming to IA more than 20 years ago, was immediately struck by Misty’s genuine kindness.
“She has always been that person who asks you about your day and then actually listens to your response. She always has a smile and an encouraging word to offer, on both bad days and good days,” says Amy.
“I love that she loves the color purple—and her desk and workspace have various purple items to decorate it. I think she was truly excited when our uniforms changed to purple tops this time! She is always willing to help figure out insurance issues for patients and works quickly to answer any questions I send her.
“She is a true friend, a great coworker, and a wonderful grandma, mother and wife.”
Brooklyn Morris, IA’s assistant practice administrator, quickly learned when she started four years ago that Sue was the perfect go-to for her new-person questions and concerns.
“She is a vault of information and never fails to come up with a solution to any problem I may have,” Brooklyn says. “Even better, she LOVES to share what she knows. She is an excellent and patient teacher with 30 years of experience to share.
“Not only is she a whiz at patient accounts, she also has a myriad of other professional experiences that make her irreplaceable. I feel honored and blessed to get to work with Sue every day.
“I wasn’t joking when I told her she can never retire!”
Luckily, neither Misty nor Sue say they have any plans to work elsewhere before retirement creeps up on them. … And we hope that day is very far in the future.