Clinician Profile: Kris Berkery, MD

Kris Berkery, MD, is Zynx Health's National Physician Executive.

You work at Zynx in the role of National Physician Executive. What are your main responsibilities in this position?
           
My primary responsibility is to ensure that our prospective and existing clients have physician resources to help them understand and best utilize Zynx tools. I serve as a coach for two physicians who joined the Medical Affairs group in 2007. A significant amount of my time is spent working with prospective and existing clients on ways to achieve success with ZynxOrder and AuthorSpace, our tools for building and maintaining evidence-based order sets for use in hospitals.

What do you enjoy most about the work that you do at Zynx?

I’m very passionate about healthcare and the work I do here at Zynx. My work translates into lives saved and improved quality of care at hospitals using our products. Every day, I feel like I’ve helped someone; that’s a great feeling.

As the most tenured physician in Medical Affairs, a newly-formed department at Zynx, can you tell us about how this department came to be and the role that it serves?

Over the past two years, the company has grown significantly. We wanted to create a department that would serve as a dedicated group of resources to provide medical expertise to our growing client base, as well as to various departments within the company.

Medical Affairs recently oversaw the creation of the ZynxOrder™ Acceleration Program. Can you tell us more about this program and how it will benefit Zynx clients?

The ZynxOrder Acceleration Program provides enrolled clients a number of solutions that accelerate the build process for order sets that may be used on paper, electronically, or within a computerized provider order entry system. Accelerating the build process for our clients helps them save valuable time, and helps them deploy their evidence-based order sets sooner.

“We are constantly seeking ways to further the success of our clients, and 2008 will be an exciting year.”

When you started out at Zynx, you were a part of the team working on developing evidence-based content. How does that background inform you in your current position?

When I started working at Zynx in 2004, I was a Physician Executive on the Content Development Team, building and updating surgical modules and order sets. The eight months that I worked directly in that department helped me gain a foundation of knowledge about how we build and update our content. I am able to share this knowledge with our clients, and that firsthand knowledge allows me to be more successful in my current role.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2008, what are some important steps that Zynx will take to ensure the success of its clients?

We are constantly seeking ways to further the success of our clients, and 2008 will be an exciting year. This year, we will deliver additional enhancements to AuthorSpace, continue to build and update clinical content, move forward in our integration efforts with various vendor partners, apply the ZynxOrder Acceleration Program for a number of clients, and continue to provide the services and expertise that our clients need to be most successful in meeting their healthcare quality goals.

When and how did you first decide to become a physician?

As a child, I lived in a rural community in Illinois with a population of 1,000 people. We had one physician that served our community, and I found him to be very inspirational. When I was nine years old, I knew that I wanted to “help sick people get better, just like him.” 

What are your interests outside of work? What keeps you occupied in your spare time?

In my free time, I enjoy gardening, vacationing in Hawaii, and attending sporting events. My husband, Jack, and I have season tickets to UCLA football and basketball games—we’re big fans. When in Hawaii, I try to capture a few photographs for my collection.