Annie Letzkus: Patient Experience Specialist, Tampa, FL-
Our employees are all patient care champions, but some go the extra mile and we want to give them the recognition they deserve. They embody the PPOA values known as S.I.T.E. – Safety, Integrity, Teamwork, Empathy – which informs our service to patients and the community through high quality health care.
PPOA’s patient experience specialist, Annie Letzkus has always held an innate desire to help people. Whether it’s helping patients find pain relief or teaching youth to play pickleball, Letzkus is a great example of the associates that represent PPOA.
Baltimore native, Letzkus received her first masters from University of Maryland Baltimore County for Education. After wanting a change, she moved to Florida to be closer to her parents. Here, she earned her second master’s degree in business administration from Western International University. After moving to Florida, she took her achievements to University of Phoenix where she held a sales position. She then moved over to Laser Spine institute where she stayed for 5 years prior to becoming part of the PPOA team.
Letzkus is located at our headquarters in Tampa, FL and is one of eight patient experience specialists. As a patient experience specialist, she takes on the role of being a liaison between the clinics and the ambulatory surgical centers (ASC). She has many daily duties. Because she receives calls from patients, clinics, and ASCs, she has to know a little bit of everything to best assist whoever is on the other side of the phone. “Some problems I can’t fix,” says Letzkus, “but I can at least make the patients feel like someone is listening, says Letzkus.
Letzkus’ career life has always been about helping people. “When I got my masters in education, it was about helping kids, at University of Phoenix it was about helping students better themselves, and now I get to help patients find pain relief,” says Letzkus.
She has been an asset to the PPOA team in many ways. “Annie Letzkus is a dedicated team member that approaches her work with a sense of honor and duty,” says Michael Hardy, Director of Patient Expierence.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 21 month old daughter with another one on the way. She also enjoys being active, playing pickleball and softball, and spending time with friends and family.
“Annie is often the first person to arrive in the morning and often the last one to leave at night,” says Michael Hardy, “but that’s not what makes her a service champion. Annie is a service champion because she fights for each and every patient, she does not accept the easy answer and she will not give up until the patient is taken care of. When it comes to patient advocacy you need look no further than Annie Letzkus with her passion, indomitable spirit and commitment to excellence she raises the bar on any team she joins and we are proud to have her on the PPOA Patient Experience team.”
