Effective Risk and Compliance Management 

EG: What are some of the greatest challenges associated with effective risk and compliance management?
 

LJ: Most of the time, the challenge is in the change for the people responsible to perform the FMEA. Change is always hard and the team at APiS North America knows that. This is why we have developed the solution in our IQ-Software training program. Our Vice President, Chad Johnson, and Program Manager, Anthony Rodriguez have worked together to combine Chad’s expert FMEA methodology, global team development, and over 20 years of IQ-Software experience and Anthony’s career in learning development and team facilitating. This combination, along with the fact that APiS North America offers the IQ-Software training in Spanish and English, provides teams the best FMEA tool implementation strategy for their quality and safety programs.
 

EG: How would you say that your background in technology business development in the healthcare industry has deepened your insight into the importance of attention to detail and quality engineering? 
   

LJ: My work as a Doctorate of Pharmacy and healthcare company leader for telepharmacy and pharmacy management, has been an integral part of the APiS North America strategy, culture, and team building. In pharmacy, we take an oath and that will always be part of who I am as a person and as a leader. My career was spent caring for others as if they were one of my own family members, along with have no room for failure. The technology background that I developed as part of this has provided a very solid relationship between me and our customers. I work with IT teams, provide IQ-Software Support, develop customer relationships to understand their need and how we will solve their issues to meet those needs. I work with our team to meet every customer’s objectives best. We are fortunate that Chad, Anthony, and I together, have built APiS North America, LLC to focus on customer service, the best and latest industry developments, and the most efficient and cost-effective way to develop teams to be best prepared for any challenge they face.
 

EG: You also have a Doctorate in Pharmacy, impressively earning the highest academic qualification for Class of 2000 graduates. How did the rigours of study at the highest levels of academia, help you to emerge as a global leader at the forefront of healthcare technology?
 

LJ: Thank you for the lead in to my introduction. It is very kind and appreciated. My Doctorate of Pharmacy is the proudest accomplishment my education journey and it provided me a lot of preparation for this. The rigorous schedule and clinical training were most invaluable to the 20 years that have followed. I have worked every leadership position I have held with the same vigour I used during my doctoral program. For anyone who has obtained a post-graduate degree while also practicing at their career will understand this: once you work that hard, anything seems possible. I also have my undergraduate degree from the first pharmacy school in the country, so I have a lot of pride in being a pharmacist. And in 2020, women are the majority in pharmacy, which is another source of pride. This sense pride and determination are the backbone to what has helped me emerge as a global leader.
 

EG: With over 20,000 satisfied customers, what would you say it is that makes your online training special?
 

LJ: The APiS North America online training has been developed over the past 2 years, so this was great foresight for the current circumstances. We moved our confirmed, and upcoming, IQ-Software training, that were scheduled prior to the stay at home orders began, online without issue. Since then, we have trained, consulted, provided demonstrations, and continued our sales per our processes developed prior to the crisis phase for most companies. Because we had been providing virtual IQ-Software training, our processes were prepared to change to this way of training without great effort. For many companies, teams were also working at home, and having teams train, develop FMEAs, and develop processes to continue their projects. Our team was working continuously to support our current and new customers with current projects and implementation. It is not to say that there was no change, since so many were so greatly affected. We also supported them in any way we could that met their needs during the crises, since there was not only one occurring during the past several months.
 

EG: How did the experience of working within both the not-for-profit and the for-profit healthcare sector, later impact your career? 

LJ: I am very fortunate to have this unique opportunity within my healthcare career. The experience was very rewarding and humbling since there is great attention to finances in both the for-profit and the not-for-profit. How you managed the revenue in both is also of great value, so this developed my knowledge of attention to the financial aspect of organisations. APiS North America’s team knows that I pay very close attention to the financial growth, but with great attention on our company’s culture and its employees. They see what our company’s goals are and they know how we strategise to get there, so that the company stays financially healthy. Personally, this affects me to know that our for-profit business can support the needs of others and contribute to fundraising and participating in community not-for-profit organisations. It has been very rewarding for our team to participate, as a company, in community efforts.
 

EG: As an award-winning firm honoured for contributions to healthcare technology, what would you say is the secret to your continued success? 
 

LJ: APiS North America’s success has been the keen attention we pay to customer service and innovative ideas. We work with our parent company and the IQ-Software developer, APiS® Informationstechnologien GmbH, closely on behalf of our North American and South American customers. This provides feedback on IQ-Software features and functionality that the Americas’ customers have inquired about or requested. Since the IQ-Software has been developed by APIS® GmbH with the customers needs, this is important for the APiS North America customers. We intend to continue to work on behalf of our customers, best practices, and requirements and regulations.   EG