Amanda Taetz learned early on that hard work pays off
It has been years since Amanda Taetz learned about work ethic, business operations, and loving what one does for a living. She never forgot the lessons, and today she applies all of them to her work as executive vice president of MediGroup, the Missouri-based non-acute-care group purchasing organization.
As a kid, she helped her father, Russell Worthington, and her grandparents run Worthington’s Delivery, a local delivery service in Fort Worth, Texas. “I spent every summer helping my grandmother in the office and riding along with my dad on deliveries,” she says. “They both made sure I stayed busy and basically taught me the ropes to run the business. I would read maps and route out deliveries, answer the phone, watch how to change the oil in the trucks, calculate bills, etc. … I learned from an early age that hard work pays off.”
Her mother, Kathy Heimburger, has worked in long-term care for as long as her daughter can remember, and currently does social work at a long-term-care facility in St. Louis. “Hearing about her day and stories about the residents, and seeing how much she truly loved what she did, made me want to find something I loved as well.”
Her stepfather, John Heimburger, owns a travel agency in St. Louis. “He taught me those ‘tough life lessons.’ You want a car? Get a job. Want to go to college? Get a job. So, I got a job at the age of 15 and have been working ever since. Looking back, it was probably the best lesson he could have taught me. It built my work ethic and character, and gave me a will and drive to succeed.”
Sold on sales
Taetz got sold on sales during college, working at a Clinique counter at a Dillards department store in St. Louis. “I loved interacting with people, up-selling products, and helping people find solutions to their skin or makeup problems. I thrived in that role and was promoted to counter manager and picked up more hours. The more I worked and sold, the more drive I had to be the best. It was that role that sealed the deal for me going into sales.”
After the retail experience, she worked for her stepfather for a few years selling tropical vacations and destination weddings. But she became antsy sitting behind a desk, and began looking for a role in outside sales. She found one with a beer distribution company. “Being a beer drinker myself, this was a dream job, but it just had too many downfalls ultimately,” she says. But she had made good contacts, one of whom – a sales rep for PSS (now McKesson Medical-Surgical) – referred her to MediGroup CEO Andy Klearman. “I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself in to and I had a huge learning curve, but it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
At the time, relatively few physician practices understood group purchasing, she recalls. And distributor reps were none too eager to see their customers enroll in a GPO. MediGroup hoped to change that by partnering with distributors and earning their trust. “It made a huge difference,” she says.
“We make sure that everything we do and decisions we make align with and support our distributor partners’ objectives. That will never change. It’s our job as a GPO partner to make sure we bring value, solutions and savings to the table. It’s important to understand that what’s best for the customer is not always going to fall on a GPO contract, and we get that.
“The distributor rep’s role has evolved over the years, so our main objective is to make things as easy as possible,” she continues. “We do that by working with their contract teams to ensure contract connections, correct tiers, DEA/HINs are loaded, etc., and we work directly with our members to get them connected to all the savings and solutions available to them through our value-added vendors. It’s a team effort, and it creates that stickiness in an account we all want.”
Pandemic demands solutions
As it has for just about everyone in the healthcare supply chain, COVID-19 has challenged the people at MediGroup.
“It shifted our focus completely,” says Taetz. “We were in a huge sales growth mode and had a lot planned for 2020, including the launch of a new program, but dropped everything to focus on helping our members and distributor partners.” PPE was a primary concern for many MediGroup members. But the GPO was also asked to provide assistance with practice protocols for the pandemic, telehealth services, even floor stickers to remind people to maintain a safe physical distance.
“There were months of no selling – just trying to find solutions and help our members get in touch with suppliers,” she says. “We were walking on eggshells, trying to be respectful of the situation while offering solutions to help. Once things started to re-open, we supported our distributor partners and our members in getting practices back up and running.”
Amanda Taetz has two “amazing” kids who keep her busy with baseball games, skate parks and everything else. MJ is 9 and Evie is 6. She is an avid reader, but also likes to travel, roller skate, tend to her yard and garden, and enjoy a good beer.