What It’s Like to Work at BRIDGE
BRIDGE Healthcare Partners employees share their experiences on the job.
BRIDGE Healthcare Partners is a nonprofit managed service organization trusted for nearly fifteen years by nonprofit community-based safety net healthcare providers nationwide to consistently deliver affordable, quality health IT, cybersecurity, compliance, and revenue cycle solutions.
When employees join the BRIDGE team, they tend to stay and build careers. On average, BRIDGE managers have been with the company eight to nine years, and many rise through the ranks to assume senior leadership roles.
L. is an IT administrator who has been with BRIDGE from the very beginning. She says a big part of BRIDGE’s appeal is working for a mission-driven nonprofit that aligns with her values. “I really wanted to help people, and I really wanted to do it through IT. I wanted to do something I actually believed in rather than just go to a job. And I just totally believe in what our clients do for everyone’s health—especially their support of women and trans people.”
“I really wanted to help people, and I really wanted to do it through IT. I wanted to do something I actually believed in rather than just go to a job. And I just totally believe in what our clients do for everyone’s health.”
—L., BRIDGE IT Administrator (14 years)
With the exception of a handful of staff that work onsite at client health centers, BRIDGE’s workforce is completely remote with staff located in cities and towns from coast to coast across the United States. BRIDGE has supported a nearly 100% remote workforce for a very long time. This experience gives us an edge in terms of fostering community, personal connection, and vibrant company culture in a virtual workspace.
K. is a manager in BRIDGE’s centralized billing operations (CBO). She joined the BRIDGE team in 2017. “BRIDGE has been remote for a lot longer than most companies. One thing that’s refreshing is that we’ve got it really figured out in terms of how to successfully onboard employees remotely. Train remotely. And strengthen remote relationships with team building. Being remote for so much longer than other companies—that experience makes things smooth.” She continues, “We do such a great job of team building. It really helps keep people engaged … We’re definitely growing as a company, but it still has that small feel where everybody knows everybody.”
One of a handful of BRIDGE staff who are embedded onsite at a client health center, when T. first started in 2011, his office was in the same room that housed BRIDGE’s network equipment. He recalls, “The room had to be kept super cold—it was constantly freezing. I was working with gloves on. That was the only way I could. There was real dedication.”
“BRIDGE has been remote for a lot longer than most companies. One thing that’s refreshing is that we’ve got it really figured out in terms of how to successfully onboard employees remotely. Train remotely. And strengthen remote relationships with team building. Being remote for so much longer than other companies—that experience makes things smooth.”
—K., BRIDGE CBO Manager (8 years)
Now the lead of BRIDGE’s Deskside Services, he says “BRIDGE is not a tiny company, but it’s small enough to still be personable. If you need to talk to the CEO, you can. And that’s kind of amazing … I’ve been brought into projects where—even when it isn’t fully in my realm—I’ve been brought in for my views. People listen. And even if we go a different route, I am heard.”
“BRIDGE is not a tiny company, but it’s small enough to still be personable. If you need to talk to CEO, you can. And that’s kind of amazing.”
—T., BRIDGE Deskside Service Lead (14 years)
Value and respect for each employee is fundamental to BRIDGE’s company culture. L. says, “BRIDGE allows me to do my job in the way I feel like I need to do it. There might be times I work late at night, so I take off half a day. There’s flexibility. People are willing to work with each other.”
BRIDGE’s Service Desk Lead, B., echoes that sentiment. “Having leadership that actually values me as a person—that matters a lot. I’m not just a number or some kind of metric. My opinion is considered before making any kind of impactful decisions. I feel respected.”
“Having leadership that actually values me as a person—that matters a lot. I’m not just a number or some kind of metric. My opinion is considered before making any kind of impactful decisions. I feel respected.”
—B., BRIDGE Service Desk Lead (7 years)
BRIDGE nurtures talent though equitable opportunities for professional growth and career advancement. B. was making a career change when he joined BRIDGE. “Working on computers is something I’ve always done—mainly for friends and family. Back in 2018, I decided that I wanted to switch careers and go into IT. BRIDGE took a chance on me.” He adds, “Knowing that we’re all working towards the same mission and the same goals as an organization and we’re not competing with each other. You don’t find that everywhere.”
Working remote was the initial draw for J. when she first joined BRIDGE. “I was intrigued because I could do this from home.” She then quickly ticks off a few of the things she loves about BRIDGE: “For one, BRIDGE wants you to be a happy employee. BRIDGE offers flexible work schedules, paid time off, and generous benefits. They want us to have work-life balance.” She pauses and says, “There are opportunities here. There are times that I get pushed out of my comfort zone, but those have been opportunities to learn some new skill. I love that BRIDGE offers tuition reimbursement … I just took a certification test, and BRIDGE helped to assist with the cost. BRIDGE invests in me and lets me grow.”
“There are opportunities here. There are times that I get pushed out of my comfort zone, but those have been opportunities to learn some new skill … BRIDGE invests in me and lets me grow.”
—J., BRIDGE CBO Manager (10 years)
After two years as an accounts receivable specialist, J. applied for a management position. Ten years on, she now supervises a team of seven. She says, “It’s a hard job. It can be stressful. But there’s never, never a dull day. No two days are ever the same. I have some very strong team members, and I am always encouraging my team to be high performers. I enjoy seeing my direct reports grow and be more engaged and increase their collector skills. I couldn’t do my job without each of them. We are a team, and I bank on them every day.”
K. started her career on the billing team of a BRIDGE client health center. In 2017, the client contracted with BRIDGE for revenue cycle management, and K. was invited to join the BRIDGE team. She explains that although it is common for health centers to group medical billing together with accounting functions, having medical billing under a director of revenue rather than the chief financial officer “was huge because they’re just two different roles.”
BRIDGE offered opportunities for growth and career advancement she had not imagined. “I was grateful for the opportunity to be able to learn all the different aspects of billing. It’s not common for individuals to learn multiple functions of billing all at once. When starting at BRIDGE, I had the pleasure of working alongside BRIDGE leadership as they took on this new client … It was really refreshing to have leadership that understood billing. They had a lot of knowledge to offer. I knew that was what I needed for that next step in my career.” Within a few years, she was promoted to team lead and then became a manager.
As a parent with young children, she appreciates the added flexibility of working remotely. She says, “Working remote’s a huge plus. Benefits are great. And they do a really good job of promoting work-life balance.
“I just feel like there are endless opportunities to continue learning and growing…and leading my team, allowing them to continue growing within their roles and our organization.”
—K., BRIDGE CBO Manager (8 years)
But she most enjoys the constant change that brings new learning opportunities for her and her team. “BRIDGE is unique because we continue to grow and work with new clients, or established clients wanting to change and implement new processes. There are endless opportunities to continue learning and growing … and leading my team, allowing them to continue growing within their roles and our organization.” She also appreciates the collaborative culture and openness to innovation. “When I train new staff, I’m receptive to their feedback and want to benefit from the experience they bring with them.” Traditionally, individual teams within a CBO focus on one piece of a complex process. K. feels, as a manager, helping her team understand how their work fits into the bigger picture empowers them to participate in improving processes. “Just knowing how all of the wheels turn to lead to that final step of billing has been a really big help to my team and has empowered them to grow as well.”
Are you searching for the right place to build your career in health IT, cybersecurity, or revenue cycle management? Check out BRIDGE’s career opportunities, explore www.bridgehcp.com, and follow us on LinkedIn.