Annie Addison’s connection to Penn began at Pennsylvania Hospital in 1966, when she volunteered as a candy striper for two summers while still in high school. “I wanted to learn the work force,” she said. She treated her work there as a job and people noticed. The experience — and her professionalism at the hospital — led to a job at PAH in 1968.
Annie initially worked in a clinic, signing in patients and, reading from the doctor’s orders, writing out slips for blood tests and x-rays or scheduled appointments. And then she became a “floater.” She worked in medical records and filled in in the emergency room if someone was out. The varied assignments “kept me motivated … and learning,” she said.
By the 1990s she had shifted to billing and, when PAH became part of the Penn family, she moved to patient accounting on a corporate level. “I did insurance work, following up on rejected claims, for example, correcting a policy number or a patient’s home address,” she said.
Clearly, technology has changed tremendously over the decades and Annie has welcomed it, undertaking each new level of training with enthusiasm. “With Epic, it’s so much easier to get information. It’s an excellent tool,” she said. “Some don’t like change, but I love it. I like learning new technology. It helps me grow.”
Although the majority of those who moved with her from Pennsylvania Hospital have retired, Annie has no immediate plans to follow that path. “I love what I do and I love being part of the Penn family.”
Annie has become a mentor to many younger employees in her department, encouraging them to learn as much as they can. “I became a candy striper to get experience, and that led me to where I am today,” she said. “I tell them experience is better than money.”
“Stay focused and be an example for others to follow,” she tells them. “And follow your dreams. You have to like what you’re doing. If you don’t, how are you going to survive? Learn and go into something you love.”