Our Transitional Care Management Team Delivers Compassionate Patient Care—After A Hospital Stay

When you consider a career in health care, you’ll likely picture patients being treated by nurses and doctors at a hospital or doctor’s office. But what about the care provided afterward? At Northwell, ensuring a patient continues on the road to good health following discharge is just as important as treating them during their stay — and that’s when the Transitional Care Management (TCM) team steps in.

As a TCM senior program manager, Chris Choi knows that “it takes a multifaceted team, which even includes the patient and family, to help guide those in need to step ‘north’ along the path of wellness.” That passage north is charted with the careful teamwork of roles ranging from nurses and doctors to social workers and care management coordinators.

TCM teams follow up with patients after they leave the hospital to ensure they stay the course toward wellbeing and rejoin their communities. The work of TCM also impacts organizational goals such as reducing patient readmission, which is critical for a health system caring for more than 2 million people annually within 23 hospitals and nearly 800 outpatient sites. “I coordinate the implementation of organization-wide strategies designed to meet operational objectives,” says Chris, “as well as provide hospitals with data and analytics to support their process-improvement efforts.”

Chris began his Northwell career journey as an intern in 2017, and it was then that he realized the direct impact his work would have on patients. His internship project was to develop a self-management workbook for patients recovering from a cardiothoracic procedure. According to Chris, “At the end of my internship, I was able to visit the patient recovering at home. It was amazing to know I had made even a small impact on the life of this patient!”

From his days as an intern to his current role, Chris always loves working directly with the teams treating our patients. “Although I am not involved in direct clinical care, I love that I am still able to contribute toward the health care of thousands of patients though our transitional care programs.”

Throughout the growth of his Northwell career, Chris was encouraged by leadership to expand his knowledge of what it means to work in health care by receiving opportunities and resources to be creative. He believes the care the organization shows not only to patients but also to employees is just one part of what makes Northwell Health a Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For®. Chris continues to see opportunities ahead of him, and he feels confident about forging ahead on his career path: “I know that in every position, within every portfolio of work, the organization will help me excel and guide me to always be patient-centered. My managers and leadership support me by the way they communicate, teach and lead by example.”

Chris recommends a career in health care –whether in clinical or non-clinical roles–to anyone who understands “it’s important to stay humble. We learn from both our own experiences and from our team members. It’s a process of constant discovery that offers ways to support patients.”

Redefine what you think it means to work in health care and discover a career well cared for at Northwell Health.