For Stacey McKee, the Optum “better, for you” promise is her professional mantra

Stacey McKee has always championed excellence in customer service. With over two decades of managed care, account management, and sales experience, Stacey knows that each client faces varied and specific challenges. And as a registered nurse, she knows the importance of appropriate clinical care and careful attention to patient needs.

In July 2023, after over 20 years at Optum, most recently as Senior Vice President of Account Management, Stacey moved into the newly created position of Senior Vice President of Client Experience. Stacey’s new role is designed to make sure the Optum client is at the center of every business decision and change management initiative. It also gives her increased authority to collaborate with cross-functional teams to promote program success and strengthen customer relationships.

Recently, we sat down with Stacey to learn more about her approach to her new role and her priorities for the first year.

How would you describe your new role?

The focus for my new role is to build an even better client experience by making sure that the desires, needs, and goals of our customers are considered in every decision. This helps us sustain and expand our strategic client partnerships.

My new position was created to be the central connection between our customers and our business. As we prepare for future challenges by bringing fresh solutions and products to the market, we want to make sure they are built not only with our clients in mind, but in collaboration with our clients.

How has your background in the industry prepared you for this position?

This position is really an expansion of my earlier role as SVP of Account Management. I was already working on several initiatives and projects I am working on now. However, removing some of my previous account management responsibilities allows me to focus 100% of my time on enhancing the client experience at Optum. Our forward-thinking approach can be summed up in three words: vision, strategy, and future.

I have spent the last 22 years in account management roles, focusing on clients and building relationships. Now I can take my commitment to clients to a whole new level, which is even more strategically focused. This is exciting both for me professionally and, I believe, for our clients.

How does this position support the Optum promise, “Better, for you”?

By championing and creating this role, Optum shows our commitment both to our customers and to our overall value proposition. We aren’t just trying to better ourselves or to compete better in the market. We are focused on being better for our clients (“you”) and better for the injured persons who use our services.

What are some of the first things you’d like to tackle?

I know that the industry and our clients have been hit hard the last couple of years with higher turnover and changes to their typical hiring pool for claims professionals.

Right now, we are focusing on significantly increasing operational efficiencies and reducing non-value added activities for claims professionals. We also know that organizations have access to more data than ever before, but there is a tremendous need to mine and interpret this data. So, finding new and even better ways to turn data into powerful, easy-to-interpret, actionable information is another initiative we’re focused on right now.

Let’s talk more long-term. Can you share some projects you see happening in the future?

I am excited about several path-breaking projects in progress:

• Expanding our VitalPoint® portal capabilities
• Improving the user’s experience by making the portal easier to use
• Expanding our artificial intelligence technology to further automate claims management

More features and improvements are in the works, and we look forward to announcing those soon.

How can clients help you in making the new initiatives successful?

As much as possible, be open and honest with us in your feedback. Collaborate with us and trust in us — as your partner, we are committed to making things better for you.

We see our service to each client as a partnership. We rely on you to help us make sure we are building the solutions you need to be successful and grow in your markets.