If you didn’t catch the 2021 Medigy HITMC Award Ceremony this year, you’re in luck. Not only can you rewatch the award ceremony here, but we will also be highlighting some of this year’s winners.
Recently, I sat down with Matt DiVenere, Senior Content Specialist at naviHealth to chat about his take on being the 2021 Rising Star award winner in Health IT and learn a little bit more about what he has been up to this past year.
The summary below provides just a sample of our conversation. Be sure to check out the video at the end of this article to hear all of the great things Matt shared with us including that he once auditioned for MasterChef!
From Journalist to Healthcare Marketer
During my chat with Matt, I found out he was a former journalist turned Healthcare Marketer. He made his way from Vermont to Massachusetts where he discovered the world of Healthcare IT and could not be happier. He currently holds the role of Senior Content Specialist at naviHealth where he does a number of roles including managing all of their thought leadership content, their blog – Essential Insights, their podcast SOAP Notes with Dr. Jay LaBine, and more!
Creating a Safe Haven for Seniors During the Pandemic
I spoke with Matt about what he had been up to this past year. Like many other companies, when the pandemic hit, Matt and naviHealth had to shift their content strategy. At the beginning of the pandemic, they took a month off of publishing to determine their best path forward. They noticed that they had to fight through the noise of the news (which was spinning out of control every hour) for positive and accurate senior community stories. Their goal was to connect with their audience and provide a thoughtful balance of news, analysis, and impactful frontline COVID-19 stories.
The naviHealth Essential Insights blog quickly became the home for news and analysis on all things COVID-19 for senior care.
During this time, the company’s mission evolved into improving the healthcare experience for seniors to live a more fulfilling life. This new mission along with the exposed gaps in care for seniors due to COVID-19, allowed their blog to became a go-to resource for senior care content on topics such as the state of nursing homes and how important successful care transitions to post-acute care settings were for the patients, the payers and the providers.
SOAP Notes with Dr. Jay LaBine
Our conversation then moved onto what some of Matt’s other accomplishments. I asked him what he was most proud of this past year. He said it had to be the naviHealth podcast – SOAP Notes with Dr. Jay LaBine. Matt remarked how incredible it was having Dr. LaBine as a partner both externally and internally. “The knowledge and personable approach he brings to the podcast has been amazing to see. Being able to give him and our innovative guests a spotlight and a space to share the tangible steps that need to happen in our space has been a blast,” said DiVenere. They are currently working on finalizing new episodes, which will be coming out soon. So tune into the Essential Insights blog so you don’t miss a single episode.
Winning the Rising Star Award
Like most interviews of this nature, I had to ask Matt what his reaction was when he found out he won the award. “I screamed,” remarked DiVenere. “I was so excited that I couldn’t even put it into words. I just kept reading the email over and over again. It’s just such a humbling moment.” To this day, when people talk about it, Matt has to take a second to remember that he actually won.
Why Winning was Humbling
I asked Matt to give us some insight into what winning meant to him. Not too long ago he was a hard grizzled journalist in the automotive industry. He grew up thinking his ultimate goal was to be a sports anchor on ESPN. He grew up in Bristol Connecticut (home of ESPN), so that was just the natural progression. But he decided to make a drastic change to go from journalism to healthcare IT, and is so glad he did. At first, he endured some imposter syndrome and thought to himself – Am I able to make it in this whole new world? Getting this recognition has been a moment of accomplishment for him. He took a leap and made it!
Check out our entire interview to learn about Matt’s journey and his list of accomplishments.
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