Guest Blog: Director of Claims Jean Bates, RN, BSN, MPPM, Reflects on 32 Years with PRMS
After 32 years with the company, Jean Bates, PRMS’ Director of Claims, is retiring. As she approaches her last few weeks with the company in March, she shares a reflection of her experiences over more than three decades, how working in claims and with the mental healthcare community has shaped her, and a few favorite memories along the way. Bates, an Alabama native, avid gardener, and passionate baker, worked as an Emergency Room nurse and medical auditor before starting her claims career.
One of my favorite movies of all times is “It’s a Wonderful Life” – and every time I watch it, I start thinking about all the alternative paths one’s life could take at any given time.
What if Beverly Patrick had chosen not to hire me to fill a Claims Examiner’s position at PRMS in 1989?
Well, to start – I would have never seen Iowa in the winter, Portland in the spring, or Hawaii in the summer. I would have never spent September 11th in the Boston Federal Court House with our late colleague, Dave Torrans, within blocks of the last known location of one of the planes’ high-jackers.
I would have never experienced a judge in Ohio threatening to put me in jail for not bringing $1,000,000 in authority to a settlement conference!
I probably would have never changed my mind about Northerners (well, most).
I would have never experienced an earthquake.
I would have never witnessed a Presidential Inauguration or attended a women’s rights march in front of the White House gates.
I would have never attended a World Series game or seen Elton John (3 times) or Paul McCartney in concert. But most importantly, I would have never met my husband of 31 years.
I have had a wonderful career at PRMS – not only for the experiences the job and the District of Columbia have given me, but also for the privilege of working with so many great people of various backgrounds and interests. It has been a joy watching many of you grow into great professionals, spouses, moms, dads, and grandparents. It also gives me joy to think back on the individuals who made the company a steppingstone to accomplish their goals – we have had a budding lawyer, a DEA agent, a veterinarian, and several Insurance Executives and IT wizards spend time with us over the years before moving on to achieve their current roles. I am also privileged to have supported so many PRMS clients and worked with so many mental health professionals who have helped change so many lives.
To date, it truly has been a wonderful life, and I am looking forward to the next phase of it, (as well as to not wake up thinking about claims every morning!).
Jean also shares more about her career and time at PRMS in her Life of PRMS blog post, which was posted during the company’s 30th anniversary year.
To learn more about the superior psychiatry-specific insurance program and comprehensive services offered by PRMS, click here.
Authored by PRMS.