Meet Samantha Kirk!
Describe what you do at DataLink - in your own words
As a product manager, my role is to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders and present ideas on how we can improve our products. With a focus on strategy and defining business value, I’ve worked in a product manager role with almost all of our DataLink products, including EvokeEHR and EvokeConnect.
I’ve also led several of our certification efforts, including EvokeEHR 2015 Cures certification, which included our FHIR API development, plus participated in two validation cycles and four cohorts for our DAV certification under NCQA. I’m currently learning our Evoke360 rockerbox platform, and I’m excited for the new opportunity!
What do you like most about DataLink?
The people! I’ve been blessed to work with so many great teams in my time at DataLink. As a product manager, I not only engage with the product and development teams but also the account managers and the finance, support, and value-based care teams.
I also appreciate my leadership team and the support I get from them.
Which DataLink value is your favorite? and Why?
Act with Integrity & Respect
It means living up to your own standards and beliefs, even when it’s difficult to do so. It also means being respectful of others, even when you don’t agree with them. Integrity and respect are important qualities for success in both my personal and professional life.
How do you put this value to work in your worklife?
As a certification lead, it’s important that I act with integrity and respect during all aspects of development and attestation. Our EHR certification is governed by the ONC, and our DAV certification is governed by NCQA. Both require that we adhere and abide by regulatory requirements and standards. It’s important to me as an individual and as a DataLink employee that we can stand by our certifications.
What makes you feel most valued at DataLink?
I think being able to make an impact has the most value for me. If I don’t feel like what I’m doing is important or supported then it can really set you back, so I’m grateful that I feel I can make an impact here at DataLink.
What has been the best part about working at DataLink?
All of the new things I’ve learned! I’ve been fortunate enough to work across several different products and each one has their own use case and client base. I’ve really enjoyed learning so many aspects of the business.
How have you grown at DataLink?
Coming into DataLink, my background was software but not product management. I appreciate that the company allowed me to take on this unfamiliar role to me and guide me on the ins and outs. But then also allowed me to make the role my own, make mistakes, and figure things out. In my opinion there’s no better way to learn something then on the job.
How has DataLink helped you in your career development?
Prior to DataLink, I managed a large Interoperability team for an EHR company for about 13 years. I loved my team and what I did, but I was ready for something different. I was feeling stagnant and wasn’t sure where I even wanted my career to go.
Coming into DataLink, it was an opportunity to start fresh in a new environment and develop my career. That is exactly what I did and what DataLink helped me to achieve. I initially came into DataLink to work with our EHRs and EvokeEHR. I then moved into our EHR certification, which was a challenge learning all of the regulatory requirements but so satisfying when we were granted our certificate.
I then worked with our data exchange platform and helped us get our very first DAV certification validation, which is a huge benefit for our health plan clients. These are just some of the experiences that I was involved in that have helped grow and shape my career and really challenge me to get out of my comfort zone and try something new.
A little about you...
Do you have a nickname?
Sam (but my mom calls me “Sandy”)
Please provide us with a personal quote.
“Do Your Job!” – Bill Belichick.
Roughly translated, “Do Your Job!” means being prepared, working hard, paying attention to the details, and putting the team first. I love this quote because it says exactly what it means. If you have a job to do, whether it’s at home, in the office, or in your community, “do it” and everyone wins.
If you had to tell your 15-year-old self one thing, what would it be?
Since I currently have a 15-year-old daughter, there are many things I would tell myself! But I’m going to go with the classic that my mom always said because at 15 you think you know everything, and that is “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future”. Who you associate with impacts who you are and the decisions you make.
Do you recall any embarrassing moment at work?
I actually still get embarrassed when I think about this one! Many years ago, I was on a sales call and a friend of mine was presenting. This was back when we had Skype and there was no “DND” function when you were presenting your screen. I started messaging my friend right in the middle of her presentation talking about our weekend plans and of course my messages pop right up on the screen where the client can see them during her presentation. She very gracefully closed the messages and didn’t miss a beat, which I appreciated, but I was mortified. Boy am I glad that technology has caught up to avoid that from happening again.
What is your favorite book recommendation and why?
I’m a huge reader, so this is actually a hard one. I love books from all genres, but I will share two that I recently read that I would recommend.
“The September House” by Carissa Orlando – This is under the horror/thriller genre, but I promise it won’t keep you up at night scared of the dark. I highly recommend the audiobook version as the narrator is amazing.
The other book I suggest is “The Women” by Kristen Hannah – This is a war story about nurses in Vietnam. It’s very raw and real to the horrors of war but also to the strength of women and what we can endure. I gave it 5 stars! I hope you enjoy my recommendations. Happy reading!