The end of June marks National Subro Professionals’ Day—in honor of these experts, Discovery is celebrating the month of June by turning the spotlight on a few of our very own subrogation professionals who make a unique difference in the value we’re able to deliver to our clients.
Breanna Zima is a Subrogation Operations Manager. She is responsible for helping the Discovery Subrogation team deliver on the company’s core values, including reliable results, trusted quality, and profound client value. A member of the Discovery family for almost five years, Breanna shares with us how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted her personally and professionally.
At the Discovery holiday party last December, my fiancé and I took a picture wearing 2020 sunglasses. I was thinking “2020 is going to be the best year yet!” We’ve been together for 12 years, have been planning our wedding for over a year, and were almost at the finish line. Little did any of us know what was in store for us right around the corner. The COVID-19 pandemic rocked everyone to the core and created obstacles most never imagined. Two weeks into the reality of the pandemic, my fiancé and I were faced with the difficult decision to postpone our wedding. We were devastated. We allowed ourselves to be sad for a time, but then picked ourselves up and focused on what we can control. My work as a Subrogation Operations Manager at Discovery has helped me navigate through these tough times.
I manage the paralegals on the recovery side who review applicable statutes, analyze case law, and negotiate resolutions that are most favorable for our clients. The commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare lines that I manage require specific skill sets and adaptability, which is especially needed during these challenging times.
Many of us don’t even realize how this pandemic has changed us as people. COVID-19 has tested my strength and ability as a leader. It has been hard to stay motivated. Not leaving your home for weeks at a time causes fatigue, pessimism, and a plethora of excuses NOT to do what we are responsible to do. What has helped me the most is staying organized and dedicated to my team members. I rely on them, and they rely on me. Period.
Back in April 2019, the Discovery Subrogation department went through the transition of moving to a remote workforce. So when the pandemic hit, I naively thought there wouldn’t be much change for us as a team. But surprisingly, our team mentality has shifted its perspective in an immensely positive way. Conversations and support among teams has greatly increased, and we now host more video calls than ever before. It is great to start our meetings with friendly, smiling faces! I try to make it a point to spend time asking everyone how they are doing, really pausing for answers, discussion, and support for one another.
Keeping our core values in mind—delivering reliable results, trusted quality, and profound value for our clients—is key for me to stay focused and positive on a daily basis. As the G.O.A.T. Michael Jordan says “If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” We’ve been using the pandemic as an opportunity to focus on pending and settled files and clearing those out. With our focus on recoveries, our team’s productivity has actually improved throughout the pandemic, and that’s showing up in recoveries for our clients.
With many courts closed during the pandemic, our team has been picking up the phone and working with attorneys to resolve as many cases as we can. I’ve also been having more phone conversations with clients to add a human element to the conversations and make it more of a dialog and let them know we are here supporting them. And our offshore team has done an excellent job of reaching out to those we haven’t heard from in a while to get older files resolved.
I’ve noticed that parties are showing each other more compassion during negotiations and being more flexible. We’ve move from fax-based communications to emails so parties can negotiate back and forth more easily. We still have a lot of work to do, but I am proud to have the folks on the Subrogation team stand with me!
The pandemic has reinforced that I am a strong person and can handle whatever God places on my path, and I truly love this company and those who are a part of it. Most importantly, what keeps me going is my gratitude to have my career, a roof over my head, food on my table, and people in my life that have my back.
We cannot anticipate what the rest of 2020 has in store for us, and given the climate of our nation, all I can hope for is that love spreads and positive change marches forward for everyone. What I do know is that throughout Discovery’s history, we have found ways to build strong bonds, overcome obstacles, and stay positive. I know we will continue to do so!
