In his new position, Cross is responsible for the operating process of pediatrics, including patient and paper flow, revenue controls, staff work environment and the development of new practice functions and activities.
According to Cross, his leadership experience in both inpatient and outpatient pediatric environments makes him uniquely suited to help the department continue to make advances in patient care.
“We have a great group of physicians and advanced practice providers who are always looking at ways to expand patient care,” he said. “I am very impressed with the quality of employees at USA Physicians Group, and I look forward to working side-by-side with them to help reach the goals of the department and organization.”
According to Cross, his overarching goal for the department is to increase patient access. “We have plans to expand our clinic hours into the evening, which will prevent patients from having to go to emergency rooms or urgent care centers when they have an issue that can be handled by a primary care provider,” he said. “Furthermore, with the implementation of our new electronic health record system, I am looking forward to having a more integrated approach to patient scheduling, as it can be a great tool to improve our processes system wide.”
Cross began his professional career as a respiratory therapist at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. “I am fortunate to have both inpatient and outpatient health care experience,” he said. “My career as a respiratory therapist helped me understand the big picture of health care and see the patient experience in its entirety.”
Prior to joining USA, he served as senior practice manager with UT Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. During his time with UT Health, he managed and coordinated all administrative, clinical and clerical functions required for the operation of a multi-specialty pediatric clinic.
In 2006, Cross earned his associate’s degree in applied science and respiratory care from Alvin Community College in Alvin, Texas. He then earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Columbia Southern University and a master of business administration from Texas A&M University in Commerce, Texas.
