BRENTWOOD, Tenn. Nov. 9, 2021 – IntellaTriage, a leading provider of after-hours nurse-based phone triage, today announced the addition of Ashley Calloway as Director of Clinical Operations. In this role, Calloway will provide strategic leadership and direction for all clinical functions, ensuring nurses are sufficiently supported and patients receive the highest quality of care.
Following more than 13 years of experience in the hospice industry, Calloway has touched nearly every aspect of patient care, including front-line nursing and care management. In her most recent position, Calloway served as Director of Operations for Curo Health Avalon Hospice where under her leadership, the organization saw significant improvement in employee morale and patient satisfaction, along with a drastic reduction in clinician turnover.
“My experience as both a hospice nurse and hospice operations manager has made me especially privy to the state of the post-acute industry,” Calloway said. “The demand for at-home care is greater than ever before, and as a result, hospice nurse workloads are historically high. I’m honored to join IntellaTriage, a company that is innovating the industry with its unwavering commitment to combating burnout and prioritizing the hospice patient and caregiver experience.”
Calloway’s entrance precedes the retirement of IntellaTriage’s Chief Nursing Officer and longest-standing employee, Kathy Blazek. In her tenure with IntellaTriage, Blazek established and led the delivery of the top-quality nursing care for which the company has become widely recognized.
“After 44 years as a nurse and 13 years as IntellaTriage’s Chief Nursing Officer, the time has come for me to retire,” Blazek said. “I could not be more proud of this company, and I look forward to watching IntellaTriage’s clinical capabilities continue to grow under Ashley’s leadership.”
Suzi Meschbach, founder and Executive Vice President of IntellaTriage praised Blazek’s contributions.
“Kathy was this company’s first employee, and I am deeply grateful for her years of commitment and service,” Meschbach said. “With her relentless focus on the patient, Kathy has led IntellaTriage to prioritize what is most important to their experience - timely access to nurses and quality care.”
IntellaTriage leverages the largest team of registered nurses to provide best-in-class after-hours care and triage services 365 days a year. As an extension of the care team, IntellaTriage nurses handle up to 80% of hospice caller needs, including medication refills and symptom management guidance. By drastically reducing the amount of calls directed to the on-call nursing staff, IntellaTriage helps to alleviate hospice nurse burnout, turnover and compassion fatigue. In response to growing industry demand for tech-enabled services, the company has experienced more than 370% growth over the last five years.
“Since our founding in 2008, Kathy has played an instrumental role in guiding our transformation into the industry-leading nurse triage company we are today,” said IntellaTriage CEO Daniel Reese. “While Kathy’s dedication to our customers and nurses will be missed, I am so excited to welcome Ashley and her expertise to our company’s continued trajectory of success.”
