Story by Gay Lyons
Since being named chief communications officer and vice-president of marketing at Covenant Health in June 2022, Jeremy Floyd has embraced the position with enthusiasm. Overseeing operations for marketing, PR/communications, graphic centers and call center departments, he’s leading the team’s marketing, branding, consumerism and communication strategies, including digital initiatives.
“I put together teams to accomplish impossible dreams,” said Floyd. “Dream big and then figure out how to get there. [Covenant CEO] Jim Vandersteeg is trying to understand the vision of what the future is and put together the team that can get us there. The staff are very open to change. People are proud to work at Covenant and want to make it better.”
The Knoxville native and Farragut graduate earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and philosophy from Middle Tennessee State University, where he met his wife, Dorry. The Floyds have three children, Audrey, age 20; Rowan, age 16; and Sadie, age 14.
Floyd earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree with a concentration in business transactions from the University of Tennessee School of Law, and since then, he has served in marketing leadership roles with a number of companies. His education and marketing experience prepare him well for his new role, but Floyd also credits a job he held as a student at Middle Tennessee State University.
“My wife, Dorry, and I worked at Home Depot,” he explained. “That’s why I’m so passionate about customer service. For me, naturally, the consumer always comes first. At Covenant, the patient always comes first. And if the patient always comes first, we have to ask, ‘Are we really delivering on this promise?’ It frees me to look broadly at the organization with a patient-centric outlook.”
What does patient-centric healthcare look like? Floyd offers some examples. “Covenant Health has more than two million patient encounters per year,” said Floyd. “My marketing experience and consumer service experience lead me to ask ‘How can we offer the right services to take care of the people in our community?’ It’s design thinking: We should ask ‘What should the consumer experience be?’ not ‘What can we offer?’ Previously, it’s always been ‘We’ve got these services; we’ve got these new machines; we’ve got these new procedures.’ The pandemic really changed the paradigm from the healthcare system being in charge to the patient being more in the driver’s seat.”
“Technology has propelled this consumer experience,” he continued. “Technology is now a key part of the healthcare experience. Think about where banking was 20 years ago. Everything I do is on my phone.”
Virtual care, like virtual banking, provides increased access and conserves resources. “We’re decoupling health care from physical locations,” he said. “We’re meeting patients where they are. Because of Covenant Health’s resources, we are able to help keep rural hospitals open and are able to provide services in 23 counties. We’re providing access to people who wouldn’t otherwise have access.”