People of Perficient: Meet Marlana Voerster, Senior Healthcare Strategist

Perficient is a global digital consultancy transforming how the world’s biggest brands connect with customers and grow their business. With Perficient, you get experience and expertise, speed and agility, and a healthy dose of pragmatism to drive your business forward. I recently got the pleasure of sitting down with Marlana Voerster, senior healthcare strategist, to discuss how her role supports this mission. Along the way, I learned what makes Perficient’s culture special and what Marlana values most about her team.

Thanks for joining me today, Marlana! Could you tell me more about your role at our digital consultancy?  

As a senior healthcare strategist, my role is multifaceted, and that’s one of the aspects I love most about my job.

My focus is helping organizations understand their audiences and create enhanced healthcare consumer experiences.

But that can take many different forms, including:

Market research and consumer interviews
The development of personas and journey maps
Creating omni-channel strategies that help drive conversions and build loyalty

We tailor everything we do to the client and the needs of their audiences. Therefore, no two projects are ever the same.

The work I do every day ties right into Perficient’s mission to transform how organizations connect with customers and grow their business. The patient experience can be uncertain, stressful, and scary. Helping healthcare organizations create deeper relationships with their audiences can take some of that uncertainty and stress out of the patient’s journey. The industry has come a long way, but there is much more opportunity to make pathways to care more seamless. I am very proud to be a part of that transformation.

READ MORE FROM MARLANA: Marlana Voerster, Author at Perficient Blogs

What do you most enjoy about your role and about working at Perficient?

In my role, I have tremendous freedom to explore projects. There is no one-size-fits-all structure that we must adhere to as strategists. This means that we can put our detective hats on and go down the odd rabbit hole that we know will unearth valuable insights. My favorite part of my job is uncovering those little nuances that create big ‘a-ha’ moments!

The healthcare consumer experience expertise at Perficient is second to none! I know I’m biased, but I work with an incredibly smart, creative, and passionate group of people. Our backgrounds are diverse, which means that we are constantly learning from one another. We’re always happy to jump on a brainstorm call to lend our insights to another colleague’s project. I learn something new every day and have a great time doing it.

My favorite part of Perficient is the culture. We seem to attract people who love what they do and are very good at it.

I often collaborate on projects with other domain experts, such as commerce or management consulting. Each time I do, I feel valued for what I bring to the project, and I learn a lot from my colleagues. I am proud of the work we do together. It’s a team atmosphere, and I love working with people who share that spirit.

LEARN MORE: About our Promise to Challenge, Champion, and Celebrate our People

What drew you to a career at Perficient? And what motivates you to stay and do your best work?

In my case, I worked with a Perficient colleague at a past job, and always wanted to have an opportunity to work with her again. I had been itching to get back to consulting work, and I knew that she had a great team and an open position. Long story short, the stars aligned. It’s always nerve-racking to move to a new employer, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity that Perficient represented. I’m now a year and a half in, and I’m still thrilled with my choice.

Why are diversity and inclusion important to our culture at Perficient and in the healthcare industry? 

Diversity & inclusion is important to Perficient, as it is to all organizations. Without diverse voices and a focus on inclusion, our work runs the risk of having blind spots, leaving groups behind, and creating more inequity. This is particularly important in healthcare. It’s hard to think of anything more important than one’s health.

Creating care pathways that all people can access, regardless of their color, economic background, first language, sexual orientation, etc. can only truly be accomplished through representation and collaboration.

READ MORE: DEI in Healthcare

Healthcare Leaders Turn to Us

Our healthcare practice is comprised of experts who understand the unique challenges facing the industry. The 10 largest health systems and 10 largest health insurers in the U.S. have counted on us to support their end-to-end digital success. Modern Healthcare has also recognized us as the fourth largest healthcare IT consulting firm.

We bring pragmatic, strategically-grounded know-how to our clients’ initiatives. And our work gets attention – not only by industry groups that recognize and award our work but also by top technology partners that know our teams will reliably deliver complex, game-changing implementations. Most importantly, our clients demonstrate their trust in us by partnering with us again and again. We are incredibly proud of our 90% repeat business rate because it represents the trust and collaborative culture that we work so hard to build everyday within our teams and with every client.

With more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Perficient is a trusted, end-to-end, global digital consultancy.

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