Meet Michael Hemmerly

If you’ve met him, you know his passion for helping deliver the best patient care and experience is contagious. He believes in the power of delivering the very best patient experience from the moment the patient steps foot in a Caring Suite™, and he believes in the magic of the full Caring Suite and small details to achieve this.  It’s what brought him to join us at PDC from GE, and in part what makes Michael such an asset to our team.

Meet Michael Hemmerly, our fantastic Chief Sales Officer and Executive Account Manager for GEHC, and below, learn more about Michael in his own words! Plus, connect with Michael here on LinkedIn.

Tell us a little about your background:

I have been in Healthcare for 19 years and in sales for 24 years.

Education:

Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering with a minor in Business from Purdue University

What brought you to PDC?

When I was selling MR systems for GE Healthcare, I incorporated PDC solutions in every one of my MR deals. I believed in the PDC MR and patient experience solutions, as I continued to see first-hand the positive effects on patients and staff.  When a position to help lead PDC into the future became available, it was a perfect fit.

Why did you choose a career in patient experience?

I have always been interested in Healthcare.  When you are able to make a positive difference in someone’s life, especially during uncertain times when someone’s health or well being is compromised, it means more than any sale or title.

What is your favorite part of your job, and or favorite part of helping customers?

I love hearing all of the stories about patients who no longer need sedation or anesthesia to complete an MR exam.  I also love seeing how happy the staff can be working in a very calming environment.

What is one of your proudest moments (professional and or personal)?

Becoming a Father to two beautiful girls

How do you envision the future of healthcare?

We are on a path where the patient has more and more involvement with their own healthcare. I see it becoming more of a collaborative endeavor with providers and patients and/or families of patients.  I also hope we see a shift of proactive healthcare vs the reactive healthcare of our parent’s generation.

What do you wish customers knew about PDC, that they might not know?

PDC has been a thought and solution leader in MR since 1982. Back in the day, PDC was a full design and construction firm, and we did the design and construction for some of the very first MR construction projects dating back to 1982.  We have used our history in working with MR to become the experts we are today.

What makes all of your hard work worth it?

Hearing about all of the positive patient stories of people that were impacted by the solutions we have brought to the market.

Describe your ideal patient experience suite:

I love the original Caring MR Suite® with In-Bore Viewing Portable Video Display.  This suite has it all, and was designed specifically for the patient.  I really like how it draws the patient into the Nature Theme on the 65” 4K Ceiling Video Display from the moment they walk into the suite, instead of allowing the focus to be on the equipment and/or bore of the system, which causes anxiety for many.  The patient stays engaged in the Theme while lying on the table looking up at the display getting ready for their exam (another very high-stress moment for patients).  When they finally are moved into the bore, the focus switches to the In-Bore Viewing Portable Video Display, which allows the patient to continue their movie or nature theme for the duration of the exam.  I would pick the Big Sur Theme with blue or aqua lighting and definitely some country music!!

What do you like to do when not at work?

I am a very active individual and love just about any sport.  I am currently playing in an indoor soccer league and a golf league.  I also like to play racquet sports with my family (pickle ball and tennis), take them to the neighborhood pool and watch the Marvel series with them on Netflix.  I also like working out with my family, and I am a member of our local Orange Theory Fitness Studio.  When not active, I love grilling out on my Green Egg and chilling to music with friends and family on our back patio or hitting a local venue with live music.

What was your first job?

My first official job was in central Indiana detasseling corn when I was ~13 years old. For those that may not know what this is, you basically stand in a bay hanging from a tractor arm and pull out the top (tassel) of every stalk of corn in the row.  If you miss a few or get behind, you would have to jump out and walk behind the tractor hoping to eventually catch-up.  Around that same time, I also started my own lawn mowing service where I would mow, edge, and sweep up for about $20/yard.  I would pull the mower behind my bike, while the edger and broom were placed parallel across my handlebars, and the cord was wrapped in circles hanging from my shoulder.  All this and never wore a helmet, amazing that I am alive today!! 😉

What celebrity are you most commonly confused with?

I often have random people come up to me and let me know that I look like Matt Damon.  I heard that he often has people tell him that he looks like Michael Hemmerly!! 🙂

What is your happy place?

I love the beach, or a nice resort pool overlooking a white sandy beach, just listening to the waves crashing on the shore, sipping on a nice cold adult beverage, listening to island music in the background!!

What did you want to be growing up?

With my passion for sports and competition, it’s probably not hard to understand why I wanted to be a professional baseball player someday, playing shortstop or 2nd base for the Cincinnati Reds or Cleveland Indians.  I played baseball all the way up until college where I was an invited walk-on for the Purdue Baseball Team.  Unfortunately, things didn’t work out with baseball, but I was able to get an Engineering degree from a great school and haven’t looked back since.