Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)

With over 28 years of experience in healthcare administration, Melanie Marchant brings a rare blend of technical acumen, operational strategy, and human-centered leadership to pediatric practice management. As Practice Manager II at CHOP Primary Care, Doylestown, she is driving transformation at one of the nation’s most respected pediatric institutions—ensuring operational excellence while preserving the deeply personal nature of care for young patients and their families.

Getting to the Root of the Problem

One of the biggest challenges is balancing clinical efficiency and patient empathy. Pediatric offices are busy places— phones ring constantly, schedules are tight and emotions run high. In that kind of environment, it’s easy for things to feel rushed or impersonal.

But Marchant’s approach is different. She analyzed the root of what’s not working—a clunky check-in process or a delay in communication between departments—and found real solutions. For example, when front desk teams were overwhelmed with scheduling and insurance issues. Marchant reorganized the intake system entirely. She split responsibilities across team members, created role-specific checklists and trained each person on what to do and why it mattered. She even added simple scripts for tough conversations, helping the team communicate clearly and compassionately. She restructured responsibilities and introduced tools that made everything easier to manage. The result? Calls were answered faster, insurance errors dropped and check-in times were cut nearly in half. Parents noticed—and so did the staff.

Making Tech Work for People

With her background in software programming and deep experience with electronic medical records, such as the electronic portfolio of international credentials (EPIC) and NexTech, Marchant dug the data. She quickly realized the system had built-in reporting tools no one was using—a tool that could flag denied claims, spot appointment trends or even identify no-show patterns.

Marchant’s changes might seem operational, but their impact is deeply human. A clean claim rate means families don’t get hit with surprise bills. More transparent communication means a worried parent doesn’t spend all night won

 Using this, she trained the team to run those reports weekly and set up mini “data huddles” to discuss what they were seeing. This didn’t just help them find billing issues faster—it gave staff a sense of ownership over what had once felt like mysterious back-end problems.

She also led an overhaul of patient communication through the EMR’s portal. Instead of waiting for parents to call back about test results or unclear charges, her team sends tailored updates with explanations, links and next steps. That slight shift reduced follow-up call volume and built more trust with families.

Caring for the Care Team

One thing Marchant is known for is actually listening to the people who keep the practice running. When she noticed staff were burning out from rigid roles and nonstop multitasking, she introduced a rotating system of duties. Medical assistants learned front desk tasks. Billing staff got shadow time with clinical teams. Everyone became more versatile and more empathetic to one another’s work.

She also holds regular feedback sessions—not just performance reviews but actual check-ins where team members can raise issues, pitch ideas or be heard. That’s helped build a team culture that’s both resilient and collaborative.

 Why It All Matters

Marchant’s changes might seem operational, but their impact is deeply human. A smoother intake process means less waiting and fewer tears in the lobby. A clean claim rate means families don’t get hit with surprise bills. More transparent communication means a worried parent doesn’t spend all night wondering about a test result.

At CHOP Primary Care, Marchant has created a system that works for the people who depend on it. And for her, that’s the heart of practice management, making sure every part of the system reflects the care and compassion that brought people to healthcare in the first place.