“We can’t change aging or cure catastrophic illnesses, but we can make the journey easier and provide peace of mind to our clients. When I see how our families are impacted by our care, this is the reward and reason for PyxisCare.”

–Mindy Jones, PyxisCare Management Founding Principal, MS, MBA, CSA

Mindy Jones, Founding Principal of PyxisCare Management, created the company after seeing a gap in how families and individuals navigate our complex healthcare system. Learn more about what inspired her to create the PyxisCare concept.

Tell us about yourself. I grew up in a military family, was born in Germany and attended eight different schools across the US and abroad. Despite the challenges of growing up in the military and being the new kid on the block, I experienced a global, diverse world that taught me to think outside the box. From a young age I excelled in science, and earned a biology degree from Indiana University, and then a Masters in Horticulture Studies from Purdue University.  Later I earned an MBA from UT Dallas.

After college I worked as a florist, a chemist, and in a greenhouse. I loved using my horticulture degree, but my entrepreneurial spirit drove me to a career in pharmaceutical sales and marketing management. Through this experience of learning more about the wide range of complex medical needs, I knew I would someday own and operate a company that helped people manage their healthcare experience.

Being involved in my community is important to me and to the culture of our team. I serve on the board of Texas Wall Street Women and the Timberview High School Band Booster Club. I am the fundraising chair for two Scout troops and I teach Bible study at our church.

How did PyxisCare get started?  I was fortunate to live close to my grandparents while pursuing my master’s degree at Purdue, and I spent time helping them navigate a health care system none of us understood. They were part of the Greatest Generation; my grandfather served in World War II.  I researched how they could best utilize our complex Medicare system. What does it cover?  How does it work? This experience planted the seeds for PyxisCare.

After this and my pharmaceutical experience, I felt called to create a business that could help people like my grandparents.  I noticed a gap in our complicated health care system. Frustrated patients and families struggle to figure out where and how to get the care they need. Our current system does not take a holistic approach to care, meaning it doesn’t consider financials, family, spirituality, and emotional health. This inspired me create a business model that would bridge these gaps.

It was important that PyxisCare would hire only the most qualified team. Nurses make the best consultants and are the most trusted professionals. The understand the emotional challenges and they also understand the complexity of healthcare coverage. The first nurse I hired came from a strong psychiatric hospital background, with a long career caring for patients with mental health challenges and brain injuries.  At PyxisCare, she impacted so many patients and their families, meeting them where they were with compassion and grace. It was inspiring and I continued to be awed by this work.

The purpose of PyxisCare from the beginning was to investigate, assess, and determine the needs of our clients’ and then craft a plan of action to help them.  What do I need to do to assist? Where are the best resources on behalf of this client? Our care is patient-centric, patient-driven and unique to each client.

What are your responsibilities at PyxisCare?  As the chief brand ambassador, I oversee all facets of our company from clinical expertise and integrated care coordination to recruiting and business development. I communicate daily with existing stakeholders, collaborators and potential resources on behalf of our clients.  We provide the highest level of service and expertise to help our clients so they can find best healthcare solutions for themselves and their loved ones.  This is why PyxisCare exists. I am passionate about this and have published papers on the topic of lack of preventative care and how it negatively affects care costs and overall health outcome. 

What is the most important change you’ve seen in the industry?  The healthcare industry has changed and costs have soared beyond imagination. This has affected not just individuals but companies large and small. A few years ago, PyxisCare expanded to support companies and their leaders with strategic health plan management and with onsite care coordination through our Personal Health Nurses.  Developing these programs with CEOs, CFOs or COOs has been transformative for the companies and also for my team. We have been fortunate to be on the leading edge of innovation, problem-solving and compassion that helps recruit, retain and preserve profits.

What brings you joy about leading PyxisCare?  We often meet our clients at an important inflection point: individual clients when they are at their most vulnerable, and our corporate clients when they are making strategic decisions that affect people and profits. This is a huge responsibility that I take seriously.

A business must make money, but what motivates me every day is working for a company that creates jobs, impacts change, and compassionately serves people where they are.  Seniors and people struggling with mental health and debilitating illnesses can’t advocate for themselves. Our team listens to their struggles, and we involve family members to advocate and support them. Our employees comfort, build trust and serve families and individuals struggling to cope with serious medical challenges. Our magic is in the customer service we bring to families.

We can’t change aging or cure catastrophic illnesses, but we can make the journey easier and provide peace of mind to our clients. Our corporate clients see financial and organizational benefits; it’s hugely satisfying to help a small or mid-sized company support their workforce and become more profitable.

But what sparks our joy is still the personal impact we have on people.  This is what makes PyxisCare special.

“When I was an oncology nurse, I always worried about my patients after they left the hospital and wondered how they would deal with all the complex questions and decisions coming their way. Who would help them and their families? How would they manage?  Above all, PyxisCare is in the business of helping people and I’m excited to be a part of it.”

–Cassie H., PyxisCare Director of Business Development

In nursing school, I learned how to take care of people with complex medical challenges in a clinical setting.  As an oncology nurse, every day I learned more about what was needed to help patients and families, well beyond their medical needs.  I worried about how these families would take care of their loved ones once they came home – not just medically – but financially and emotionally. Because for most, the medical part of the journey is the first step, but the need for care, expertise and knowledge continues forever.

In addition to my nursing degree, I put my business degree to use, and have been able to expand my expertise in the medical field, working in management, sales and marketing.

Today, as the Director of Business Development for PyxisCare Management, I can contribute to a small company with a big mission. My clinical background, my understanding of the range of needs that our clients have, plus a desire to build relationships allows me to bring everything to my work.

When I heard about PyxisCare, I thought about my grandfather who passed away a few years ago and what this sort of support would have meant for my family.  I was hundreds of miles away from my family and couldn’t help them on a day to day basis; they had so much information coming at them that they needed help making good decisions regarding benefits and next steps.  I was working and wasn’t available as much as I wanted to be.

So, I’ve seen and felt the stress of dealing with difficulty and pain, while also trying to plan ahead in an unknown situation. The families we work with are often tired; our team comes in and it’s like a weight has been lifted off their shoulders.  When I see their visible relief, that’s the most gratifying moment of all.

Hopkins’ promotion follows announcement of Texas expansion

DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TEXAS, (MAY 4, 2022) PyxisCare Management, a healthcare navigation and care coordination company based in Dallas/Fort Worth today announced Cassie Hopkins as the new Director of Business Development.  This announcement follows news of PyxisCare’s expansion in key markets across Texas.

Ms. Hopkins was most recently PyxisCare’s Relationship Manager, where she provided the highest level of customer service and cultivated client relationships.  In this newly created role, Cassie is tasked with sustaining and expanding customer relationships and helping design services that improve their quality of life. In addition, she will manage a team of relationship managers to serve individual and corporate clients.

“Cassie has been instrumental in helping to grow PyxisCare’s reputation for dedicated client partnership and also for growing our client base,” said Mindy Jones, Founding Principal and CEO of PyxisCare.  “Her training as a nurse is a key component of her ability to relate to our clients and to understand their clinical and emotional needs.  Cassie reflects our values of hiring the most qualified and compassionate people and challenging them to excel for our clients.”

“I am incredibly excited to continue to propel PyxisCare forward in this new role,” enthused Cassie Hopkins, PyxisCare’s Director of Business Development. “It’s gratifying to build relationships and programs that result in helping people. It’s what inspires me every day and I’m proud to be part of this caring team.  Our expansion means we will have more talented nurse client advocates, relationship managers and client service coordinators to serve more markets.”

To learn more about Cassie Hopkins, view her bio on the PyxisCare website at https://pyxiscare.com/meet-the-team-cassie-h/. 

About PyxisCare Management

PyxisCare Management was established to help clients manage complex and highly fragmented systems to improve quality of life for people.  To learn more about how PyxisCare supports individuals, go to staging.pyxis.flywheelsites.com/client-stories/. To learn more about how PyxisCare partners with companies to reduce costs and support employees, read about strategic health plan management through the Corporate Innovations division at staging.pyxis.flywheelsites.com/strategic-health-plan-management/.

“Facing a medical crisis requires proactive planning, compassion, and fast-paced decision-making. The PyxisCare team makes this process as stress free as possible. I am grateful that I can add value to the team and make a genuine difference in people’s lives.”

–Kristina W., Relationship Manager

Tell us about your role at PyxisCare.  

As PyxisCare’s newest Relationship Manager, I engage with and support key clients and potential clients on the value of PyxisCare. Through building and maintaining professional relationships with individual and corporate clients, we can best understand what’s needed so that PyxisCare can better serve our clients and families.

In my position I listen to customers, assess their needs and work closely with a nurse client advocate.  As a team, we become their expert healthcare navigation partners.

Tell us about your experience that brought you to PyxisCare.

I graduated from Baylor University with a BA in Communications and emphasis in Marketing. Prior to joining PyxisCare I worked in financial management, inspired clients as a personal fitness trainer, took care of my family as a stay-at-home parent, and served as a community liaison at hospice care facilities.

Working in hospice was especially meaningful because the main goal of hospice is to help a loved one stay in place, maintaining dignity and quality of life. As a hospice liaison, I provided support for families and loved ones as they transitioned to end of life.  I saw firsthand the emotional toll coordination of care can have on loved ones.  The PyxisCare team sees the big picture, and cares holistically for the entire family from beginning of life to end of life. I’m excited to be a part of the PyxisCare team.

How does your position work with other staff members at PyxisCare?

I have witnessed the PyxisCare team alleviate the stress of a family member seeking care for a dying loved one, and support parents of a newborn with a fragile medical condition. Working with community partners will only strengthen our team’s ability to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life of our clients. As a manager I look at all angles of a client’s needs and I put together the right team to ensure they are getting top care.

 What unique skills do you bring to PyxisCare?

My experience listening, assessing, serving, and caring for others translates well into my role at PyxisCare. For example, as a personal trainer, I listened to my clients, assessed their situation, and provided a plan to help meet their short- and long-term goals. I also loved serving and seeing positive results working in finance and making a difference in people’s lives as a as a hospice liaison.

Facing a medical crisis requires proactive planning, compassion, and fast-paced decision-making. The PyxisCare team makes this process as stress free as possible. I am grateful that I can add value to the team and make a genuine difference in people’s lives.

“I care deeply and work hard to understand each situation a PyxisCare family faces. My gift of empathy allows me to find solutions as if our clients are my own family.”

 –Alexandria H., Client Service Coordinator

Alexandria Hall’s love and devotion to her grandmother inspires the heart of her role in serving PyxisCare clients. Hall, the new client service coordinator for the Houston area, grew up watching her family lovingly care for her grandmother, who suffered with diabetes complications. She brings this same attention and commitment to serving PyxisCare Management’s clients.

Tell us about your background.

I have a bachelor’s degree in health administration, and I started my career as a Certified Nurse Assistant. I quickly learned that I have a passion for working with people struggling with mental health disorders. I worked in a home setting taking care of patients who could not care for themselves because of a neurological or psychiatric diagnosis. One patient, for example, had the mindset of a two-year-old due to a traumatic brain injury. Other patients could not get out of bed or feed themselves. In another position I worked with people who struggled with mental illness and functioning successfully in the world. Many of our clients were homeless. One patient lived in the woods, and we worked to help him in many ways.

As a child I regularly visited my grandmother in her nursing home. Once a charismatic matriarch of the family, her legs had been amputated, and she couldn’t talk or see well. Her kids would come to the nursing home, brush her hair, and make sure she was getting the care she deserved. This experience gave me my love for serving and caring for others.

Tell us about your position at PyxisCare.

As a client service coordinator, I work with our clients and Nurse Client Advocates (NCAs) to find out what services are needed, and I do the research and legwork to get it done. The nurses on our team help organize clinical care, and I support them with everything from finding temporary housing for a family seeking medical care in another state, to researching home caregiver options.

How does your position work with other staff members at PyxisCare?

My position provides resources and support to nurses so they can focus on clinical coordination and wholistic health. In our unique roles, we work as a team to serve our families. It’s important that we communicate well with each other, and our leader Mindy encourages a culture of openness and transparency. I appreciate that other team members have been open and receptive to my questions and feedback.

What unique skills do you bring to PyxisCare?

I care deeply and work hard to understand each situation a PyxisCare family faces. My gift of empathy allows me to find solutions as if our clients are my own family. I also bring experience working with people facing mental health challenges. Mental and physical health are deeply connected. If you’re struggling with your physical health, it affects your mental health, and if your mental health is down, it’s hard to take care of your physical health. They need to be balanced. At PyxisCare I strive care for and find resources that support our clients physically and emotionally. Working with others helps my mental health too. I find joy in helping people and making sure their everyday lives are better.