When a Chief Innovation Officer reduces turnover by 20% it means more experienced, engaged teams-delivering superior customer experience and they’ve found the formula for something truly transformative. As Chief Innovation Officer of Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging (SDMI), Rachel Papka has proven that the most game-changing technology initiatives succeed because of the people who facilitate them.  

Papka bridges the critical gap between healthcare delivery and technological advancement, overseeing enterprise initiatives across 12 imaging centers while directly leading a multidisciplinary team of 100 professionals. Her unique approach to innovation — one that prioritizes employee empowerment alongside operational excellence — has transformed how SDMI deploys technology and manages workflows, and most importantly, how its people experience change. 

This approach, and its positive outcomes, have led Genesys to recognize Papka with a 2025 Orchestrators Innovation Award as Orchestrator of the Year/Supervisor – C-Suite. 

Empathy Meets Action — Leadership Style

Papka’s leadership philosophy is refreshing. “I lead with empathy. It’s important to make sure that I understand the way that my team is feeling,” she said.

This isn’t abstract management theory; Papka rolls up her sleeves, too. When call volumes spike, Papka moves into action alongside the team. “I get into the phone queue and answer calls,” she said, noting this approach has benefits beyond assisting patients in the moment. It helps her understand their questions and why queries are going to an operator, rather than being handled via self-service.

During quarterly leadership meetings, Papka invites open dialogue and seeks to address obstacles her team faces. “I like to say, ‘My role is to help make your job easier, so what barriers can I remove?’”

Her approach centers on process review and deliberate action with the goal of bringing people, process and technology together in harmony, while acknowledging that not every initiative will succeed but there’s learning in the practice of innovating. This empathy-driven approach is enabled by the SDMI culture.

“I feel blessed and grateful that I have an organization that allows me to innovate,” said Papka, crediting Managing Partner Dr David Steinberg with creating an environment of trust and creative freedom.

Blending Personal with Professional for Powerful Results 

Papka’s commitment to furthering that culture centers on blending the personal with the professional; that is, adding empathy and support to leadership. This philosophy has proved its worth time and again as Papka and her colleagues have supported each other through challenging periods, which she refers to as seasons.  

“We all have ‘seasons,’” said Papka, “And there are times where my colleague may be going through a season and I just need to step in a little bit more than before because I’m going to have a season as well.”  

Deep listening is an integral part of Papka’s approach to leadership. Even selecting and deploying technology is imbued with it. Papka visits the 12 clinics and observes workflows and holds sessions with frontline staff, from technologists to patient services teams, to get their input.  

When SDMI implemented voicebots for patient-facing roles, Papka didn’t just roll out the technology; she invited team members to help define how the bots would work alongside them, even letting them name the bot to foster ownership and pride. 

“Rachel’s ability to translate vision into action — while empowering others to take ownership of innovation — has made her a cornerstone of SDMI’s CX transformation,” said one colleague. “She doesn’t just manage innovation; she multiplies it.”  

What further distinguishes Papka from other executives isn’t just her ability to generate ideas — it’s her commitment to seeing them through to measurable impact, to move beyond the theoretical to the tangible. “I consistently have ideas, and I follow through on those ideas,” said Papka.  

To bear this out, Papka’s innovation process follows a deliberate cycle: ideation, implementation, measurement and celebration of the wins to create sustainable momentum for continuous improvement. 

She also embraces both success and failure as learning opportunities. “Innovation is a cycle,” said Papka, “and the journey is just as important as the result. We recognize that there’s going to be times where we miss the mark. And so it’s just as important on how we handle the moments when we fall short.” 

Papka’s impact is quantifiable across multiple dimensions. Under her leadership, the employee Net Promoter Score at SDMI increased by 19%, while voluntary attrition dropped by 25% over the last 2 years. These aren’t just numbers — they represent real people who feel more engaged, supported and valued in their work.  

Work-life balance satisfaction scores reflect this human-centered approach, with 30% more fulfilled schedule change requests in the contact center demonstrating that operational improvements translate to personal benefits. Each metric reflects Papka’s core belief that happy employees create exceptional patient experiences.

Partnerships are Personal, Too 

Even Papka’s partnership with Genesys exemplifies her focus on building strong relationships. Her partnership philosophy is intensely personal. “I ask myself, ‘Do I want to take time away from my family to spend time with you?’ And when you take time away from your family, that partner needs to be really important to you.”  

This standard has guided her vendor partnerships throughout her career, including with Genesys. After nearly signing with another customer experience provider following two years of research, a consultant introduced SDMI to Genesys at a crucial moment. “We just clicked,” she said. 

“I do value the partnership with Genesys,” she added, noting that even during challenging implementation periods, both organizations remained committed to improving patient experiences together. More tangibly, the technology improvements Genesys helped SDMI achieve everyone’s goals — with a 40% reduction in forecasting time, 25% faster QA turnaround and 18% reduction in after-call work.  

Looking Forward 

In an industry where technological advancement can feel impersonal, Papka has found the formula for sustainable innovation: lead with empathy, follow through on ideas and never underestimate the power of personal connection. 

Her approach — measuring success through both operational excellence and human fulfillment — has created a blueprint that any organization can emulate. 

At SDMI, Papka hasn’t just implemented new systems; she’s cultivated a culture where innovation thrives because people do.  

Read about all of the CX leaders recognized in the 2025 Genesys Orchestrators Innovations Awards.