NAHRI Peer Recognition Program nominees announced
NAHRI supports the professional accomplishments of all its members. If you know a fellow NAHRI member who has gone above and beyond in their role—be it a promotion, great idea, or helping hand—we want to help you give them a shoutout. Leading up to and during 2022 Revenue Integrity Week (June 6-10), NAHRI invited revenue integrity professionals to acknowledge their colleagues through the Peer Recognition Program. In the spirit of Revenue Integrity Week, NAHRI would like to recognize its members for their valuable contributions to the field and for the ways in which they have helped their peers.
Sandy Bowdre, revenue integrity office manager at Augusta University Health System was nominated by Jennifer Deal, CPC, CIC, CPMA, CRC, CEMC, charge capture analyst, Kimberly Johns, AS, CPC, revenue integrity charge capture analyst, Samantha Stokes, CPC, CPMA, charge master analyst, Penney Tierney CPC, COC, CPC-I, charge capture analyst, Teresa Garner, charge capture analyst, Kim Boothe, denials analyst, Brenda McBride, senior data analyst, Marlo Lilly, CCA, and Kelly Olson, manager of CDM and charge capture. “She is instrumental in keeping our department running smoothly. When we have any issues, she is on top of getting them fixed quickly or finding out who we need to contact. She is a great asset to this revenue integrity department,” Deal says.
Wrenetta Bragg, coder at Barton Health in South Lake Tahoe, California, was nominated by Debbie Sizemore, CPC, CRCR, coder at Barton Health. “Wrenetta is a great coder, trainer, and person. She takes the time to explain a process and show you how to find the information needed for any question or procedure. She is a great asset to our team,” Sizemore says.
Debbie Cooney, revenue integrity analyst at Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe, California, was nominated by Amanda Buckly, revenue integrity analysts at Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe. “Debbie has always been a resource for me. She is extremely knowledgeable and patient. I appreciate all that she does, not only for me but our team!” Buckly says.
Vanessa Elsworth, assistant director of revenue integrity at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, was nominated by Terry Neal, director of decision support at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Neal says: “Vanessa was recently promoted to assistant director for revenue integrity, which includes auditing, chargemaster, and utilization management. She is a great leader, coach, and teacher. Her team is highly successful and looked upon as subject matter experts across our campus.”
Cori Faiss, revenue recovery audit contract coordinator at Barton Health in South Lake Tahoe, California, was nominated by Kathleen Dewing, compliance/patient safety associate at Barton Health. “Cori is skilled in all areas assigned, willing to help internal and external guests, has a perfect track record, and is well liked by all,” Dewing says.
Amy Galli, system CDM supervisor at CommonSpirit Health in Phoenix, Arizona, was nominated by Marie Garcia, MBA, CCA, CHRI, revenue integrity director at CommonSpirit Health. “Amy has gone above and beyond on a Cerner implementation project that we've been working on together. She's been responsible for the CDM build and has done an amazing job on a project that has been a bit bumpy. Her contributions have been profoundly impactful, and we would not be where we are without her!” Garcia says.
Bruce Haupt, president and CEO of ClearBalance HealthCare®, in San Diego, California, was nominated by Katie Bookout, account coordinator with Finn Partners in Columbus, Ohio. “Bruce Haupt is responsible for the corporate direction, strategy, and overall business performance of ClearBalance HealthCare®, which has provided leading-edge patient pay solutions for 25 years. He joined the company in 2013 as senior vice president of sales and marketing, bringing a focus and discipline that has enabled ClearBalance HealthCare® to extend its industry leadership position in healthcare revenue cycle. Under Bruce’s guidance, ClearBalance HealthCare® has received numerous industry accolades. Bruce is keenly aware of the industry’s challenges and opportunities.”
Janet Jenisch, manager of revenue integrity at Monument Health in Rapid City, South Dakota, was nominated by Sherry Goyal, MD, MBA, CRCS, CPC-A, Epic CDM certified, supervisor of charge description master at Monument Health. Goyal says: “She has provided me all the support and resources that I need for my position. She is wonderful leader and helps her team in achieving their goals and success. She approved an HCPro Revenue Integrity and Chargemaster Bootcamp course for me, and she understands everything that I need to do my work and be successful.”
Andrea Kellogg, CDM manager at UC San Diego Health (UCSD) in San Diego, California, was nominated by Ruby Ann Belfiore, CCS, CDIP, CPC, CDM maintenance specialist at UCSD. Belfiore says: “Andrea Kellogg has done a good job in building a strong chargemaster foundation for UCSD. She has been with UCSD for 40 years and have been exposed to all parts of the revenue cycle in our organization. We call her the CDM queen because she takes care of all new procedures, services, drugs and supplies, and the pricing charges, which is the heart of the hospital’s cash flow. She does everything to ensure that our CDM is correct, complete, and compliant. She is indeed a jewel to the organization, and I think that her contributions are huge and should be recognized.”
Lashunda Murray, MHRM, CPC, manager of revenue integrity at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, was nominated by Vanessa Elsworth, assistant director of revenue integrity at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Through Lashunda's leadership the staff have transitioned to full-time remote work. They are very engaged and have managed to exceed productivity standards. I am so proud of Lashunda and the team and look forward to their continued success,” Elsworth says.
Stacy Simmons, CHRI, senior charge master coordinator at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, was nominated by Vanessa Elsworth, assistant director of revenue integrity at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Elsworth says: “Stacy is an inspiration. Prior to COVID, the revenue integrity team was preparing to take the CHRI test. From one day to the next we had to transition from onsite work to working remotely. That put a huge pause on everyone's studying for the exam. Now, we are a full-time remote department. As soon as she was settled and able to get back to her routine, Stacy picked up her practice exams and started to prepare for the exam. I am so proud to announce that Stacy is the first team member to have obtained her certification. We are all so proud of her and are excited to get back to achieving our own goals of certification.”
Paula Twiss, MBA, CRCS-P, CRCS-I, supervisor of revenue integrity at Monument Health in Rapid City, South Dakota, was nominated by Sherry Goyal, MD, MBA, CRCS, CPC-A, Epic CDM certified, supervisor of charge description master at Monument Health. “Paula is a great leader, and she is working tirelessly to support the organization. She is working in denial management to ensure we address the root causes of denial in a timely manner,” Goyal says.
Jonathan Wiik, principal of healthcare strategy at nThrive in Parker, Colorado, was nominated by Olivia Schlabach, account supervisor at FINN Partners in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Schlabach says: “Jonathan is a true thought leader in the healthcare industry. With more than 20 years of experience, Jonathan has dedicated his career to examining the health care payments transformation. Having worked on both the provider and vendor side, Jonathan knows better than anyone that the payer/patient/provider dynamic is a complex one. That’s why he consistently and unapologetically asks good questions. Jonathan’s commitment to healthcare revenue integrity is unwavering, and the industry is better with him in it.”
Miranda Young, CPC, senior charge capture analyst, revenue integrity, at Augusta University Health Systems in Augusta, Georgia, was nominated by Karen Stratton, CCS, CCS-P, CRCP, charge capture analyst at August University Health Systems. Stratton says: “Miranda has an incredible wealth of knowledge of the whole revenue cycle here at Augusta University. Every day as she works as a senior charge capture analyst, she is constantly interrupted with questions and concerns. She never hesitates to put aside what she is doing to help our whole team with questions and clarifications. She shows a great deal of kindness and patience as she assists everyone. I feel that Miranda goes above and beyond to keep our whole team informed, productive and on the right path as an integral part of the revenue cycle process.”