Q&A: Pursuing a chargemaster management position

Q: What background and skills should a chargemaster professional have if they are looking to advance into a managerial role?

A: Whether it’s adapting to emerging technologies, adhering to new policies and procedures, or working with new team members, each day can look different in the world of chargemaster maintenance. However, staff who have been in the same role for many years often want to embrace a new challenge and reach the next step of their career.

Managerial roles have unique responsibilities, and chargemaster professionals who have enough education and experience to apply may question whether they would make a good fit.

To succeed in a chargemaster management position, an individual needs to possess standard leadership skills, such as effective communication, strategic thinking, conflict resolution, and more. When making decisions, they must be able to consider the needs of both their team and their organization as a whole.

Above all, chargemaster managers and directors must be good delegators who have confidence in their team’s ability to carry out tasks, according to NAHRI Advisory Board member Kay Larsen, CHRI, revenue integrity senior charge assurance associate at Adventist Health Glendale in Glendale, California.

“They need to trust their employees,” she says. “My favorite bosses have always been those who let me do my job and trusted that I knew what I was doing.”

She explains that chargemaster professionals thrive with support from leadership, and managers who have extensive revenue integrity experience are likely more skilled at discerning their employees’ needs. Leaders who have been in the trenches working directly with charges can better understand the unique challenges that pop up in their team’s day-to-day work, she adds.

“My favorite mentor, Warren Tetz, who was the chief operating officer at the time he hired me, started out in patient financial services and remembered typing claims to mail,” she says. “Talking with him was always easy because he understood. It is still very possible to have a good relationship with a manager who doesn’t have that experience, but sometimes it takes extra work to bridge the two worlds.”

When starting in their first management position, chargemaster professionals should make an effort to become more involved in professional associations. Whether it is participating in a discussion group, attending the annual Revenue Integrity Symposium, or joining the NAHRI Leadership Council, NAHRI presents many opportunities for chargemaster professionals to stay current on best management practices and get feedback from their peers.

Editor’s note: This answer was excerpted from “Skills and development strategies for chargemaster professionals,” in the January 2026 issue of the NAHRI Journal. The NAHRI Journal is a quarterly journal featuring in-depth analysis and expert advice and is an exclusive benefit of NAHRI membership. Not a member? Join today.