She had a plan: to be a doctor. Then, she fell in love with the behind-the-scenes of healthcare administration, process improvement, and employee education.
Join us for Advantum Health’s Revenue Cycle Insiders series, a monthly installment where we uncover the invaluable experiences and perspectives of our company’s revenue cycle leaders and team members. This month, meet Samantha Wagner, Vice President of Process Initiatives & Education.
Question: When did you start working in the healthcare revenue cycle industry?
Answer: I’ve been in the healthcare revenue cycle for 22 years. I started out in a medical practice, filing charts and answering phones. I learned everything there is to know about running a medical practice, from the clinical side to the billing side. And most importantly, while in that role, I developed a passion for the details of al change initiatives that included restructuring departments, building systems, and collaborating with various revenue cycle leaders..
Next, I became a Client Success Director for a national revenue cycle company and acted as an adjunct Chief Operations Officer for a multi-million-dollar client physician practice. In addition to overseeing the practice’s daily operations, I traveled across the country, onboarding new clients and training other client success leaders.
After a brief hiatus working with smaller physician practices, I turned my attention to Advantum Health for their dedication to continuous improvement.
I am a lifelong learner, and the RCM industry provides endless opportunities for learning, improving, and teaching others–all of which spark my constant desire to learn. From working on my Ph.D. to leading Advantum Health’s Patient Helpdesk with no call center experience, my role continues to enable me to take on new challenges while improving our processes and providing more value for our clients and their patients.
Question: What attracted you to the healthcare industry, and more specifically the revenue cycle?
Answer: I had a plan: become a doctor. But, after completing my high school internship at a doctor’s office, they offered me a job and trained me on billing. I LOVED it! All of it–the processes, numbers, and arguing with payers to get paid, the revenue cycle kept me interested and engaged and still does.
The healthcare world is an ever changing environment, it’s exciting to work for Advantum Health where a process improvement mindset is in our corporate DNA.
My current role at Advantum enables me to channel two of my passions: education and RCM. In addition to my daily process improvement responsibilities, my teams have established two revenue cycle curriculums or “schools.” These are designed to foster and develop Advantum’s workforce. The first school, the Provider Enrollment School, is graduating its inaugural class this month. In April, we will introduce the Prior Authorization School.
Question: What is happening in the next six months in your area of expertise that excites you?
Answer: Like many industries, finding ways to “do more with less” will be critical to advancing in healthcare revenue cycle management. Payers continually ask for more, and we must find ways to meet their expectations while providing value to our clients without sacrificing quality or increasing costs.
The introduction of AI in healthcare provides endless possibilities for us to improve and implement new processes constantly. Meeting these types of challenges always builds excitement for me.
Question: What are some of the biggest challenges your industry faces in the short term (one year or less)? What about in the long term?
Answer: As usual, the healthcare industry supplies a never-ending change marathon. We must constantly look for opportunities to use technology and stay a step ahead of our competitors. Payers are also being challenged so that we can expect changes to their claims processing and timelines. Agility and flexibility will enable RCM leaders to remain ahead of the game.
Question: If you could time travel, what advice would you give to yourself ten years ago?
Answer: Always try to accept feedback without getting defensive.
You will experience many opportunities for feedback, so review each one and make a conscious decision about what to do with the information. Sometimes, constructive feedback will provide you with a path to greatness. Other feedback is less valuable and needs to be left behind.
Regardless, receive the information with open arms, listen, and absorb. Then get ready to rock because your next great task is to share what you have learned with the next group of leaders!
Question: What’s the best (or worst) leadership advice you’ve received?
Answer: The best leadership advice I have received is to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. Never worry that a team member will outshine you as a leader; instead, learn from them.
Question: Is there any other industry or operational insight you’d like to share with us?
Answer: Accountability is vital to yourself and your teams. The best way to be accountable is to be organized. Maintaining personal discipline sets an example for team members and is my most important leadership tip.