Ahead of the Patient Access: Maximizing the Revenue Cycle meeting, taking place Tuesday, February 27th, we had the opportunity to hear from panelist Connie Lee, MPH, FACHE, the Senior Director of Patient Access at UCLA Health, on her career origins and support from industry mentors in propelling her career forward, her current priorities with the access team at UCLA Health, and what she’s looking forward to discussing during the Pre-Service Operations Panel which she joins later this month.
Tell us a little about your professional background; specifically how you got your start in the healthcare industry, and some of the roles that you’ve enjoyed so far.
My passion in healthcare initially started with an interest to enroll as a pre-med student for my undergraduate degree, which evolved after taking organic chemistry my first year, to being introduced to public health studies. After undergrad, I pursued a graduate degree in public health and was inspired by my graduate school mentor to apply for an administrative fellowship program post-graduation to start my career as a healthcare administrator. I took her advice and was fortunate to be selected for an amazing fellowship experience with wonderful mentors and preceptors that have aided in my advancement within the industry. I feel so fortunate to be able to be in a dynamic industry where I feel fulfilled every day being able to positively contribute to improving the patient’s access journey and overall healthcare experience.
What do you consider some of the leading challenges in aligning pre-service access operations, and what are you working on improving or fine-tuning within your own organization?
In complex healthcare systems, the primary challenge for aligning pre-service access operations is initially the buy-in for a centralized model. From there, organizations are usually challenged to develop an efficient model that takes into consideration patient acuity, access, and financial/payer status. Within my own organization, we are looking at creative ways to streamline these processes, working in collaboration with our ambulatory clinic partners to develop a model that focuses on improving the patient’s access journey.
Our mission at the Patient Access Organization is to provide timely, convenient, and equitable access for all UCLA Health patients and the communities we serve.
We’re really looking forward to having you participate in the upcoming Patient Access meeting taking place February 27th, where you’ll join other Access leaders in discussing Aligning Pre-Service Access Operations. Could you share one area you’re looking forward to discussing with the panelists and audience?
I am looking forward to discussing with and hearing from the other panelists, on their organization’s journeys and strategies for effectively aligning pre-service operations. I would be curious to understand their approaches to centralizing these pre-service activities (or not), across different specialties within the organization; specifically, what are their approaches to effective referral management. I am equally excited to hear from the audience and to learn from their experiences as well, as pre-service operational challenges are certainly not unique to just one organization.
Thank you so much Connie!
For additional details regarding the meeting, which will address issues including patient access leadership development, alignment of pre-service access operations, streamlining prior authorization, and patient financial engagement, click here!