Harmony Healthcare provides healthcare organizations with the talent and resources needed to succeed today as well as the foresight to prepare for tomorrow’s challenges. In this employee spotlight, we’re excited to highlight Tiffani Bouchard, Director of Revenue Integrity Solutions.
We spoke with Tiffani to share her advice for clients and coding and revenue integrity professionals as well as insights from her career journey.
1. Tell us about your journey in healthcare?
I got my start in a small healthcare consulting firm more than 30 years ago. The consultants who worked with me quickly noticed I had an aptitude for coding and billing rules and regulations. I started out performing Case-Mix Index Analysis for clients, and at the same time, learned as much as I could about CMS’ Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, which was implemented in 2000. In my career, I have only worked for two other healthcare employers where I learned pretty much everything I know about CMS coding and billing regulatory guidance, chargemaster, auditing, charge capture, and claim denials/resolution.
2. What are you most proud of about your journey with Harmony Healthcare?
I first started out with Harmony as a consultant before I became a corporate employee. During my time as a consultant, I was interviewed to be the team lead on a couple of client projects focused on charge capture and revenue integrity work. After the project, I learned from my Harmony project manager that the clients were extremely happy with our team’s work.
3. What is the biggest takeaway you’ve gained from your career thus far?
First and foremost, I’m a provider advocate. The ever-changing healthcare coding and billing rules are challenging for hospitals and providers to stay up to date on, and I want to be their partner to increase their knowledge and influence change.
4. What are the top Coding/Revenue Integrity trends that you think people in the industry need to be prepared for?
Insurers are using AI to scrub claims and it’s creating an increase in claim denials, which is challenging hospitals and providers to step up their game. We’re seeing a greater need for qualified professionals to address reasons for the denials, provide staff education, and implement a more proactive approach to submitting clean claims.
5. What advice would you give professionals in the Coding/ Revenue Integrity industry?
Keep learning and applying what you know every day. I learn a little something new every day just by reading any coding and billing updates with my morning coffee.
6. Tell us a little about Tiffani outside of your professional life. How do you spend your time outside of work?
I’m a sports fan (not a fanatic), so I enjoy going to sporting events and watching them on TV. I also like to get to Islamorada when time permits – living in South Florida makes that an easy get-away.
7. What’s a fun fact about Tiffani that most people don’t know?
I’m a healthcare data nerd. Growing up, I loved math and science, so it was an easy transition for me.
8. Anything else you’d like to say, advice to give, etc?
Live every day to the fullest, laugh every day, and work because you love what you do.
Whether your organization needs staffing coverage for revenue integrity / charge capture positions or looking for subject matter expertise to perform charge capture audits or a chargemaster review (including laboratory and pharmacy), Harmony Healthcare can help. Reach out to us to see how we can support you.
