Heather Starr
Katy,TX
Summary
Strategic leader in revenue cycle management, driving financial optimization through data analytics and effective team development. Notable successes include enhancing cash collections by $4 million and decreasing denial rates by 20%, demonstrating a commitment to achieving organizational financial objectives.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Accounting & Reporting, Student Financial Services
California State University Bakersfield
04.2025 - 10.2025
- Supported financial accounting and reporting for student financial services, delivering accurate and timely financial information.
- Reviewed accounting standards and regulatory requirements to help maintain integrity of financial reporting.
- Guided team handling student fee collection, financial aid refunds, and account management.
- Worked with university departments and CSU Chancellor’s Office on projects that improved communication and project outcomes.
Director of Billing & Business Services
Hall Ambulance Services, Inc.
12.2020 - 03.2025
- Added billing procedures for services previously unbilled, increasing cash collections by $4 million.
- Improved denial management workflow, cutting denial rates by 20% and reducing accounts receivable days by 15%.
- Set up quarterly training days to improve billing workflow and reduce billing errors by 30%.
- Led team of 25+ staff, promoting ongoing improvement and professional development.
- Created mid-month spreadsheets for CFO, improving revenue forecast accuracy.
Chief Financial Officer
Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital
04.2017 - 12.2020
- Supported financial planning and budgeting for company with annual revenues of $40M+.
- Directed development and review of short- and long-term financial goals, improving planning processes.
- Led team of 19 across business office, payroll/AP, utilization review, and dietary functions aligned with financial goals.
- Contributed to monthly operating reviews with senior management, providing insights and analysis for decision-making.
- Prepared mid-month financial reports and compiled month-end financial statements.
RCM Manager – Cash Applications, Internal AR & Overpayments
Avella Specialty Pharmacy
06.2015 - 04.2017
- Supported cash application team by building reconciliation process for deposits and payments across multiple systems.
- Prepared weekly overpayment reports for executive staff to support review and decision-making.
- Tracked weekly productivity reports to spot trends and improvement areas across staff.
- Supervised staff of 1 collector, 2 overpayment specialists, 3 cash app specialists, and 3 internal AR specialists.
RCM Manager – Collections, Billing & Audit
Avella Specialty Pharmacy
06.2015 - 04.2017
- Supported staff management across 2 locations, including Phoenix team with 2 collectors and 1 commercial auditor, plus Florida team with 1 supervisor, 8 collectors, 1 biller, 1 verifier, and 1 Medicare auditor.
- Reviewed weekly productivity reports to help monitor collections staff performance and identify needed improvements.
- Worked with supervisor to track collector progress and start performance improvement plans.
- Prepared monthly and ad hoc reports for finance operations and executive teams to support decision-making.
- Supported completion of yearly compliance training for all assigned staff members.
Billing Manager
Arizona Department of Health Services
12.2012 - 06.2015
- Developed accounts receivable workflows for newborn screening program to improve claim submission, denial management, collections, contracting, and payment posting.
- Negotiated contract terms with commercial payers to support reimbursement objectives.
- Led annual contract reviews with legal to secure favorable terms.
- Directed 1 payment poster, 2 billing specialists, 2 collectors, and 1 accountant to maintain efficient billing operations.
- Established and maintained internal controls for payment posting and cash reconciliations.
- Managed month-end processing and reconciliations for newborn screenings.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Accounting
Indiana Wesleyan University
Marion, INSkills
- Revenue cycle optimization
- Data analytics
- Regulatory compliance
- Advanced Excel proficiency
- Access database management
- Healthcare billing systems
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Financial forecasting
- Process improvements
- Training program design
Professional Achievements
- Increased Hall Ambulance Cash Collections over $9.8 million compared to the budget for Fiscal Year 2024. This was done by implementing quarterly training days, streamlining billing processes and billing for services rendered that were previously not being billed.
- Took Avella overpayments from $1.2 million to $300K in 3 months with only 1 full time overpayment specialist by creating an Access database and working from custom reports.
- Worked with the State Laboratory to change billing process by using several different CPT codes increasing revenue by 300%. This process change needed to go to legislation before being implemented.
- Created an Access Database to auto-reconcile 85% of the bank reconciliation process. Created several databases to track NSF’s and deposits which increased our cash flow and decreased our NSF issues.
Earlier Experience
- Cash Application Manager / Accountant, Russell Sigler, Inc.
- Senior Staff Accountant, Cardinal Health System
- Accounting Assistant, Marion General Hospital
Timeline
Director of Accounting & Reporting, Student Financial Services
California State University Bakersfield
04.2025 - 10.2025
Director of Billing & Business Services
Hall Ambulance Services, Inc.
12.2020 - 03.2025
Chief Financial Officer
Bakersfield Behavioral Healthcare Hospital
04.2017 - 12.2020
RCM Manager – Cash Applications, Internal AR & Overpayments
Avella Specialty Pharmacy
06.2015 - 04.2017
RCM Manager – Collections, Billing & Audit
Avella Specialty Pharmacy
06.2015 - 04.2017
Billing Manager
Arizona Department of Health Services
12.2012 - 06.2015
Bachelor of Science - Accounting
Indiana Wesleyan University