Lavonda Stewart
Berea,KY
Summary
Accomplished and self-motivated professional with over 15 years of experience in Medicaid policies and more than a decade in management, specializing in revenue cycle, technology, government payors, and finance within the healthcare sector. Proven track record of building and nurturing relationships that establish large-volume, high-profit accounts while consistently exceeding goals and quotas. Expertise in patient advocacy, navigating complex healthcare systems to support patients through medical journeys, ensuring optimal care coordination and effective conflict resolution. Recognized for strong collaboration skills and adaptability in dynamic environments, bringing reliability and results to every initiative.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Patient Advocate/Field Representative/Supervisor, Kentucky, EES
CONIFER HEALTH SOLUTIONS
Frisco, Tx
09.2013 - Current
- Determine Medicaid eligibilities, disability screenings, spend downs, all facets of KHCP and financial assistance, et cetera.
- Work closely with Patient Financial Services and Patient Access to gather needed information from patient who has insurance through employer.
- Met or exceeded POE goals set forth.
- Oversee staffing needs for CommonSpirit facilities in the Central Kentucky Market.
- Manage schedules and complete payroll for up to 24 staff members.
- Oversee new hire credentialing for systems and arrange daily training schedule.
- Train staff in billing and eligibility programs when initially hired and/or systems implemented into facilities.
- Oversee Self-Pay, Customer Service, patient complaints, troubleshooting of Bad Debt Pre-List, Self-Pay ATB maintenance, and Payment Posting, et cetera within all CommonSpirit hospital locations in Kentucky.
- Act as liaison Facilities and CHFS/DCBS to assist patient with getting Medicaid coverage to cover inpatient expenses and expenses once discharged.
- Collaborated with Case Management and Compliance and Ethics regarding Identity Fraud.
- Monitor and evaluate High Risk in-house patient accounts to ensure all self-pay patients are adequately evaluated for outside funding sources.
- Center on determining client eligibility for hospital, state, and federal financial assistance programs allowing patients access to free or discounted healthcare.
- Responsible for interpreting program guidelines for both state and hospital programs such as KHCP, Medicaid, and Financial Assistance to determine the program that was the best fit for the patient.
- Provide customer service for patients via phone or in person for those with complaints, questions or concerns in the realm of charity or billing.
- Train incoming employees on all KHCP/Financial Assistance related topics.
- Set up and complete panel interviews/hiring process.
- Sign off on financial approvals up to a $10,000 threshold.
- Prepare financial assistance accounts over $50,000 threshold for CommonSpirit leadership review for approval.
- Organize written appeals along with documentation from patients that were denied financial assistance for reasons other than not returning needed verification or CommonSpirit leadership review and determination.
- Calculate Medical hardship on accounts that have been approved for partial charity that responsibility is still greater than patient income for CommonSpirit leadership review and approval.
- Collaborated with clinical staff to resolve patient inquiries and enhance care coordination.
- Educated patients on insurance benefits and coverage options to facilitate informed decision-making.
- Developed training materials for new advocates, promoting best practices in patient support.
- Responded to patient concerns and questions with compassionate and knowledgeable service.
- Educated patients on available resources and community programs, increasing their access to needed services.
- Ensured CAC compliance reporting to the state of Kentucky quarterly.
Co-Owner/Operator
6141 SPORTS ACADEMY
Richmond, KY
01.2017 - 11.2019
- Scheduled teams and individual time slots for practice and lessons.
- Provided a safe environment for league teams, school teams, and travel ball teams to hold team practices and meetings.
- Engaged athletes, parents, and coaches in conversation to increase knowledge about sports.
- Ensured athletes understood the mental and emotional aspects of the game.
- Maintained and balanced all revenue accounts daily.
- Sports facility with a concentration on baseball located in Richmond, KY
Family Support Specialist
Cabinet for Health and Family Services/Department of Community Based Services
Fayette/Madison Counties
07.2009 - 10.2013
- Determined Eligibility for SNAP, Family Medicaid, and Adult Medicaid benefits
- Specialized in Long Term and Waiver Medicaid programs
- Trained new employees on system and screening methods.
- Pre-read cases for new employees to check for errors and have fixed before turning in to principles for reading.
- Created a binder with policies on resources for easy access and understanding of what is considered a resource and if any additional information was needed for a particular resource to determine eligibility for Long Term Care and Waiver Programs.
- Organized a list of technically eligible SNAP questions for all new hires to ensure that certain questions were not overlooked.
- Utilized Self Time Management Skills to interview scheduled Recertification’s and non-scheduled applications and re-certifications.
- Managed daily list of applications that were due for completion.
- Worked verifications to complete applications in all programs as information was provided.
Education
BBA - Business Administration
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, KY05-2006
Skills
- Quality assurance
- Revenue Cycle Management
- CAC for ACA Marketplace
- ACA Implementation and Guidelines
- Family Medicaid
- Training and Development
- Team Motivation/Leadership
- KYNECT
- Adult Medicaid
- Process Improvement
- Compliance
- Policy enforcement
- Records management
Timeline
Co-Owner/Operator
6141 SPORTS ACADEMY
01.2017 - 11.2019
Patient Advocate/Field Representative/Supervisor, Kentucky, EES
CONIFER HEALTH SOLUTIONS
09.2013 - Current
Family Support Specialist
Cabinet for Health and Family Services/Department of Community Based Services
07.2009 - 10.2013
BBA - Business Administration
Eastern Kentucky University