MICHELLE AYALA
Beaverton,OR
Summary
Healthcare operations leader with experience managing multidisciplinary programs, staff operations, and complex healthcare workflows within a large integrated healthcare system. Proven ability to lead and develop teams through coaching, mentorship, performance management, and professional development while fostering a collaborative, service-focused work environment. Skilled in managing concurrent projects, prioritizing competing demands, and using operational data to support decision-making and continuous improvement. Recognized for building strong partnerships with clinicians, administrators, managers, vendors, and cross-functional stakeholders to improve service delivery, patient access, and organizational outcomes. Demonstrates strategic thinking, sound independent judgment, and a commitment to service excellence through process improvement, staff development, and operational leadership.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Operations Manager
Providence Health & Services
Portland, OR
08.2024 - Current
- Provide operational oversight for a multidisciplinary palliative care program spanning inpatient and outpatient services, including referral management, patient access, provider scheduling, administrative operations, and staff support.
- Led cross-functional projects and service transitions by coordinating stakeholders and managing workflows, system access, document migration, referral routing, and implementation timelines to ensure continuity of services.
- Develop, implement, and continuously improve operational workflows, guidelines, and standard work for referrals, scheduling, work queues, outreach, documentation, confirmations, and follow-up to support efficient, compliant, and patient-centered services.
- Partnered with physician and clinical leaders, Epic analysts, coding partners, and organizational stakeholders to enhance access, streamline workflows, and support provider engagement and program performance.
- Apply meticulous attention to detail when monitoring provider productivity, encounter, and operational data; investigate discrepancies, collaborate with coding partners, and translate findings into accurate reporting and data-driven recommendations for leadership.
- Applying subject matter expertise in insurance billing practices in collaboration with the Social Work Manager to establish billing for outpatient social work visits, supporting revenue cycle performance, financial stewardship, and program sustainability.
- Develop onboarding plans, caregiver training materials, workflow guides, and implementation resources that support staff readiness, process standardization, and sustained adoption.
- Lead and develop scheduling staff through onboarding, coaching, performance evaluations, goal setting, recognition, and corrective action processes in partnership with Human Resources, fostering accountability, professional growth, and alignment with organizational expectations
- Managed payroll and timekeeping operations, resolving system issues and supporting accurate administrative processes to ensure responsible resource stewardship.
Specialty Scheduling Coordinator
Providence Health & Services
Portland, OR
07.2021 - 08.2024
- Coordinated complex scheduling and referral workflows for specialty and palliative care services, balancing patient needs, provider availability, department guidelines, and payer requirements.
- Reviewed referrals, clinical documentation, scheduling instructions, and insurance requirements to ensure accurate patient placement and timely follow-up, enhancing overall patient experience.
- Served as a workflow resource for patients, families, physician offices, and clinical teams, resolving access barriers and clarifying referral and scheduling processes to improve patient access.
- Managed Epic referral work queues and in-basket activities, monitored open referrals, and documented outreach to streamline communication between clinical and administrative teams.
Staff Scheduling Manager
Home Instead
Beaverton, OR
09.2020 - 07.2021
- Managed schedulers and on-call coordinators for a franchise serving over 260 clients with 200 caregivers.
Administrative Assistant to the Clinical Director
Care Dimensions Hospice House
Lincoln, MA
08.2019 - 05.2020
- Coordinated staffing, meetings, and family-clinician communication to enhance operational flow and ensure seamless intake and discharge processes.
Scheduling Coordinator
Ellis Hospital
Schenectady, NY
07.2018 - 12.2018
- Coordinated cardiac catheterization scheduling and time-sensitive STEMI workflows to optimize patient care and support personnel involvement in CathPCI database activities.
Unit Support Technician
Bellevue Women's Hospital
01.2003 - 01.2018
- Earlier Clinical and Administrative Roles | New York and Connecticut | 2003–2018
Unit Secretary–Telemetry Technician and Unit Secretary
Saint Francis Medical Group
01.2003 - 01.2018
- Earlier Clinical and Administrative Roles | New York and Connecticut | 2003–2018
Billing and Credentialing Assistant
Saint Francis Hospital
01.2003 - 01.2018
- Supported order entry, patient flow, telemetry monitoring, triage, medical records, credentialing, and discharge processes.
- Earlier Clinical and Administrative Roles | New York and Connecticut | 2003–2018
Education
Bachelor of General Studies - Health and Science
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT01-2006
Skills
- Operations Leadership Staff Coaching & Mentorship Performance Management & Employee Development Program & Project
Management Strategic Planning Service Excellence Change Management Operational Data Analysis & Reporting Operational
Decision-Making Cross-Functional Collaboration Stakeholder Relationship Management Caregiver Training & Development Team
Building & Employee Engagement Process Improvement Workflow Standardization Provider & Clinician Partnership Written &
Verbal Communication Executive & Leadership Communication Presentation & Facilitation Skills Prioritization & Deadline
Management Epic Workflow Optimization Patient Access & Referral Management Regulatory Compliance Organizational
Relationship Building
Personal Information
Title: PALLIATIVE CARE OPERATIONS | PROGRAM MANAGEMENT | PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
Language: French, basic working proficiency
Timeline
Operations Manager
Providence Health & Services
08.2024 - Current
Specialty Scheduling Coordinator
Providence Health & Services
07.2021 - 08.2024
Staff Scheduling Manager
Home Instead
09.2020 - 07.2021
Administrative Assistant to the Clinical Director
Care Dimensions Hospice House
08.2019 - 05.2020
Scheduling Coordinator
Ellis Hospital
07.2018 - 12.2018
Unit Support Technician
Bellevue Women's Hospital
01.2003 - 01.2018
Unit Secretary–Telemetry Technician and Unit Secretary
Saint Francis Medical Group
01.2003 - 01.2018
Billing and Credentialing Assistant
Saint Francis Hospital
01.2003 - 01.2018
Bachelor of General Studies - Health and Science
University of Connecticut