SARA WYNN JONES
Pittsburgh,PA
Summary
Professional Project Management Specialist with experience working with teams to accomplish short- and long-term project goals. Managed budgets and monitored project costs. Adept at assigning tasks to team members based on individual strengths. Communicated with key project stakeholders to ascertain project requirements. Poised and pragmatic professional with extensive background in contracts management and auditing. Effective communicator driven to improve overall efficiency. Self-motivated development professional well-versed in individual, corporate and foundation fundraising techniques. Excellent track record of managing donor relationships and identifying new partnerships to increase fundraising support.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Contract Specialist
Wexford Health Sources Inc.
Pittsburgh, PA
12.2023 - Current
- Responsible for developing, maintaining and reporting on the Wexford physician provider network.
- Takes a lead role in recruiting new providers, successfully negotiating contracts, and servicing network providers to promote and maintain positive provider relationships.
- Works cooperatively with regional personal to identify and target providers needed for network development initiatives and contracts physicians at market competitive rates.
- Manages relationships with assigned individual physicians or medical groups (i.e. hospital based, multi-specialty groups, independent practitioners) to ensure that participating physicians are educated about Wexford and are satisfied with relationship.
- Determines network adequacy; identifies recruitment needs; develops and implements annual recruitment plan.
- Successfully follows up on provider leads communicated by UM, Claims, or regional team members.
- Creates and maintains strong working relationships; works cooperatively with peers and other internal department personnel as part of coordinated team.
- Identifies provider education opportunities and prepares appropriate training materials; coordinates, and disseminates information to providers. Creates general communications pieces for network.
- Liaised with outside organizations and financial management analysts to negotiate contract details.
- Negotiated optimal contract terms and conditions to lessen business risk and maximize financial objectives.
Program Project Specialist
Housing Authority City of Pittsburgh
05.2020 - 12.2023
- Serve as liaison between administration, HACP programs, service providers, tenant councils and residents
- Served as point person for Resident Self-Sufficiency Department in HUD Choice Neighborhood Grant
- Monitored project progress, identified risks, and took corrective action as needed
- Scheduled and facilitated meetings between project stakeholders to discuss deliverables, schedules, and conflicts
- Assist in writing plans, program and proposals associated with community planning process
- Coordinate and facilitate cooperation, coordination, and collaboration between and among community serving programs, organizations, and agencies, including HACP run programs
- Work closely with tenant councils and staff identify and develop responses and solutions to reduce community problems
- Coordinate, develop and facilitate implementation of on-site programs.
- Scheduled and facilitated meetings between project stakeholders to discuss deliverables, schedules and conflicts.
- Analyzed project performance data to identify areas of improvement.
- Facilitated workshops to collect project requirements and user feedback.
Support & Service Specialist 1
Housing Authority of The City Of Pittsburgh
02.2020 - 05.2021
- Assists in quality review of data; expedites and participates in HACP processes and workflow to promote on-time and quality delivery of services
- Creates and maintains accurate records for Section 8 accounts receivable, including formal payment agreements and individual tenant accounts
- Prepared agendas and took notes at meetings to archive proceedings
- Prepared, develops, and produces re-occurring reports for signatures and distribution
- Set priorities and problem-solved workflow issues to maintain rapport with customers and managers
- Developed and implemented procedures for responding to customer inquiries and resolving technical issues
- Collaborated with other teams to identify and resolve customer issues quickly and professionally.
Operations Manager
Byrider Finance/CNAC
10.2016 - 11.2019
- Oversees all business office functions and is responsible for ensuring policy and procedure compliance in all related areas
- Support General Manager in all aspects
- Handle monthly expense reporting for GM, daily, weekly, and monthly
- Assign collectors to monitor loan portfolio delinquency
- Manage outside vendors, manage contracts and pricing negotiations
- Maintains Monthly Office expense reports
- Coordinates travel arrangements, meetings and hotel arrangements for visitors and executives
- Serves as liaison for vendors, building maintenance and management
- Supervise office equipment maintenance and purchasing
- Coordinates documentation for internal and external auditors
- Supervises, organizes, evaluates, and monitors business office operations and staff
- Researches and conducts data to prepare for presentation to direct superior or other upper-level management
- Prepares financial statements, reports, memos, invoice letters, and other documents
- Generates AP check run on appropriate payment priorities and signatures for payment
- Gathers and updates all payroll-related information
- Responsible for preparing the location for monthly compliance
- Implemented process improvement to shape organizational culture, optimize procedures for higher efficiency and help the company evolve and grow
- Implemented new technology to streamline processes and improve operations.
Inside Sales Representative
Dial America
05.2016 - 10.2016
- Close quality sales, ensuring a positive customer experience by educating customers on the features and benefits of our client's products
- Turning warm leads into sales by effectively communicating the features and benefits of our products
- Using persuasive sales techniques to upsell and cross-sell additional products
- Ensuring a positive customer experience while closing quality sales
- Documenting all customer information, communications, and sales in the CRM system
- Meeting weekly and monthly sales and revenue goals.
Scheduling Agent
UPMC/Jefferson Home Health
11.2014 - 05.2015
- Focuses on customer service and continually strives to perform duties of their job in a manner that will result in optimal patient satisfaction
- Answers patient calls timely and forwards appropriately for resolution to promote patient satisfaction and increase our patient's perception of the timeliness of how the department dealt with issues and/or concerns
- Identifies, develops and participates in process improvement opportunities within home health that will enhance the quality of service we provide
- Monitors referral software package for new admissions and resumptions of care and notifies Scheduling Coordinator
- Reconciles/validates and processes daily activity records for all patient visits for individual staff
- Schedules all patient visits based on patient needs, productivity expectations and staffing
- Updates the schedule daily as directed by the Case Manager and/or Scheduling Coordinator.
Lead Service Representative/Administrative Assistant
Highmark BCBS
07.2008 - 06.2012
- Job functions included handling incoming calls from members and group representatives, while maintaining productivity, quality, adherence, and timeliness standards
- Assigned and completed special projects, such as, researching and completing out of state plan inquiries, correspondence inquiries, and Web inquiries
- Proved proficiency in researching and completing coordination of benefits projects to keep the policies updated with correct information and investigating to verify payment accuracy according to insurance primacy
- I assisted the unit Technical Support Specialists and the Team Manager with special projects for high profile accounts and members by working with local plans for high dollar claims verification and provider participation status and created Excel spreadsheets with current claim research
- Other areas in which I have experience include, working with accounts that utilize Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, and Health Reimbursement Accounts and supporting coordination of benefit methods, including Hard Non-Duplication and Medicare Carve Out policies, as well as, working with ASO and Fully Funded policies.
Program Manager
Dial America
06.2006 - 05.2008
- Specific duties for this sales representative role include: Turning warm leads into sales by effectively communicating the features and benefits of our products
- Using persuasive sales techniques to upsell and cross sell additional products
- Ensuring a positive customer experience while closing quality sales
- Documenting all customer information, communications and sales in CRM system
- Meeting weekly and monthly sales and revenue goals.
Education
No Degree - Paralegal Studies
Community College of Allegheny County
01.2011
Phlebotomy - undefined
North Hills School of Health Occupations
01.1994
H.S. Diploma - undefined
Schenley High School
01.1992
Skills
- Process and Procedure Refinement
- Operational Procedures & Systems
- Timelines and Milestones
- Project Management
- Community Outreach
- Organizational Systems
- Business Operations
- Fact-finding and investigations
- Proposal evaluation
- Contracting policies and regulations
- Team Management
- Grant Research
- Relationship Building
Timeline
Contract Specialist
Wexford Health Sources Inc.
12.2023 - Current
Program Project Specialist
Housing Authority City of Pittsburgh
05.2020 - 12.2023
Support & Service Specialist 1
Housing Authority of The City Of Pittsburgh
02.2020 - 05.2021
Operations Manager
Byrider Finance/CNAC
10.2016 - 11.2019
Inside Sales Representative
Dial America
05.2016 - 10.2016
Scheduling Agent
UPMC/Jefferson Home Health
11.2014 - 05.2015
Lead Service Representative/Administrative Assistant
Highmark BCBS
07.2008 - 06.2012
Program Manager
Dial America
06.2006 - 05.2008
No Degree - Paralegal Studies
Community College of Allegheny County
Phlebotomy - undefined
North Hills School of Health Occupations
H.S. Diploma - undefined
Schenley High School