Senait Assefa
Garland,TX
Summary
Results-oriented Healthcare Operations Leader with over 16 years of revenue cycle and patient access leadership. Expertise in optimizing revenue cycle performance, accelerating prior authorization processes, and overcoming complex coverage barriers for specialty therapies. Proficient in leveraging EHR/EMR platforms and data-driven workflows to enhance access, improve collections, and boost patient satisfaction.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Pharma Program Manager
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy
Frisco, TX
02.2026 - Current
- Updated prior authorization escalation steps to speed approval turnaround by 22% and lower initial claim denial rates for high-cost biologic therapies.
- Worked with revenue cycle and billing leaders to improve financial clearance workflows, increasing upfront copay and financial assistance enrollment before service delivery by 15%.
- Monitored daily intake volume, staff throughput, error rates to optimize workload distribution, while achieving 98.5% compliance with internal and partner service level agreements (SLAs).
- Facilitated high-volume specialty pharmacy access programs through benefit verifications, prior authorizations, and patient enrollment across multidisciplinary care teams.
- Conducted monthly quality assurance audits and coaching sessions for intake specialists, enhancing first-contact resolution rates.
IV Group Supervisor, IV Senior Team Lead
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy
Frisco, TX
10.2019 - 02.2026
- Acted as the primary point of escalation for high-barrier coverage denials, drafting clinical appeals and peer-to-peer documentation packages that reversed $1.2M in denied claims annually.
- Managed benefit verifications, prior authorization submissions, and appeals for specialty medical and pharmacy claims, ensuring compliance with commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid guidelines.
- Trained 20+ onboarded access specialists on scheduling/registration modules, payer portal navigation, and standardized phone scripting to ensure HIPAA compliance and high audit scores.
- Collaborated with clinic operations, physicians, and financial management teams to address registration errors before generating clean claims.
- Counseled recipients on copay assistance programs, foundation grants, and manufacturer support options, minimizing out-of-pocket patient costs and lowering abandonment rates.
PAS Representative, Team Lead, Supervisor
Conifer Health Solutions
Frisco
02.2010 - 04.2019
- Supervised patient access staff across registration, scheduling, and check-in workflows.
- Trained new team members on insurance verification and patient intake procedures.
- Oversaw daily operations for medical office and hospital services, ensuring smooth patient flow and adherence to protocols.
- Resolved patient concerns with clear communication and professional service.
- Resolved customer complaints through effective communication and timely action.
- Generated reports for management on departmental operations, highlighting areas for improvement and operational insights.
- Developed, implemented, and maintained processes related to patient registration, insurance verification, pre-registration activities.
- Monitored employee performance and provided feedback on areas of improvement.
- Served as a liaison between patients and families and hospital personnel regarding financial obligations.
- Evaluated current systems used in patient access and recommended changes.
- Collaborated with other departments such as billing, coding, and clinical staff to ensure smooth operations throughout the facility.
- Conducted training sessions for new hires and existing staff members on proper registration techniques.
- Ensured all policies and procedures related to patient access were followed.
- Participated in weekly meetings with upper management discussing strategies for improving patient satisfaction scores.
- Identified and recommended process improvements within the department, enhancing workflow efficiency while upholding quality standards.
- Analyzed data from various sources in order to identify trends or patterns in patient access services.
Education
Health Care Administration
Collin County Community College
Plano, TX09-2026
Skills
- Patient Access & Intake: Prior Authorization (PA), Benefits Verification (eBV), Copay Assistance & Financial Counseling, Appeals & Exceptions, Patient Flow Optimization
- Operations & Leadership: Cross-Functional Collaboration, Escalation Management, Workflow & Process Optimization, SLA Tracking, Operational Compliance Monitoring
- Healthcare administration
- Revenue cycle
- Patient access
- Healthcare technology
- Claim denial mitigation
Timeline
Pharma Program Manager
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy
02.2026 - Current
IV Group Supervisor, IV Senior Team Lead
Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy
10.2019 - 02.2026
PAS Representative, Team Lead, Supervisor
Conifer Health Solutions
02.2010 - 04.2019
Health Care Administration
Collin County Community College