Restructuring for Growth: Rehab Medical's Insurance Department Expands and Elevates Team Roles

As we expand our territory, we are also proactive with the necessary adjustments to thrive in the ever-growing market. Recently, the insurance department restructured to create a sustainable department to support our patients.

Business Support Role

The business support role, previously known as sales liaisons, has expanded. This position will no longer serve as a feeder into field sales but will remain in-house. The role will now offer a wider range of field support, including trends, training, and insurance support. Samantha Drinkwine and LelaAnn Kemp have transitioned into these new roles. “Their tenure with the department and extensive knowledge of our industry makes them the perfect fit for these positions,” said Jennifer Landers, director of insurance. “I want to thank Sam for her leadership over the past 18 months as the review manager, and LelaAnn as the approvals representative. Both have been instrumental in moving the business forward.” These roles will report directly to Jennifer.

Promotion to Compliance

Sonja Bryant joined Rehab Medical a little over two years ago. “My motivation is knowing we are providing patients with mobility, independence, and improving their quality of day-to-day living,” said Sonja. “Sonja's background as a nurse, her extensive experience in both the pre-auth and approvals team, and her unwavering commitment to our patients has led to her promotion from approvals manager to compliance auditor.

“Sonja is uniquely position her for success in the auditor role,” added Jennifer. “I want to extend my sincere appreciation for her outstanding leadership over the past 18 months, and I have full confidence in her ability to thrive in her new position, where she will undoubtedly make significant contributions to the Compliance team.”

Combining Insurance Review and Approvals

The insurance review and approvals teams have been combined, with Dione (Wilson) Bouye receiving a promotion from verification manager to review and approvals manager. Dione has demonstrated her expertise in billing and verification across various roles in her seven years with Rehab Medical. Her experience will provide a solid foundation to lead this integrated team. The verification team will continue under her supervision, and Dione will continue to report to Jennifer.

Promotions

The movement of these roles provided an opportunity to promote the following team members:

• Andria Shelton, verification representative to approvals representative. In her 3-1/2 years with Rehab Medical, Andria has demonstrated extensive knowledge of the verification process, leading to her appointment as a subject matter expert and trainer. Andria is motivated to improve lives by having served a caregiver for her mom who had dementia. “As my mom's disease advanced through its different stages, there were people, sometimes strangers, that helped me navigate through each new challenge,” said Andria. “I will always appreciate what they did to help improve my mom's life and mine, and I’m grateful to Rehab Medical for giving me the opportunity to help improve the lives of others.” Andria’s exceptional attention to detail and consistent delivery of high-quality results makes her a valuable addition to the approvals team. She will report to Dione (Wilson) Bouye.

• Jessica Schatz, authorization representative to approvals representative. Jessica has been with Rehab Medical for four years and has proven herself a valuable team member, hitting a record number of submissions. She is a subject matter expert and assists with new hire training for the team. Her strong work ethic and effective and efficient cadence make her a perfect fit for this role on the approvals team. She will report to Dione (Wilson) Bouye.

• Jasmine Talley, follow-up representative to authorization representative. Jasmine brought a wealth of knowledge to the department when she started with Rehab Medical a little more than two years ago and has continued to tackle difficult orders in challenging regions. She also serves as a subject matter expert and trainer for phase II of new hire training. Jasmine's vast knowledge of the insurance industry and exceptional problem-solving abilities make her a valuable addition to the pre-auth submission team. She will report to Kristy Harris.

• Lavender Sparks, approvals representative to follow-up representative. Lavender has been with Rehab Medical for five years, serving in various roles with increasing levels of responsibility. Her knowledge of the approval process and the requirements for each order will help to provide additional insurance knowledge to the follow-up team. She will report to Aly Bentley.

Additional Support

With the expansion of our business, the follow-up team, responsible for following up on all submissions, has grown, necessitating the addition of a second follow-up manager. This additional role will oversee the existing team of 18 employees.

The insurance call center, currently staffed with two employees, will also transition from the review team to Aly Bentley, follow-up manager, bringing the team to 20. “I would like to express my gratitude to Aly for her exceptional leadership and guidance with her team, which has led to remarkable success and record-breaking metrics,” added Jennifer. “Fully staffed, we will have 71 members on the insurance team and we're not slowing down anytime soon! These are exciting times for Rehab Medical.”

Join us in welcoming and congratulating our colleagues on their new roles! If you have any questions about how these changes might affect your work or how you can contribute to our ongoing success, please reach out to your manager or the newly appointed team leads. Let’s continue to work together to support our patients and drive RM forward during this exciting period of growth!"