Happenings
Shared Services Honors Staff for Excellence
Coach of the Quarter
Karen Lee
Karen Lee, technical support manager in the Pricing Department, is Coach of the Quarter because she consistently demonstrates outstanding leadership, support and dedication to her team. Her clear communication, positivity and hands-on approach foster a confident and productive work environment. She ensures staff are well-trained through regular reviews of work instructions. Karen also encourages process improvements that save time and enhance accuracy. Always accessible and responsive, Karen’s commitment to providing accurate information and superior internal service makes her an invaluable resource and a truly deserving recipient of this recognition.
Associate of the Month—April
Susan Harrelson
An appeals analyst in the Appeals Department, Susan Harrelson exceeded departmental quality objectives by scoring 100 percent on her monthly quality assurance review for four consecutive months. Her decision-making skills are excellent, and her decision letters are thorough, well written and easy to understand. Susan offers providers superior customer service, pays close attention to detail and ensures denial reasons are fully and clearly explained. She is a team player—always willing to pitch in where needed, share knowledge and work closely with other inpatient reviewers to ensure consistency. For her commitment to quality and teamwork, Susan has been named the Shared Services Division April Associate of the Month.
Associate of the Month—May
Anita Revels
Anita Revels, a business analyst in the Claims Operations Department, is always willing to help team members and will step up to ensure the department meets its goals. Named the May Associate of the Month, she is valued for motivating and encouraging team members with her giving spirit and kind supportive words. Anita has been instrumental in ensuring the department’s workload remains current and that email inquiries from providers are answered in a timely fashion. She consistently shows a strong commitment to teamwork and is a great role model for providing exceptional customer service.
Associate of the Month—June
Shaquana Linder
During five of the first six months of 2025, appeals analyst Shaquana Linder scored 99 percent or higher on her quality objective for the Appeals Department. Known for her positive attitude, she adapts quickly to changes, willingly steps into new roles when needed and maintains a calm, supportive presence even under pressure. Her contributions are also proactive, suggesting improvements on two sets of work instructions that provided the entire team with clarity. Recently named the June Associate of the Month, Shaquana’s collaborative, solution-focused mindset has a positive influence on team dynamics and productivity.
Team of the Quarter
Part B Claims Quality Team
Team members: Christopher Black, LoveaLee Blevins, Tricia Cordell, Elesa Fox, Ashlin Gunn, Vonda Holbrook, Lori Holsinger, Shira Jordan, Canderia Peterson, Lisa Rayburn, Linnie Taylor, Shelli Townsend, Whitney Varnadoe, Melissa Watters
The Claims Processing Department faced a significant challenge when one of its two quality analysts retired. In response, the support and management staff collaborated with the quality analyst to maintain the integrity of the quality audits. Despite the added workload, the team successfully upheld the monthly performance metric. Their efforts ensured that quality standards remained well above the required threshold, earning them the Team of the Quarter award.
Process Improvement of the Quarter
Template for BofA Beneficiary Appeals
Team members: Elizabeth Graham, April Stenstrom, Lisa Wihlidal, Sharon Thomas, Monica Dantzler
A BofA appeal happens on a denied claim for a service typically covered by Medicare Part B but is performed at a hospital and typically covered by Medicare Part A. The decision on this complex issue is always explained in a detailed letter. It can take a clinician 45 minutes to an hour and a half to write this type of letter. To save time, the team created a letter template that allows a clinician to write this kind of appeal letter in 25 minutes, saving about 50 minutes per appeal. This increased efficiency has earned this team the Process Improvement of the Quarter.
