In each edition of Cycle Up, we sit down with one of the leading voices in the company. In this issue, we’re talking with Sidonie McDaniel, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Operations, to discuss Meduit’s commitment to investing in and continually innovating its insurance line capabilities. Sidonie is an avid reader, and in her spare time, you’ll find her participating in her book club. A former college athlete, she also coaches boys’ basketball and enjoys spending time with her four grown children and grandson and is looking forward to another grandbaby on the way.
Q1: Sidonie, can you share a bit about your history and what brought you to Meduit?
A1: I’ve worked for more than 25 years in healthcare revenue cycle management, starting at entry-level and working my way up. I joined Meduit in October 2022. Prior to that, I was looking for a growing organization that also offered a challenge. After interviewing with the company, I was drawn in by the quality of the leadership, the culture and the fact that Meduit is a place that recognizes and values people. That’s a very important quality to me.
Q2: Tell us about Meduit’s focus on hiring significant leadership talent, especially for the insurance line of business.
A2: It’s critical to understand the revenue cycle, especially the intricacies of payer relationships. If a company is hiring leaders with excellent management skills, but they don’t necessarily know the industry, it makes it difficult for those leaders to manage their teams and solve problems for the clients. Since joining Meduit, I have focused on hiring leaders with career aspirations that are aligned with the company’s goals paired with a strong history in healthcare revenue cycle management. This helps us tackle our client’s challenges with a team managed by an experienced leader so we can move the ball forward more efficiently.
Q3: What would you like prospective Meduit team members to know about working at Meduit?
A3: I would like them to know that at Meduit, we are determined to be successful on behalf of our clients and to define success together. I use the phrase We LEARN to illustrate how we work. LEARN is an acronym that stands for:
- Listen
- Educate
- Apply
- Results
- Never stop looking for solutions
So, the methodology is that we listen to our clients, educate our team, apply our expertise and tools, identify results and never stop looking for solutions. We want to make sure our clients are up to speed with what is happening in the industry and the options they have to become financially resilient.
Q4: How is the growth in Meduit talent amplifying the company’s capabilities?
A4: We build a great team from the ground up by bringing in entry-level who may not have experience in revenue cycle management, and we fully train them. Then we balance that out with experienced leaders. When I look at the leadership team and the talent we’ve brought on board, the Meduit leadership is the strongest I’ve seen in my 25-year career. This provides us with a powerful employee and management base that works together to meet our client’s current and emerging needs. And it allows us to stay ahead of industry trends, anticipate challenges and develop solutions to solve those challenges.
Q5: What are the benefits of outsourcing insurance accounts for healthcare providers?
A5: Clients want to focus on patient care. They shouldn’t be worried about their financials. We can take that burden on for them. Outsourcing to Meduit allows providers to have a healthy balance of quality patient care and a resilient revenue cycle. In talking with a client recently, this same question came up, and I shared that when patients get a bill in the mail, it can be very confusing regarding what portion the patient pays and what portion the insurance payer covers. It helps to have a dedicated team that knows how to talk with patients, how to answer their questions and how to handle challenges with payers and does so with a compassionate approach. At Meduit, we work as a seamless extension of the healthcare provider’s team so they don’t have to worry about the revenue cycle, and they can do what they do best – simply focus on their patients. We want to be a great partner to each of our clients so they can trust that they are getting the best revenue cycle support available.