Director, Revenue Cycle

The Talent Acquisition department hires qualified candidates to fill positions which contribute to the overall strategic success of Howard University. Hiring staff "for fit" makes significant contributions to Howard University's overall mission.

At Howard University, we prioritize well-being and professional growth.

Here is what we offer:

• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus mental health support
• Work-Life Balance: PTO, paid holidays, flexible work arrangements
• Financial Wellness: Competitive salary, 403(b) with company match
• Professional Development: Ongoing training, tuition reimbursement, and career advancement paths
• Additional Perks: Wellness programs, commuter benefits, and a vibrant company culture

Join Howard University and thrive with us!

https://hr.howard.edu/benefits-wellness

BASIC FUNCTION

The Director of Revenue Cycle provides strategic and operational leadership for all revenue cycle functions across the Howard University Faculty Practice Plan (FPP) ambulatory academic practice, including patient registration, charge capture, coding, billing, accounts receivable management, denial prevention and resolution, customer service, financial assistance programs, health information management (HIM), credentialing, and revenue integrity.

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Director is responsible for optimizing financial performance, ensuring regulatory compliance, and driving operational excellence through data-driven decision-making, process improvement, and effective internal controls. The Director partners closely with clinical, operational, and finance leaders to enhance the patient financial experience, maximize reimbursement, improve cash collections, and support the organization's academic, clinical, and research missions.

SUPERVISORY ACCOUNTABILITY

• Reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer of the Howard University Faculty Practice Plan.
• Supervises and develops revenue cycle staff, including hiring, scheduling, training, coaching, performance evaluation, and adherence to Human Resources policies and compliance requirements.
• Establishes departmental objectives, staffing plans, and performance standards; builds high-performing teams and fosters accountability, engagement, and professional growth.
• Manages the revenue cycle operating budget and oversees collection agency and other third-party vendor relationships, including contract oversight, service-level agreement management, performance monitoring, and accountability for results.

NATURE AND SCOPE

The Director of Revenue Cycle operates across the full continuum of the ambulatory academic practice and maintains regular contact with the following internal and external stakeholders:

Internal Contacts:

• Chief Financial Officer and executive leadership
• Department chairs, division chiefs, faculty, and providers
• Clinical and ambulatory operations leadership
• Finance, accounting, and budget staff
• Compliance, HIM, coding, and credentialing/provider enrollment teams
• Information technology and EMR/practice management system support
• Human Resources

External Contacts:

• Medicare, Medicaid, commercial payers, and managed care organizations
• Collection agencies and outsourced revenue cycle vendors
• Hospital revenue cycle partners and affiliated organizations
• EMR and practice management system vendors
• Patients, guarantors, and their families
• Auditors, regulatory bodies, and accrediting agencies

Decisions made in this role directly impact cash collections, days in accounts receivable, denial rates, regulatory compliance posture, the patient financial experience, and the financial sustainability of the practice plan.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the revenue cycle strategy to support organizational goals, financial sustainability, and operational excellence.
• Establish departmental objectives, policies, and performance standards aligned with the organization's mission, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to executive, clinical, and operational leadership on revenue cycle performance, risks, and opportunities.

Operational Management

• Direct and optimize accounts receivable operations to achieve key performance targets, including Days in Accounts Receivable, Collection Rate, Aging Accounts Receivable, and other revenue cycle benchmarks, while driving cash flow, reducing receivable balances, and improving overall financial performance.
• Manage collection agency and vendor relationships to optimize recoveries.
• Develop strategies for prospective planning to manage reimbursement for new service lines.
• Oversee the maintenance and governance of the Charge Description Master (CDM), ensuring timely and accurate updates to CPT, HCPCS, and ICD coding, charge capture methodologies, reimbursement rules, and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with clinical, coding, compliance, and finance stakeholders to evaluate coding changes, payer updates, and new services, and implement revisions that support compliant billing practices, revenue integrity, and accurate reimbursement.
• Establish monitoring and audit processes to validate charge accuracy, minimize revenue leakage, and ensure alignment with federal, state, and payer-specific requirements.

Process and Compliance

• Design, implement, and evaluate revenue cycle workflows, policies, and performance metrics, ensuring adherence to applicable regulatory requirements and industry standards.
• Maintain effective internal controls and documentation practices that support audit readiness and compliant billing.

Financial Performance

• Participate in setting targets for collections and accounts receivable goals.
• Manage the revenue cycle budget and implement cost-saving initiatives.
• Develop monthly reporting packets for departments, divisions, and providers to provide transparency around the aged trial balance, collections, aging, and denials.
• Ensure timely payer enrollment to mitigate delays with patient access while securing reimbursement for services provided.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work across the organization on issues related to improving revenue cycle performance.
• Collaborate with hospital revenue cycle, external partners, and senior leadership on opportunities for greater efficiencies, streamlined processes, and optimization of the EMR/practice management platform.

Staff Leadership

• Supervise and develop staff, including scheduling, training, performance evaluation, and Human Resources compliance.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead process improvement projects, enhance patient financial experience, and support quality systems.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Strategic Planning and Execution: Develops and executes strategic plans that improve operational performance, revenue integrity, patient financial experience, and organizational financial outcomes.
• Financial and Analytical Acumen: Applies budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, KPI management, revenue cycle benchmarking, and performance reporting to drive results.
• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Leverages data analytics and business intelligence tools to identify trends, evaluate operational effectiveness, and drive data-informed decision-making.
• Process Improvement and Change Management: Leads complex process improvement initiatives, workflow redesign, system optimization, and organizational change management within healthcare environments.
• Leadership and Team Development: Builds high-performing teams, fosters accountability, and supports professional growth through exceptional leadership, team development, and employee engagement.
• Vendor Management and Contract Oversight: Monitors vendor performance, manages service-level agreements, negotiates terms, and holds partners accountable for results.
• Communication and Executive Presence: Communicates effectively in verbal, written, presentation, and interpersonal settings with executive leadership, physicians, faculty, clinical staff, payers, vendors, patients, and external stakeholders; prepares and delivers executive-level presentations, business cases, policy recommendations, operational reports, and performance analyses.
• Collaboration and Influence: Builds collaborative relationships and influences cross-functional stakeholders while fostering a culture of service excellence, continuous improvement, and accountability.
• Project Management and Organization: Manages multiple priorities in a complex academic healthcare environment through strong project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Integrity and Compliance Orientation: Maintains the highest standards of integrity, confidentiality, customer service, and regulatory compliance.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education

• Bachelor's degree preferred; an equivalent combination of college coursework and directly related revenue cycle experience will be considered.

Experience

• Minimum of seven (7) years in revenue cycle management, including senior-level leadership experience in an ambulatory academic practice.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated expertise in all aspects of revenue cycle management, including patient access, insurance verification, charge capture, coding, billing, accounts receivable, denial management, collections, reimbursement, revenue integrity, and financial assistance programs.
• Strong knowledge of healthcare regulatory requirements, including CMS, Medicare, Medicaid, commercial payer regulations, HIPAA, and applicable federal and state billing and compliance standards.
• Advanced understanding of medical coding and reimbursement methodologies, including CPT, HCPCS, ICD-10-CM/PCS, National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits, fee schedules, and payer-specific billing requirements.
• Knowledge of provider enrollment, credentialing, and payer contracting processes, including coordination with managed care organizations and government payers to support timely reimbursement and regulatory compliance.
• Strong financial management and analytical skills, including budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, key performance indicators (KPI) management, revenue cycle benchmarking, and performance reporting.
• Advanced proficiency with electronic health record (EHR) systems, practice management systems, revenue cycle applications, and the Microsoft Office Suite, including:
• Excel (advanced reporting, data analysis, pivot tables, dashboards, and financial modeling)
• Word
• PowerPoint
• Outlook
• Teams

Note: This position description should not be construed to imply that these requirements are the exclusive standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as may be required. The university has the right to revise this position description at any time. This position description is not construed as a contract for employment.

Compliance Salary Range Disclosure

Compensation Range: $194,000- $241,000