Donald Bates

Chief Operating Officer • VP, Hospital Operations • SVP, Health Operations • Hospital CEO Healthcare Compliance • Physician Recruitment • Crisis Management • P&L Management Grew Revenue • Expanded Service Lines • Increased Clean Claim Rates • Enhanced Operations Rural Nursing Education Consortium • Awarded Outstanding Rural Health Program

Interim CEO/Revenue Cycle Consultant - Self-Employed Contractor - Remote

(2024-09)

• Protected robust revenue by strategically managing critical revenue cycle tasks, including billing, coding, insurance follow-ups, denials, and successful underpayment recovery.
• Optimized workflows to improve KPIs such as collections speed, denial rates, and revenue integrity by identifying inefficiencies and implementing best practices.
• Integrated revenue cycle functions with HIM, CDI, and patient access while astutely supporting comprehensive EMR/EHR transitions to secure mutually beneficial payer contracts.
• Prevented revenue leakage and operational drift by strategically addressing the severe impact of prolonged leadership vacancies on cash flow, collections, and compliance.
• Aligned revenue cycle goals to the hospital mission, achieving financial targets.
• Tracked performance using analytics to forecast revenue and identify trends and anomalies.
• Monitored compliance with coding standards, insurance rules, and regulatory requirements.
• Reduced turnover and boosted morale by mentoring and motivating team members.

President/CEO - Golden Plains Community Hospital - Borger, TX

(2016-02 - 2024-08)

• Optimized debt and secured $1.3M savings and $2M in Employee Retention Credit funding.
• Drove revenue and operations by renegotiating BCBS contract for 19.5% reimbursement, cutting A/R days by 28, DNFB by 8, and boosting admissions by 45% via targeted recruitment.
• Increased revenue by up to$1M annually, leading crisis management and community healthcare resilience, while implementing high-impact behavioral health and geriatric care programs.
• Expanded service lines and patient access by launching walk-in, rural clinics, adding telemedicine for specialties, and forming the Rural Nursing Consortium to ease workforce gaps.
• Mentored staff to reduce turnover and boost morale at Golden Plains Community Hospital.
• Ensured proper management of critical revenue cycle activities—billing, coding, insurance follow-up, denials management, and underpayment recovery—to protect against lost revenue.
• Addressed leadership vacancies' impact on cash flow while enhancing collections processes; prevented significant revenue leakage along with operational drift during transitions.
• Served as primary liaison between executive leadership teams along with board members ensuring transparency across all operational levels fostering trust among stakeholders.
• Identified inefficiencies while implementing best practices that optimized workflows to improve KPIs such as collections speed, denial rates, and revenue integrity.
• Monitored compliance with coding standards alongside robust insurance rules and strict regulatory requirements to avoid costly penalties or audits that might impair operations.
• Utilized advanced analytics to track performance metrics effectively and efficiently.

President/CEO - North Central Kansas Medical Center - Concordia, KS

(2013-10 - 2015-05)

• Expanded clinical service portfolio by launching Cardiology and Oncology specialty clinics, creating new revenue streams and increasing access to advanced care in the community.
• Modernized technology infrastructure, leading to IT overhaul and implementing CPSI EMR with integrated interfaces across Rural Health Clinics to improve efficiency and data accuracy.
• Influenced healthcare policy through leadership roles on the Kansas Hospital Association Council for Health Care Finance and Reimbursement and Political Action Steering Committee.
• Strengthening regional collaboration and governance as a board member of the Sunflower Health Network, shaping strategic growth initiatives and multi-organization partnerships.

CEO - Palacios Community Medical Center - Palacios, TX

(2010-07 - 2013-05)

• Reduced AP debt by $950,000, cut Discharged Not Final Billed (DNFB) duration from 12 to 3.5 days, and increased electronic clean claim rates from 49% to 97% via process reengineering.
• Shortened AR days from 89 to 55 by instituting robust revenue cycle management practices, improving cash flow and financial stability.

Business Office Director/Regional Business Officer Director - Tenet Healthcare & HMA

Prior Experience

Doctor of Education - Educational Leadership - Trident University International

Master of Business Administration - Healthcare Management - California Coast University

Bachelor of Science - Business Management - Penn Foster College