Linda Couture

Revenue cycle and healthcare operations professional with 17+ years of experience in clinical and administrative operations including medical billing, accounts receivable, insurance follow-up, payment posting and appeals management, collections, audits, process improvement, and project management. Detail oriented, highly organized, self-directed, and effective in fast-paced, cross-functional environments with minimal supervision.

Director of Quality, Compliance & IT Project Management at Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates, P.C. (2023-07 – 2026-05)

Promoted 4 times across 18 years

• All duties of Quality and Compliance Manager role (below), with expanded oversight of 3 direct reports: a Computer Support Specialist and 2 Quality and Compliance Analysts.
• Assisted the Chief Operations Officer with operations across approximately 300 employees, 7 locations across 3 states, and approximately 50 providers including MDs, PAs, and Physical Therapists.

Quality and Compliance Manager at Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates, P.C. (2016-06 – 2023-06)

• Managed and developed 2 employees responsible for data maintenance, analyzing and compiling data, form revisions, patient portal support, and monitoring performance trends in clinical and administrative operations.
• Liaised with major third-party vendors for the organization including NextGen EMR, Phreesia, and third-party IT support.
• Acted as a resource for IT, most systems, and application related issues ranging from troubleshooting to configuration, upgrades, integration implementations, and maintenance. Also provided and managed access to key systems.
• Handled and oversaw auditing processes across multiple departments including coordinating external audits. Performed independent internal audits and provided detailed documentation on results and action plans.
• Handled compliance related matters, led compliance committee meetings, and managed compliance policies and training.
• Oversaw the Quality Payment programs MIPS and AAPM.
• Became a super user of Phreesia and successfully helped with its reimplementation after the practice was ready to terminate use due to lack of understanding the product.
• Became a super user of NextGen EMR and a reliable resource on most troubleshooting and reporting needs. Led system upgrades requiring project management skills to coordinate training, completing necessary preparation tasks, planning downtime, testing, and go-live support.
• Solely set up the organization for telehealth capabilities during COVID-19.

Rockville Office Manager at Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates, P.C. (2013-04 – 2016-05)

• Managed a staff of 12 employees across 2 departments and supported 5 physicians.
• Ensured staff were appropriately trained and performed duties as required.
• Organized and led monthly physician and staff meetings.
• Maintained physician schedules and coordinated staff coverage.
• Served as main point of contact for day-to-day office operations and patient disputes or conflicts.
• Proactively sought ways to improve productivity and motivation of staff.
• Discovered outdated errors within laboratory billing and maximized profits while ensuring compliant and error-free billing.
• Supported a successful relocation to a new office building and rapid growth of new physicians, staff, and patients.

Infusion Operations Manager at Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates, P.C. (2011-04 – 2013-09)

• Managed a team of 2 employees.
• Served as primary contact with all infusion drug representatives.
• Managed drug inventory and ensured accurate bookkeeping on all infusion patient accounts.
• Reviewed and ensured appropriate medical documentation of infusion encounters.
• Assisted the billing department with denials and appeals of infusion encounters.
• Managed cost versus profit analysis and created analyses on new drugs when requested.
• Redefined collections and tracking of copay programs to maximize profit and efficiency.
• Implemented drug inventory tracking per CFO request to prevent waste and missed billing opportunities.
• Established success of a profitable ancillary service within the practice.

Insurance Follow-Up and Medical Billing at Arthritis and Rheumatism Associates, P.C. (2008-09 – 2011-04)

• Followed up with insurance companies in a timely manner to ensure payment of claims and appealed denials as necessary.
• Posted insurance and patient payments to accounts with minimal errors.
• Entered charges for physical therapy and DXA scans.
• Answered incoming calls and maintained patient accounts to keep information current and accurate.

Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science, Minor in Nutrition – Salisbury University