Revenue cycle leaders sat down during the recent 2025 HFMA Revenue Cycle Conference for a candid discussion about employee empowerment and retention.
During the recent 2025 HFMA Revenue Cycle Conference, several revenue cycle leaders discussed the lessons they have learned for team building and development. They shared their thoughts on the shift to remote work, creating pathways for career progression, and how to retain start employees.
Reflecting on the shift to remote work environments
COVID-19 accelerated a trend in workplaces to virtual environments. Many employees appreciate the flexibility and work-life balance that remote work affords them.
However, there are downsides. Remote work provides fewer opportunities for face-to-face collaboration. It can also leave employees feeling isolated and alienated from their colleagues and managers.
It was challenging to adapt to the new dynamic, said Desiree Easterwood, manager of revenue integrity & revenue recovery at Akron Children’s Hospital but the quick shift to remote work provided opportunities to improve communication with employees.
The shift to remote work led Easterwood to become more organized and intentional. Without opportunities for chance meetings or watercooler conversations, she said she focused on scheduling routine meetings and having agendas for those meetings.
Giving employees opportunities to succeed
Healthcare executives sometimes struggle with delegating tasks that they’re accustomed to doing themselves. Shifting focus from the minutiae of individual tasks to the big picture of team performance is an important skill to learn.
“I struggle with delegation because I used to do the work.” Easterwood said. However, “if somebody else is supposed to be doing the work, then give it to them.”
Admitting you don’t know all the answers and relinquishing some control to employees can help to make revenue cycle teams stronger. Effective delegation allows employees opportunities to develop their own ideas and solutions, which allows revenue cycle leaders to recognize experts and star employees as they emerge.
Steve Burr, senior vice president of revenue cycle for Christus Health, he said he had found it difficult to break away from a mindset that it was faster to do than to teach. However, he said he has learned that one key to success is to “surround myself with people who are way better at what they do than I am.”
Keys to retention
Easterwood said effective delegation that delivers opportunities for career progression also aids in staff retention.
“Knowing that they have opportunities helps to keep them there,” he said.
With so many opportunities for remote work now available, organizations that require in-office work need to go the extra mile to attract and retain quality employees, according to Burr.
“We want to make sure we have a really great place for them to come work,” he said.
Expressing gratitude is an important part of retention, according to Burr. Christus Health has implemented a system that delivers thank you notes for exemplary performance and credits that can be exchanged for rewards.
Exit interviews are also key to determining why employees leave an organization.
“What are people running to or running from?” Burr asked. “Don’t be a leader that makes people want to leave.”
Luke Gale is the revenue cycle editor for HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The trend toward remote work has afforded revenue cycle leaders opportunities to become more intentional in communications with employees.
Delegation can be a difficult skill to learn for revenue cycle leaders who rise through the ranks by doing the hard work themselves.
Providing opportunities and pathways for career progression are essential for employee retention.