“This team is amazing. They have weathered the era of covid together when healthcare guidelines were constantly changing,” said Healthcare Accounting Manager, Reagena Thompson. “They take great pride in their work ethic to ensure the providers are reimbursed for services and patients bills are paid as accurately as possible. There are many insurances we bill, and each payer is different, which puts pressure on this department to keep up with the many changes that occur in healthcare.”
Britinie Diaz, Kathy Pannell and Gwen Casias bring decades of combined experience to the Southern Ute Health Center’s Billing Department.
“I am Britinie Diaz, I have been with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe since 2019 and I am the Billing Coordinator for the health clinic, I am also a certified professional coder, and I have a diploma in medical billing and coding. I have worked in medical administration roles for over 10 years. My duties include submission of clinical, laboratory, and dental visits to various insurances for the health clinic patients among various other revenue cycle duties. Insurances include submissions to Medicare and Medicaid, UHC, and Blue Cross Blue Shield including many other commercial insurance companies.”
“I grew up in the area of Durango and the Four Corners, as I am a direct descendant from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. I commute from my home in Bloomfield, N.M. where I live with my two children, my spouse, as well as dogs, chickens, and reptiles. I enjoy spending time with my beautiful family and crocheting during my down time.”
“Hi, my name is Kathy Pannell. I am a certified coder. I have been a certified coder since 2001 and have worked for a few providers in the area before coming to work for the Tribe, I have been here since 2013. I grew up in Ignacio, going to HeadStart, Elementary, Junior High, and graduated High School here. I love being back in the community and enjoy the opportunity to work with the Tribe. My job is to audit charts and apply codes to the visits and ensure that the claim is clean for the insurance company and then sending it on to the biller.”
“My name is Gwen Casias, I grew up in Tesuque, N.M. and moved here in 1998, I have worked 27 years with insurance in differed areas. I have been working in the Medical A/R Tech position for the last four years; my responsibilities are to post the reimbursements that we receive for medical and pharmacy insurance and balance the accounts. I work with my team to review and troubleshoot any issues that may arise. I enjoy working for the Tribe in this role and I enjoy the team I work with very much.”
“We have recently increased collaboration meetings with different areas of the health center since our workflows are affected greatly by what happens at the front end,” Thompson said. “We hope to make continued improvements with the systems and processes we work with within Tribal Health.”