Prior Authorization Strategies and Best Practices to Improve Patient Care and Minimize Administrative Burdens

Courtney Gregory is Conifer Health’s Senior Director of AR Management Operations, for Physician Services, overseeing all A/R Management and third-party follow-ups for all PRCM clients. She is directly responsible for numerous operational processes. As needed, she also coordinates cross-functionally with other Conifer Health departments to help ensure that all processes and systems under her care are delivering the expected results while remaining mindful of relevant policies and procedures already in place.

Courtney is a seasoned professional with a strong track record in the healthcare industry. She joined Conifer Health in 2023, following a 12-year tenure at Lifepoint Health. Through her dedication and expertise, she gradually and steadily advanced from her first role in medical billing to numerous leadership positions, culminating in a position as Associate Vice President of Revenue Cycle for the Western Division, covering 17 markets in 10 states. A notable achievement was the successful launch of a revenue cycle dashboard, which effectively benchmarked KPIs for markets in real-time. She was also an integral member of the team that generated an extensive, enterprise-wide best-practice guideline roadmap for physician-based revenue cycle management.

An experienced leader, Courtney places people at the heart of everything she does and every decision she makes. With a talent for fostering teamwork, she strives to empower staff, nurturing their growth and helping them to achieve their best outcomes — much like her own journey  to her current position.

Her achievements include an MBA in Healthcare Management from Western Governors University, a bachelors degree in Business with a focus on Healthcare Administration from Western Governors University. Courtney is accredited by AAPC for Certified Evaluation Management Coder (CEMC), Certified Professional Coder (CPC), and Certified Professional Biller (CPB).

As Vice President, Client Management, Michael McMann’s proven ability to foster positive client relationships while working collaboratively with his Conifer Health peers and constituents has led to exceptional client reference scores and client development. He leads Conifer Health’s physician revenue cycle Client Delivery team, whose primary focus is comprehensive management of client relationships to ensure high quality outcomes, attentive service, sharp business insights and strategic alignment between Conifer and our client organizations.

Prior to joining Conifer Health, Michael served as Director of Operational Planning, Executive Director of the Regional Doctors’ Offices, and other management roles at the University of Chicago Medicine. Michael was also previously Practice Manager of Orthopedic Surgery at Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation in Chicago, Illinois. Michael started his career in healthcare as a nurse.

Michael has more than 25 years of healthcare industry experience with a focus on clinical operations, practice management, finance, revenue cycle and project management. He received a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies with a minor in business administration from Governor’s State University in Illinois.