Director of Centralized A/R Operations

P osition Summary:

The Director of Centralized A/R Operations at UTHealth Houston is responsible for leading the centralized accounts receivable (A/R) follow-up function within a complex and dynamic healthcare revenue cycle. This role ensures the effective management of daily operations, with a strong focus on performance, quality, and process improvement. Leveraging deep expertise in revenue cycle technology, metrics, and payer requirements, the Director drives strategic initiatives to optimize collections, reduce denials, and enhance overall financial performance.

This position plays a critical role in identifying and resolving complex A/R issues, managing payer escalations, and implementing sustainable solutions that align with organizational goals. The Director provides strong leadership to A/R teams, promotes accountability and professional growth, and ensures workflows are efficient and responsive to evolving demands. Key responsibilities include budget oversight, staffing management, performance reporting, and maintaining compliance with internal controls, policies, and industry regulations.

Through collaboration, communication, and data-driven decision-making, the Director supports a culture of operational excellence and plays a key role in advancing UTHealth Houston's mission through improved outcomes.

Candidates should have at least seven (7) years of proven experience leading a large accounts receivable operations team, preferably in an academic healthcare environment. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong leadership in motivating, directing, and empowering cross-functional teams to achieve consistent high performance. Additionally, they must be adept at clearly and professionally conveying complex information to physicians, clinicians, faculty, and staff-fostering transparency and organizational alignment at all levels.

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Directs individuals and teams towards desired outcomes, setting high-performance standards and delivering high-quality services in order to maintain a successful accounts receivable operation.
• Identifies and understands complex A/R issues and opportunities, compares data from different sources to draw conclusions and uses an effective approach for choosing a course of action that is consistent with available facts, constraints and probable consequences.
• Develops and maintains an escalation process and means of communication and tracking for payer and provider specific issues until resolved.
• Plans and implements process improvements considering the people, process and technologies that are needed/available to reach the organizations desired outcomes.
• Through clear, concise and professional communication, conducts regular reporting to leadership as required.
• Actively participates in identifying root cause of payer denials and makes recommendation for change; ensures appeals being sent are clear and concise and meet payer's requirements.
• Proactively prioritizes needs and effectively manages resources and time. Routinely monitors workflow volumes and reassigns staff as workload demands.
• Actively and professionally participates as a member on various teams in order to move the organization towards completion of established goals.
• Establishes and maintains long-term relationships with peers, practices, and leadership, building trust and respect by consistently meeting and exceeding expectations.
• Actively participates in budget development for areas of responsibility and assume responsibility for achievement of budget targets.
• Articulates knowledge and understanding of organizational policies, procedures and systems.
• Manages Human Resources activities for direct reports in regards to: recruiting and selection; hiring and termination, training, development, mentoring, counseling, performance evaluations, and salary planning.
• Responsible for the design, execution and effectiveness of a system of internal controls which provides reasonable assurance that operations are effective and efficient, assets are safeguarded; financial information is reliable and compliant with applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Certification/Skills:

• Should possess superior interpersonal skills with an ability to clearly articulate a strategic vision and influence others in the support of revenue improvement opportunities for the clinical enterprise.
• Extensive knowledge of the healthcare professional revenue cycle environment, application of strategic A/R workflow using technology as a driver and a strong understanding of professional billing principles.
• Must demonstrate a strong understanding of governmental and third-party payer requirements.
• Ability to foster open communication, team building, and encourage and maintain team morale.
• Extensive knowledge of A/R billing systems and systems management as it relates to production and system reporting. In addition, be proficient in the Microsoft Office products.

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree in Business, Healthcare Administration or equivalent experience required

Minimum Experience:

7 years of experience managing a large A/R operations team, preferably in an academic environment required

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

Security Sensitive: This job class may contain positions that are security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of Texas Education Code § 51.215

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.