David L. Mellerowicz
Career Summary:
Healthcare executive/consultant with over 35 years of successful financial and business operations experience with large healthcare systems and small to medium-sized community hospitals. Effective in developing revenue cycle strategies and implementing solutions that result in improved financial performance and increased patient, employee, and physician satisfaction. Proven leadership, team-building, and problem-solving skills. Consulting and management experience at Ernst & Young public accounting firm.
Career Experience:
Mellerowicz Healthcare Consulting, Commerce, Michigan
(2002-2009)
Client Engagement Deliverables & Results:
West Chester Medical Center (1,000-bed regional trauma facility)
(2005-2008)
- Designed and implemented clinical and operational policies and procedures in compliance with third-party payer rules and regulations.
- Integrated enhancements with Patient Access, Health Information Management, Utilization Management, Information Systems, & Patient Accounting.
- Resulted in annual revenue increase of 30% while reducing expenses and other write-offs by 50%.
St. John Health System, Detroit, Michigan (A seven-hospital healthcare system generating $8.9 billion in average daily gross revenue.)
(2004-2005)
- Analyzed all revenue cycle functions and operational results.
- Designed corrective action plans and directed a task force that reduced gross account receivables from 160.2 days to 47.7 days.
- Increased cash collections by $45 million, significantly improving the aging of accounts receivable through collections rather than write-offs and administrative adjustments.
Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital (350-bed community hospital), Wyandotte, Michigan
(2002-2003)
- Trained staff on a systematic approach to collecting (not just following up on) accounts receivable.
- Enhanced information systems functionality and follow-up tools.
- Within one year, reduced days in accounts receivable by 32% and increased cash collections by over $25 million from the prior fiscal year.
- Designed and created management reports to monitor revenue cycle issues and performance results on a monthly basis.
- Implemented a “Denial Avoidance” task force that reduced rejections and denials by 38%.
St. Joseph Oakland (470-bed community hospital with an annual revenue of $310 million), Pontiac, MI
(2002-2004)
- Analyzed and resolved accounting variances related to unapplied cash balances in the general ledger.
- Eliminated management comments written by their external audit firm.
- Designed and implemented internal balancing control in compliance with accounting and third-party payer rules and regulations.
Forum Healthcare System (3-hospital healthcare organization), Youngstown, Ohio
(2002-2003)
- Chaired informational and patient accounting steering committees that designed profiles related to capital systems upgrades.
- Served as a subject matter expert for five revenue cycle initiatives, resulting in reduced annual denials by $3 million and increased cash collections.
Ernst & Young LLP / Cap Gemini & Ernst & Young, Detroit, Michigan
(1998-2001)
- Responsible for all revenue cycle service line engagement, client relations, market share & growth.
Areas of Expertise:
- Patient access, denial avoidance, patient accounting, health information management, information systems implementation, reimbursement, and revenue cycle strategies.
Accomplishments:
- Directed a patient financial services reengineering cash acceleration engagement at Ohio State University Health System.
- Lowered annual operating costs by $1.3 million.
- Increased cash collections of accounts receivable by $42 million.
- Improved patient, physician, and employee satisfaction related to all revenue cycle initiatives.
- Redesigned and standardized all revenue cycle processes across Provida Health System in Chicago, Illinois.
- Developed and implemented a denial management program that improved net revenues by $11 million.
- Designed and implemented the Southeastern Michigan Accounts Receivable Report used to monitor and disclose accounts receivable activities and performance of healthcare systems, totaling $12.4 billion in annual gross revenue.
Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, Michigan
(1994-1998)
- Reported to the Senior Vice President of Patient Accounting and Reimbursement.
- Responsible for balance sheet review and audit, monitoring financial performance, and ensuring appropriate use of contractual reserves.
- Resolved reimbursement issues and increased net revenue in accordance with third-party contractual guidelines.
- Directed reconciliation activities for third-party payer accounts to ensure accuracy in the general ledger system.
Accomplishments:
- Chaired the revenue committee that developed a system for payment/contractual adjustments and allowance policies and procedures.
- Enabled the Detroit Medical Center to reconcile contractual model calculations with actual paid reimbursements at the detailed account level, ensuring 100% accuracy.
- Served as an internal consultant and subject matter expert to optimize revenue related to reimbursement regulations and business operations.
- Designed and implemented the Detroit Medical Center patient billing statement, reducing annual expenses by $1.5 million.
- Negotiated and directed system-wide collection agency policies, resulting in a 35% reduction in bad debt and improved net recoveries.
- Developed a systematic report to monitor collection activities, improving financial operations and reducing gross accounts receivable by 45%.
Huron Valley Hospital, Commerce, MI
(1993-1996)
- Reported to the Chief Financial Officer.
- Responsible for inpatient and outpatient admitting, emergency room registrations, patient accounting, credit and collections, cashiering, switchboard, and mailroom operations.
Accomplishments:
- Developed and implemented all policies and procedures for Huron Valley Hospital.
- Hired and trained 32 business office personnel.
- Designed the patient accounting computer system files for a company in Nashville, Hospital Corporation of America.
- Served on the Blue Cross Medicare Advisory Committee, designing the advanced claims processing system and the ANSI-835 Remittance Advice.
- First hospital in Michigan to implement the daily electronic payment program.
- Redesigned business operations to improve financial performance and efficiencies.
Holy Cross Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
(1984-1985)
- Reported to the Vice President of Finance.
- Managed over 90 employees across seven business departments.
- Responsible for all revenue cycle financial results.
Accomplishments:
- Directed the consolidation and streamlining of business office functions.
- Reduced departmental expenses by more than 20% and increased cash collections by 15%.
- Implemented “UB-2” mandated by HCFA.
Harper-Grace Hospital, Detroit, Michigan
(1980-1984)
- Responsible for developing a $245 million operating budget for Harper-Grace Hospital, a 1,288-bed facility.
Education:
- Bachelor of Science, Accounting Major, University of Detroit (1979)
Professional Organizations:
- HFMA (Healthcare Financial Management Association)
- MPAA (Medical Patient Accounting Association)