Hughes - New Patient Access Manager at MPMC

 

Recently, Maria Parham Medical Center welcomed a new face into the Patient Access Department’s leadership position. Linda Hughes assumed the role of Manager of this department in March. Patient Access is part of Patient Financial Services and is the group of employees who register patients to be admitted through the Emergency Room, to have Outpatient Surgery or to have outpatient testing. They ensure the proper paperwork is completed and enter insurance information into the hospital’s computer system. They also schedule appointments for patients and help them to arrange for payment if they don’t have insurance.   Hughes remarks, “Patient Access is a very important part of Maria Parham—these employees are the ‘front line’ for the hospital, as they are often the first point of contact for patients.”

 

Hughes comes to Maria Parham as a Certified Healthcare Access Associate and brings more than 25 years of healthcare experience to the facility. She came from Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie, Wyoming, where she developed their patient access program. Prior to that position, she was at Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee in Knoxville for 23 years in a role similar to the one she accepted at Maria Parham.

 

When asked why she chose to move over 1500 miles to accept the position at Henderson’s hospital, she says that she was very impressed with both Anita Bennett, Director of Patient Financial Services, and Jim Chatman, CFO for Maria Parham, when they met during the interview process. “It was just a perfect fit, it felt good, it felt like home,” remarks Hughes. She continues, “I am excited to be able to offer to Maria Parham the expertise I have gathered on patient access through the years”. Bennett agrees with her and says, “I am very pleased to have Linda as a member of the Patient Financial Services management team.  She brings years of knowledge and expertise in a vital area of the revenue stream.  I look forward to working with her as we strive to enhance the financial viability of this organization.” 

 

Hughes and her husband have been married for 25 years and live in Henderson. When she is not working, she enjoys reading, traveling, and working on home improvement projects.