Optimizing Innovation, One Project at a Time

Includes a Live Web Event on 10/29/2026 at 12:00 PM (EDT)

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Speaker(s):

Robyn Walsh, Vice President, Patient Financial Services, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Emily Vlietstra, Associate Director, Impact Advisors

Description:

This session will explore innovative improvement projects designed to optimize key areas of the revenue cycle and Patient Access. Topics include enhancing financial assistance, social work, and other write-off programs; streamlining off-shore authorization workflows; improving single case agreement processes; Medicare secondary payor questionnaire process and simplifying complex transplant-related setups. Participants will gain practical strategies for leveraging technology and process innovation to drive efficiency, accuracy, and collaboration across teams within the electronic health record environment.

Learning objectives:

Identify key opportunities for innovation and process improvement within EHR workflows related to financial assistance, social work, and write-off programs.
Analyze strategies for optimizing complex processes such as off-shore authorization workflows, single case agreements, and transplant-related setups.
Apply LEAN principles and technology-driven solutions to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and collaboration across interdisciplinary teams.
Evaluate Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center case studies demonstrating measurable outcomes from EHR optimization and process redesign initiatives.
Develop actionable steps to implement innovative workflow improvements within their own organizations.

This NAHAM webinar provides one (1) NAHAM-approved contact hour.

Robyn Walsh

Vice President, Patient Financial Services

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Robyn has been at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center holding leadership positions in hospital operations and finance. In her role as VP, Patient Financial Services, she is responsible for registration, authorization, financial navigation, charity care, admissions, and patient billing.

Emily Vlietstra

Associate Director

Impact Advisors, LLC

Emily Vlietstra is a healthcare leader with 28 years of experience spanning acute and ambulatory care, bringing a unique blend of clinical expertise, operational leadership, and revenue cycle transformation. She began her career as an X-ray Technologist, spending 17 years caring for patients before transitioning into LEAN process improvement, where she discovered her passion for optimizing healthcare operations and improving the patient experience.

Throughout her career, Emily has advanced into director-level Patient Access leadership, leading complex initiatives focused on patient access, revenue cycle optimization, and electronic health record (EHR) implementations. She is known for translating complex operational challenges into practical, sustainable solutions that improve access, financial performance, and the patient experience. Emily holds certifications as a Certified Healthcare Access Manager (CHAM), Certified Revenue Cycle Representative (CRCR), Silver Level LEAN, and is a registered ARRT technologist. She is passionate about partnering with healthcare organizations to drive operational excellence, support transformational change, and deliver measurable results for patients, caregivers, and health systems alike.