Guest Author: Lori Jeffreys, Revenue Cycle & Client Engagement Consultant, Revco Solutions
As we move toward 2026, healthcare organizations must take a fresh look at the ongoing challenges in billing and collections—challenges that continue to impact both financial performance and the patient experience. With rising complexity in payer requirements, staffing shortages, and increased patient financial responsibility, it has never been more important to attract and develop strong entry-level talent. These roles sit at the front lines of the revenue cycle and directly influence how patients understand their bills, navigate financial options, and experience the financial side of their care.
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Your Applicant Requirements Are Costing You
A growing trend across health systems is the widening skills gap in entry-level revenue cycle roles. As billing becomes more technical and patient financial responsibility increases, the need for well-prepared, customer-focused staff has never been greater.
In my 30+ years of revenue cycle leadership, one pattern has remained constant: job descriptions for entry-level roles almost always require “two years of experience in a healthcare setting.” Yet, experience alone does not guarantee competence, professionalism, or patient-centered performance. In reality, many of these front-line roles can be successfully filled by strong early-career candidates who come through community college certifications or high school programs, such as Health Science Programs. These students bring valuable skills that directly support revenue cycle success—customer service awareness, foundational billing and collections training, medical terminology, professionalism, and an understanding of patient care and dependability.
These are qualities that cannot be assumed simply because an applicant has spent two years in a prior role; in some cases, that experience may have included poor habits or underperformance.
Filling Your Workforce Pipeline
An often-overlooked source of qualified candidates for thes entry-level roles is Healthcare and Medical Science programs offered in high schools—many of which are aligned with HOSA–Future Health Professionals, a national career and technical student organization supported by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
In November, I had the opportunity to attend an open house at Mecklenburg County High School in South Hill, VA. The event—Career and Technical Education (CTE) Connect—showcased how high school programs are preparing students for meaningful, future-ready careers. The HOSA program was one of many represented, with students confidently leading conversations, explaining their curriculum, and engaging visitors with an impressive level of poise.
To say I was blown away by their maturity, knowledge, and professionalism would be an understatement. It was a true light-bulb moment—showing me exactly what revenue cycle leadership has been missing when it comes to strengthening entry-level hiring and setting teams up for long-term success.
How To Get Involved
Community engagement has always been a core value in healthcare—and that extends to the revenue cycle. One of the most impactful ways to support the next generation of talent is to connect directly with your local high school and inquire about their CTE or HOSA programs. Consider volunteering in these classrooms, sharing insight about your facility, or participating in career discussions to help students see the full range of opportunities within healthcare billing and collections.
What High School Healthcare & Medical Science Programs Typically Cover
Foundations of Health Science
- Overview of healthcare systems (hospitals, ambulatory, long-term care, public health
- Roles and responsibilities of healthcare professions
- Professionalism and healthcare ethics
- Legal concepts (HIPAA basics, patient rights, scope of practice)
Medical Terminology
- Word roots, prefixes, suffixes
- Major body systems (cardio, respiratory, endocrine, etc.)
- Diagnostic, procedural, and pharmacology terminology
- ”Decoding” medical language for charts, billing and communication
Human Anatomy & Physiology
- Structure and function of major organ systems
- How illness impacts body systems
- Clinical connections
Health Science Core Skills
- Infection Control
- Vital signs
- Medical math
- Documentation basics, grammar and writing skills
- Basic first aid and CPR
Intro to Patient Care
- Bedside care skills
- Communication with patients and families
- Cultural competency
- Teamwork in clinical, billing and customer service support
Healthcare Technology
- Electronic health records basics
- Telehealth workflows
- Introduction to healthcare data and analytics
Career Exploration & Work-Based Learning
- Shadowing, clinical exposure, and/or internships
- Exposure to roles
- Resume building, interviewing and soft skills
- Teamwork in clinical, billing and customer service support
Where Does Revenue Cycle Fit In?
These students already have the foundation in Medical Terminology, Healthcare Systems, Basic Documentation, Ethics & Patient Communication, Billing and Collection functions, Customer Service and telephone etiquette, which are the perfect building blocks for:
- Patient Access
- Scheduling
- Registration
- Self-Pay / Customer Service
- Early billing roles
- Charge entry
Coming Soon: Our 5-Part Series on the Future of Revenue Cycle Talent
Want to deepen your understanding of how today’s staffing realities are reshaping revenue cycle performance? Stay tuned for our upcoming 5-part series, where we’ll break down the most critical workforce trends—and what leaders can do now to prepare for 2026 and beyond. Get notified here.
What are the advantages?
- These students are a pipeline for revenue cycle roles. They enter the workforce already familiar with healthcare language and workflows, significantly reducing onboarding time for positions in scheduling, registration, insurance verification, billing support, and self-pay follow-up.
- Hiring these candidates improves operational stability. Because students intentionally choose healthcare pathways, they are more likely to stay, grow, and build long-term careers—helping reduce turnover in high-vacancy front-end and billing roles.
- Better prepared staff enhance the patient financial experience. Stronger communication skills, better accuracy, and more confidence at the first point of contact lead to fewer errors, increased patient understanding, and reduced financial anxiety.
- This approach strengthens community relationships. Partnering with schools and HOSA creates a meaningful connection to local communities and demonstrates commitment to workforce development and economic opportunity.
- A pipeline strategy supports long-term financial performance. Cleaner registration, fewer denials, less rework, and improved claim quality all begin with well-trained, well-prepared entry-level teams—impacting cash flow and overall revenue cycle health.
- A sustainable solution to ongoing workforce shortages. With experienced revenue cycle talent harder to find, these programs offer a renewable, future-focused source of capable candidates already aligned with healthcare careers.
These Health Science programs exist in most high schools across the U.S., offering a perfect opportunity to connect with the young adults who will shape the future of revenue cycle management and healthcare leadership.
Conclusion
As revenue cycle complexity grows and staffing shortages persist, healthcare organizations need to rethink how they build the workforce of the future. High school Health Science programs—especially those aligned with HOSA–Future Health Professionals—offer a motivated, well-prepared talent pipeline that already understands healthcare fundamentals and patient-centered communication. By partnering with these programs, leaders can reduce onboarding time, strengthen the patient financial experience, improve operational stability, and cultivate long-term revenue cycle talent. Investing in these students isn’t just a recruitment tactic; it’s a strategic, forward-looking commitment to developing the workforce that will sustain revenue cycle performance for years to come.
If you would like more information or guidance on getting involved, you are welcome to contact me at lori.jeffreys@revcosolutions.com or Crystal Elmore, CTE Administrator at Celmore@mcpsweb.org.
For organizations exploring improvements in AR reduction or patient billing innovation, contact Revco Solutions at revcosolutions.com.
About the Author
Lori Jeffreys is a Revenue Cycle Client Engagement Consultant for Revco Solutions. She is a recent retiree from Duke University Health System, where she served as Director of Payer Relations, Customer Service, and Self-Pay. With over 30 years of leadership experience in healthcare billing, collections, and patient customer service—and an additional 11 years in claims processing at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina—Lori brings a comprehensive perspective to revenue cycle operations.
Her success is rooted in deep expertise in Epic follow-up and denial processing, strategic initiative execution, patient experience enhancement, workflow optimization, and the development of robust training and documentation resources. Lori is also known for her ability to build strong, collaborative partnerships with key stakeholders across the healthcare industry.
