Hollis Cobb Associates

06/17/2023

06/02/2023

46 years of service. Each May, the Hollis Cobb team has a chance to recognize a special individual among our ranks, Leonard Bailey. Leonard was the very first employee hired by company namesake Hollis Cobb in 1977, where he still serves as a vital part of the management team today.

In April of 1977, Mr. Cobb opened his collections agency in Atlanta, the next month recruiting Leonard to join his newly formed team. Mr. Cobb handled the sales responsibilities at Hollis Cobb Associates, and Leonard collected the money. Mr. Cobb's company would focus on healthcare accounts, because he saw a need for those kinds of accounts to be handled differently and with more care and compassion than returned check or defaulted loan accounts. He had a vision for a unique kind of collection agency to service the healthcare community.

Over the last four and a half decades, Leonard has performed almost every collection-related job at Hollis Cobb including collection manager, insurance director and reconciliation manager. He saw the passage and implementation of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) in 1982, which he said was necessary and good for the industry. Mr. Cobb was active in the Georgia Collectors’ Association and encouraged Leonard to get involved as well, which he did, going on to serve as the organization’s president during the 2005-2006 year.

One of the biggest changes Leonard said he has seen at Hollis Cobb and in the industry is the impact of technology. The purchase of the first computer system at Hollis Cobb brought huge improvements in efficiency, accuracy and speed of collections. He recalled that the first computer had large tapes that had to be backed up every night. By then Mr. Cobb’s son, Alan, was working at Hollis Cobb, and Alan and Leonard took turns staying late in the evening to run the back-up tapes, which they would then take to be stored offsite for protection of the data.

Leonard remembered Mr. Cobb fondly, stating that Hollis Cobb took great pride in his work, believed in a personal approach when working with clients and set high standards for his staff. Integrity, ethics, professionalism and service were important attributes that he stressed to the staff working with both patients and clients.

“He never met a stranger,” Leonard said of Mr. Cobb adding that he was very active in the community, the Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA and his church. Mr. Cobb was instrumental in the construction of Northside Hospital, which turned out to be his first client and is still a valued client today.

The leadership at Hollis Cobb values Leonard’s loyal service for the last 46 years, and younger staff have benefited from his diverse experience while enjoying his colorful stories of days gone by. Thank you, Leonard! Here's to the next 46!

04/19/2023

Seasoned Hollis Cobb Managers Move to Newly Developed Positions: Two of Hollis Cobb’s long-time managers have been transitioned to new positions recently developed to meet the needs of our expanding clientele and growing staff.

Crista Ramey Martinez is the new Senior Inventory Control Manager and Wendee Bickford is now the new Senior Production Manager. They have been with Hollis Cobb for 13 and 10 years respectively serving in the past as collection managers and team trainers.

Crista Ramey Martinez

Crista is now responsible for the daily control of all inventory workflow strategies and account reconciliations as well as tracking and analyzing all client inventories. She observes trends and develops protocols that best meet the needs of Hollis Cobb and our clients.

Managing client inventories daily means that Crista implements new strategies for each unique client and ensures that internal and client metrics are obtained and maintained. Crista came to Hollis Cobb through the acquisition of a large agency in Mississippi, and eventually relocated to Atlanta to work at the corporate office.

Working in the revenue cycle industry for over 30 years has given Crista a wide range of experience in healthcare. She started her career as a staff accountant at a hospital owned agency where she moved into other areas of healthcare finance serving as a hiring and training manager, a site manager and an early out and bad debt collections manager.

Wendee Bickford

All Early Out and Bad Debt collection managers now report to Wendee where she ensures they are meeting collection goals while remaining compliant with HIPAA, the FDCPA and all other regulations applicable to the industry. Wendee analyzes productivity, collection trends and projections and call metrics to ensure that all client goals and expectations are being met or exceeded.

Discovering the various ways in which different collectors are motivated is one of the greatest joys and challenges for Wendee as well as assimilating newly hired collectors into the Hollis Cobb family and learning how best to support them.

With 33 years of experience in account collections, Wendee started her career as a teenager working in Data Entry, and she stayed in the industry moving on to be an Admin and later working in cash posting, client services and eventually bad debt and early out collections. Along with healthcare, Wendee has experience working in collections for bank credit cards, utility companies and state taxes.

Both Crista and Wendee say they love working with their teams, directors and the leadership at Hollis Cobb, and look forward to growing with the company and working to continually improve the services that we provide for our many clients across the U.S.

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Two of Hollis Cobb’s long-time managers have been transitioned to new positions recently developed to meet the needs of our expanding clientele and growing staff. Crista Ramey Martinez is the new Senior Inventory Control Manager and Wendee Bickford is now...

03/28/2023

Elsa Dugan Marks 16 Years with Hollis Cobb: Executive Administrative Assistant, Elsa Dugan, has always worn more hats than anyone can count during her 16 years with Hollis Cobb. Joining the company shortly after moving to Atlanta, Elsa serves an integral role at Hollis Cobb managing the Admin Team, serving as the CEO’s administrative assistant, running a variety of daily reports for multiple departments and generally being the go-to person for all manner of information. If Elsa does not know, she will find out.

Hollis Cobb CEO, Greg Hocutt, spoke highly of Elsa stating that, “Overall, Elsa is a highly valued employee who consistently demonstrates a strong work ethic, reliability, dependability, and positivity. She is an asset to our organization and an example to others of what a great employee looks like.”

Born in New York, Elsa has also lived in Florida, Nevada and North Carolina. “My husband’s job moved us around a lot, but we ended up staying here in Atlanta,” she explained. Elsa has many years’ of experience working in customer service, scheduling, managing supplies and creating customized reports at Sprint, Walmart, Home Depot and a daycare center prior to joining the Hollis Cobb team.

While working at Hollis Cobb, Elsa has earned her CPAR and ACPAR designations through the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). “What I enjoy most about my job,” Elsa said, “is that each day there is something different that needs to be done, and there is always someone I can help in one form or another.” She noted that the most challenging aspect of her job is “taking directions from so many different people, but still managing to keep everyone on the same page.” Elsa never shies away from a task and is always eager to learn something new to add to her arsenal of skills.

Explaining her work philosophy, Elsa said, “My current goals are to educate myself more in the different facets of the company since the company has grown so much over the years and so many things have changed,” adding that “Reports are different, lines of business are different, and the needs of the executives have changed.” Elsa went on to note that “I was once told that I have my finger on the pulse of the company; therefore, if the company is changing and growing, I feel it is only right that I do the same.”

Elsa’s life outside of Hollis Cobb revolves around her close-knit family. “I have a wonderful husband and three amazing children who keep me on my toes,” she said.

Elsa is definitely a bright spot in everybody’s day at Hollis Cobb with her strong work ethic, positive attitude and determination to learn anything that she does not already know. The Hollis Cobb team looks forward to many more years of growing, learning and having Elsa there to keep everyone in line.

The post Elsa Dugan Marks 16 Years with Hollis Cobb appeared first on Hollis Cobb.

Executive Administrative Assistant, Elsa Dugan, has always worn more hats than anyone can count during her 16 years with Hollis Cobb. Joining the company shortly after moving to Atlanta, Elsa serves an integral role at Hollis Cobb managing the Admin...

03/22/2023

HOLLIS COBB RECOGNIZES 4 DIRECTORS DURING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: JENNIFER TEMPKE, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DATA PROCESSING

Senior Director of Data Processing, Jennifer Tempke, heads up the team that is responsible for all data that goes in and out of Hollis Cobb. She ensures that all file transmissions between the company and all clients are completed on time and accurately processed. Recruited by one of the directors at Hollis Cobb, Jennifer joined the team in 2012. Her background in client services as well as data processing has served her well in understanding the complex needs of healthcare clients. The constantly changing priorities of clients can be a challenge; however Jennifer finds it rewarding to successfully meet the clients’ changing needs and to daily look for ways to improve the data processing flow. It is her goal to make all processes as clean, stable and repeatable as possible, as well as easy to understand for any new staff that she adds to her team.

STEPHANIE PRICE, DIRECTOR OF CLIENT SERVICES

Client Services Director, Stephanie Price, has over 30 years’ experience in a career that has encompassed everything from telephone collector to insurance follow up representative to client services department director. As a client services representative, Stephanie worked with large health systems all over the U.S. before coming to Hollis Cobb in 2014 to head up the Client Services Department. Along with directing the department, she plays key roles in the implementation of new client projects and integration of any company acquisitions. She holds her CPAR designation (Certified Patient Account Representative) as well as paralegal and medical assistant degrees. Her expertise and contacts nationwide make Stephanie a favorite among Hollis Cobb clients. She travels to client offices for performance review meetings and strives to stay in close contact with each client ensuring that Hollis Cobb is exceeding clients’ expectations on every level.

PAM NEXON, OPERATIONS DIRECTOR – OUTSOURCE

Hollis Cobb Operations Director, Pam Nexon, manages the Hollis Cobb teams who work on customer service and pre-registration projects for our clients. She oversees the staff who take customer service calls, handle pre-registration and collections for our clients and those who work as quality analysts. Pam is able to wear so many hats, because she has worked in most positions in the revenue cycle at some point in her career. With over 30 years’ experience in the healthcare revenue cycle industry, she joined Hollis Cobb in 2015. Over the course of her career, Pam has held management roles in self-pay AR and bad debt collections, insurance follow-up, customer service, client services, training and compliance. She is a certified Lean Six Sigma green belt and holds her CPAR and Advanced CPAR designations through the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

MITZI BURKS, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Mitzi Burks joined the Hollis Cobb team in 2017 as the Director of Human Resources. Over the last two decades, Mitzi has worked in Human Resources in a variety of industries, gaining experience in operations, payroll, mergers and acquisitions and opening new facilities. At Hollis Cobb she oversees all aspects of the Human Resources department including Employee Relations, Benefits, Recruiting and the Talent Acquisition cycle including interviewing and hiring new employees, both internally and for onsite positions at client facilities. Mitzi also oversees the Wellness Program at Hollis Cobb as well as the Employee Engagement Committee which is designed to encourage and advocate for Hollis Cobb staff.



The post HOLLIS COBB RECOGNIZES 4 DIRECTORS DURING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH appeared first on Hollis Cobb.

JENNIFER TEMPKE, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DATA PROCESSING Senior Director of Data Processing, Jennifer Tempke, heads up the team that is responsible for all data that goes in and out of Hollis Cobb. She ensures that all file transmissions between the...

03/21/2023

Chikia Johnson Celebrates 12 Years with Hollis Cobb: Hollis Cobb Onsite Representative and Billing Supervisor, Chikia Johnson, is celebrating 12 years with the company. A Florida native, Chikia lives in Miami and works onsite with Hollis Cobb’s clients located in the Sunshine State. Over the years, Chikia has proven to be ideal for her position as she is detail oriented, dependable, a fast learner and is consistent and efficient with her work for our Florida clients.

A valuable asset to Hollis Cobb’s team of onsite representatives, Chikia participates in monthly meetings with clients and provides the Hollis Cobb staff with client updates. She works with patients to provide them with account information and obtain their insurance information to submit claims and to correct billing errors. She also locates and resolves missing payments and works with patients to settle accounts.

After holding a government job for 10 years, Chikia attended school taking courses in Medical Coding and Billing. “I actually loved coding and billing,” Chikia said, adding that, “I took my education further becoming a Certified Professional Coder.” She earned this designation through the AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders).

From there, Chikia began a career working for physicians and outpatient/ambulatory surgical centers where she gained experience verifying insurance and submitting claims to government payers, as well as coding and billing outpatient medical records and negotiating attorney settlements. She went on to be a Surgical Coordinator and Assistant Office Manager before joining the Hollis Cobb Team.

Chikia said what she likes most about her job is “the fact that I’m using my knowledge, skills, and experience to help others,” adding that “I find my job extremely rewarding, because it’s nice to know what I do makes a difference to the lives of others, and people are really grateful for my help.”

Chikia noted that her biggest challenge is maintaining good time management skills to handle the large volume of caseloads. She said her goal is “to continue to be the face and facilitator for Hollis Cobb, representing the company in the most positive way to our clients and other healthcare organizations.”

In her spare time, Chikia enjoys home décor, painting, skating and cooking, and she volunteers her time helping to feed the homeless through her church. Hollis Cobb’s Operations and Client Services teams are grateful for Chikia’s hard work and expertise in working onsite with the company’s clients in Florida.



The post Chikia Johnson Celebrates 12 Years with Hollis Cobb appeared first on Hollis Cobb.

Hollis Cobb Onsite Representative and Billing Supervisor, Chikia Johnson, is celebrating 12 years with the company. A Florida native, Chikia lives in Miami and works onsite with Hollis Cobb’s clients located in the Sunshine State. Over the years, Chikia has...

03/16/2023

HOLLIS COBB CELEBRATES 3 VPs DURING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: SHELLYE CUMMINGS, SENIOR VP OPERATIONS

Senior Vice President of Operations, Shellye Cummings, began her career in the revenue cycle management arena in 1997 as a call center collector. After taking some time off for college, she re-entered the industry, working for an agency in Alabama, and quickly advancing to team leader and supervisor. Joining the Hollis Cobb team in 2008, Shellye moved to Georgia and advanced over the years from supervisory and management positions in both bad debt and early-out collections to her current role as Senior VP of Operations. Fluent in Spanish, Shellye supports and assists our representatives who work with our Hispanic patient populations. She is an EPIC trainer and a valuable resource for our collections teams that work within the EPIC systems.





ALISHA GREEN, SENIOR VP BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Hollis Cobb Senior Vice President of Business Development, Alisha Green, has been with the company since 2012. During her tenure, Alisha has brought onboard major hospital systems and physician groups throughout the U.S. and helped the company’s leadership open up new markets. Along with expanding the client base in early out and bad debt collections, Alisha has helped Hollis Cobb develop front end products such as insurance follow up, pre-registration, pre-authorization, scheduling, customer service and staffing. Her ability to successfully land new clients and expand service offerings is, in part, due to the 15 years she spent working in the hospital environment prior to joining the team at Hollis Cobb. Alisha has experience managing both patient access and patient financial services departments in a provider environment.









WENDY KUKLA, VP OF TRAINING AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

Wendy Kukla, Vice President of Training and Quality Assurance, has worked in the medical collections industry since 2003 focusing on staff development, training and onboarding new clients. Having begun her career as a collector, Wendy quickly advanced to collection manager and training manager. As the VP of Training and Quality Assurance for Hollis Cobb, Wendy is responsible for creating and maintaining the corporate and regulatory training efforts for the company, while promoting an organizational culture that encourages ethical and proper conduct in a commitment to compliance. She develops and oversees the quarterly HIPAA and compliance testing required of all Hollis Cobb managers and staff, and provides onsite, value-added collection, customer service and compliance training for our clients.

The post HOLLIS COBB CELEBRATES 3 VPs DURING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH appeared first on Hollis Cobb.

SHELLYE CUMMINGS, SENIOR VP OPERATIONS Senior Vice President of Operations, Shellye Cummings, began her career in the revenue cycle management arena in 1997 as a call center collector. After taking some time off for college, she re-entered the industry, working...

03/13/2023

Hollis Cobb Promotes Kenisha Small to Management Position: After four successful years at Hollis Cobb, Kenisha Small has been promoted to an Insurance Follow-Up Manager position. Settling into her new role, Kenisha supervises the insurance work of her staff, provides enhanced training, supports her team in meeting client and company goals and ensures that all insurance companies are provided with all information needed to process and pay claims in a timely manner.

An Alabama native, Kenisha moved to Georgia to join the Hollis Cobb team in 2019. Her background is in medical billing, coding and insurance follow-up which made her a perfect fit for Hollis Cobb’s Insurance Resolution Department. She holds a degree from Fortis Medical Institute in Alabama and is a Certified Billing and Coding Specialist as well as a Certified Electronic Health Record Specialist.

“I most like helping my patients resolve their outstanding balances through their insurance companies,” Kenisha said, adding that, “I love working with my team to reach daily, weekly and monthly goals.” She went on to say that she “welcomes all challenges as a training opportunity for myself and my team.” Kenisha explained that her main goals right now are to significantly exceed client expectations, and to create an incentive program to reward her team members for outstanding performances.

The entire team at Hollis Cobb looks forward to great things from Kenisha as she works to help her team of Insurance Specialists exceed client goals and achieve overall success for both Hollis Cobb and our clients.

The post Hollis Cobb Promotes Kenisha Small to Management Position appeared first on Hollis Cobb.

After four successful years at Hollis Cobb, Kenisha Small has been promoted to an Insurance Follow-Up Manager position. Settling into her new role, Kenisha supervises the insurance work of her staff, provides enhanced training, supports her team in meeting client...

02/02/2023

DONNA ALLEN CELEBRATING 13 YEARS WITH HOLLIS COBB: Collection Manager, Donna Allen, has worn many hats at Hollis Cobb in her 13 years with the company. Along with managing her team of collectors, she also provides advanced training for new collectors on client projects once they complete Hollis Cobb’s standard training program. Donna works hard to ensure that her team meets or exceeds their clients’ goals. She keeps all client inventories reconciled and provides daily analysis reports to Hollis Cobb leadership.

A people person, the best part of Donna’s job, she said, is just that, the people. She enjoys supporting her team and helping each member meet their goals. The most challenging aspect of her job is the fact that she wears so many hats. Her goal every day, she said, is to ensure all client needs are met and each one of her team experiences success as a collector. Donna is an excellent mentor for her team and is always looking for ways to enhance processes and workflows to improve the patient experience.

All of her team, as well as Hollis Cobb leadership, value Donna’s industry knowledge, her expertise in monitoring and supporting her collectors, her ability to make sure client goals are met and her skill at bringing people together for a common cause.

The post DONNA ALLEN CELEBRATING 13 YEARS WITH HOLLIS COBB appeared first on Hollis Cobb.

Collection Manager, Donna Allen, has worn many hats at Hollis Cobb in her 13 years with the company. Along with managing her team of collectors, she also provides advanced training for new collectors on client projects once they complete Hollis...

12/29/2022

12/21/2022

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