Amy Cook is a seasoned revenue cycle management expert. As Director of Revenue Cycle at PBS, Amy leads multiple Account Resolution and Customer Service teams to oversee success in all areas of revenue performance. Amy brings nearly a decade of experience in RCM workflows, including registration, customer service, payor engagement, and management. Amy’s specialized expertise working with large complex radiology practices of 100 physicians or more, delivers results across hospital-based practice and outpatient clinic settings. Amy focuses on key performance indicators and data analysis to bring solution driven processes to PBS clients. She is passionate in leading people to achieve their performance-driven purpose, and developing staff and client teams to their full potential of maximizing revenue. Her drive to create technical solutions to enhance automation and drive revenue generating workflows are key to PBS’s client viability and success.
How do you typically describe your role as Director of Revenue Cycle when speaking with someone outside the industry?
I usually say that I oversee the financial and billing side of healthcare after a patient receives radiology services. My job is to make sure the work our radiologists and imaging centers perform is billed accurately, reimbursed appropriately, and followed through from beginning to end.
In reality, it goes quite deeper than that. I spend a lot of time looking at data, identifying where processes are breaking down, solving operational problems, developing teams, and finding ways to make revenue cycle more efficient and predictable. It’s part finance, part operations, part people leadership, and a lot of problem solving.
What originally drew you into revenue cycle work, and what has kept you committed to this field over time?
I somewhat fell into the revenue cycle, having started with PBS as a Customer Service representative. Through mentorship, continued drive, and the support of the company, I was able to progress through different areas of billing and eventually into leadership.
I stayed because I discovered how much I enjoy solving complex problems. There is always something to investigate, improve, or rethink. I also love that the work sits at the intersection of healthcare, operations, technology, people, and finance. Between healthcare changes, regulatory changes, technology changes, the work never stops evolving, and every client presents a different set of challenges. Always having something new to learn or improve has kept me engaged over the years.
Revenue cycle is often viewed as transactional. From your perspective, what’s the strategic side of the role that doesn’t always get recognized?
The revenue cycle tells a story if you know how to read the data. Trends in denials, aging, reimbursement, productivity, and workflows can reveal much greater insight into performance and operational opportunities. The numbers can tell us not only what is happening, but often where we need to start asking why.
The strategic side is moving beyond simply working on the accounts in front of us and asking what the information is telling us. Why is this happening? Is it isolated or systemic? What can we change upstream? Where can technology help? Where do we need education or a different process?
To me, the goal isn’t just to resolve today’s problem. It’s to build a revenue cycle that prevents as many of tomorrow’s problems as possible.
What’s a professional challenge that sharpened your expertise or changed how you approach your work today?
Learning that solving the immediate problem isn’t always the same as solving the underlying problem. Earlier in my career, I was very focused on getting things fixed quickly. Over time, I’ve learned to step back and ask why something happened, whether it could happen again, and what process or structure needs to change, so we aren’t repeatedly solving the same problem.
That has pushed me to look at broader systemic issues, leverage technology, understand how to deploy the right resources, and apply solutions that benefit the billing process as a whole. Building the right processes, giving people the tools to solve problems, and creating accountability continues to raise the bar and improve outcomes over time.
In an industry where accuracy and accountability matter, what standards do you personally hold yourself to?
I hold myself to the same standards I expect from my teams: own the outcome, be willing to ask questions, use the data, communicate honestly, and correct course when something isn’t working. Accountability, follow-through, and continuous improvement are cornerstones for me.
Unexpected challenges are inevitable in work this complex. What matters to me most is what happens next, whether we take ownership, learn from it, communicate appropriately, and make necessary adjustments.
When complexity increases, how do you stay focused on outcomes without losing sight of the details?
I work backward from the outcome. I ask what we are actually trying to accomplish, what information matters most to that goal, and what needs attention first.
Being detail-oriented by nature, I’ve had to learn to recognize which details truly affect the outcome and which ones do not. It’s important to know when to zoom into the individual account or charge level, but also when to zoom out to recognize the larger pattern or trend.
What do you believe PBS Radiology does differently when it comes to revenue cycle oversight and accountability?
Our willingness to look closely at performance and continually evolve is a major differentiator. We aren’t satisfied simply because a process has always been done a certain way. We continue building better visibility, accountability, workflows, and technology around the revenue cycle so we can identify issues earlier, understand what is driving them, and create more consistent results for our clients.
How do you personally define success in a role where results, trust, and consistency all matter?
Success is when the operation works well beyond any one individual. The results are measurable, the clients and teams trust the information they are receiving, expectations are clear, and processes are consistent and repeatable.
To me, the strongest systems are the ones that don’t depend on someone needing to constantly step in to rescue them. When people have the information, tools, and clarity they need to succeed, that’s a sign we’ve built something sustainable.
What part of your work gives you the greatest sense of professional pride?
Seeing something become better because our teams helped build or improve it. That could be developing leaders, improving a process, creating better visibility through data, or solving a problem that has been impacting performance.
I’m most proud of the work that creates lasting improvement. I like building things that last.
Outside of work, what helps you reset and maintain balance?
Movement and being outdoors are my biggest ways of resetting. I enjoy running, hiking, yoga, ballet, riding dirtbikes, and spending time exploring the outdoors with my family.
I spend much of my workday thinking and problem-solving that doing something physical helps me get out of my head and reset. Being outside especially has always been where I feel most grounded.
What’s one fun or unexpected thing about you that people might not associate with revenue cycle leadership?
I grew up dancing and still enjoy ballet – but I’m equally as happy riding a dirt bike through the Nevada desert.
Those probably sound like two completely different sides of me, but I actually think they make sense together. Ballet requires precision, discipline, and control while dirt biking requires being willing to adapt quickly and occasionally get a little uncomfortable. I enjoy both.