Colleagues gathered on July 7 for a surprise party celebrating Susie Hayes’ 70-year work anniversary with Baptist Memorial Health Care. Hayes joined Baptist in 1956 and serves as senior chargemaster specialist in the department she helped create 40 years ago.
“Susie is by far the most dedicated colleague I’ve had the privilege to work with in my 30-year history with the organization,” said Frankie King, director of Revenue Integrity for Baptist Memorial.
King noted that Hayes’ phone number is on “speed dial” for many leaders across the organization who have come to depend on and trust her knowledge and insight.
Hayes has worked for Baptist Memorial through several huge developments that shaped health care for the last 60 years:
- Establishment of Medicare/Medicaid in 1965
- Creation of Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes in 1966
- Establishment of the Health Maintenance Organization Act in 1973
- Creation of the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) in 1978
- Implementation of the Medicare diagnosis-related group inpatient prospective payment system in 1983
- Broad adoption of MRI and CT imaging in 1980
- Creation of the National Organ Transplant Act in 1984
- Passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996
“Our team oversees all new CPT/HCPCS codes for the organization as the American Medical Association and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services release them throughout the year for Epic build and implementation into the patient record,” King said. “We determine how those codes should be utilized for reimbursement for the organization. Hayes has been instrumental in our success and it’s a joy to work with her each day.”
