Becker’s Healthcare Podcast: Driving Innovation and Upskilling in Healthcare with Sharon Easterling, CEO of Upskillz
Release Date: July 21, 2025
Introduction
In this episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, host Chanel Bunger engages in an insightful conversation with Sharon Easterling, the CEO and Vice President of Revenue Cycle at Upskillz. Sharon brings over two decades of experience in Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI), denial management, and artificial intelligence (AI) applications in healthcare.
Sharon Easterling's Background
Sharon begins by outlining her extensive background in healthcare management and AI integration:
“I have a long history of CDI and denial management, but also I have a strong interest in closing AI gaps. I'm the CEO of Upskills and VP of Revenue Cycle Management, and I've been working with documentation and AI tools probably for about 20 years now.”
[00:21]
Her dual role at Upskillz emphasizes her commitment to enhancing revenue cycle processes through innovative technologies.
Current Healthcare Trends
Sharon delves into the prevailing trends shaping the healthcare landscape:
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AI Adoption: AI is becoming ubiquitous, integrated into both consumer and business applications within healthcare.
“AI is embedded in everything. So it will be exciting to see what some of the new technologies that will continue to arise from this.”
[00:58] -
Patient-Friendly Billing and Financial Transparency: Enhancing billing processes to reduce patient confusion and improve collections.
“Helping to reduce that confusion that patients experience as well as a process to improve collections.”
[01:15] -
Revenue Cycle Outsourcing: Increasing reliance on outsourcing for functions like coding, CDI, and billing, shifted towards monitoring rather than task execution.
“It's going to move more strongly to us monitoring things versus the doing of tasks.”
[01:50] -
Integrated End-to-End Hospital Systems: Unifying clinical, administrative, and financial data to optimize workflows and patient care coordination.
“Bringing in that clinical administration, administrative and financial data into unified platforms, I think, which is going to help increase and optimize workflow and efficiencies.”
[02:10] -
Virtual Visits and Patient Monitoring: Incorporating virtual nurses and remote monitoring to enhance patient experience and comfort.
“Providers, as they implement these new systems where we're doing that on-site patient monitoring, we remember that patient and make sure that they feel comfortable with it.”
[03:30]
Future Focus: AI Solution Shakira
Looking ahead to the latter half of 2025, Sharon expresses excitement about a groundbreaking AI solution named Shakira:
“We've been working on a very innovative AI solution and this solution will address the entire revenue cycle from front end to back end, and it is going to level the pain field between the provider and the payer, making it better for the community.”
[04:02]
Key highlights of Shakira include:
- Unwinding Payer Algorithms: Enhancing transparency with payer processes.
- Comprehensive Workflow Integration: Facilitating better interactions between providers and payers.
- Impact on Hospital Operations: Streamlining tasks and improving facility success.
Sharon proudly mentions the provisional patent secured for Shakira, underscoring its unique contribution to healthcare revenue cycle management.
Achievements in Recent Months
Reflecting on the past 6 to 18 months, Sharon shares her notable accomplishments:
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Development of Shakira: Securing a provisional patent for the AI solution.
“Shakira, Shakira, I would say she is definitely something that I am most proud of, being a part of the team of getting that provisional patent...”
[05:22] -
Authorship: Publishing a book titled "Career Phoenix Rise, Reinvent and Reclaim Your Future" focused on upskilling healthcare professionals.
“I wrote a recent book... and I have been really focused on upskilling healthcare professionals for the future.”
[06:00]
Sharon emphasizes the importance of adapting to AI advancements and developing critical thinking skills to remain relevant and effective in the evolving healthcare environment.
Advice for Evolving Leaders
Sharon offers invaluable advice for current and aspiring leaders in healthcare:
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Be Proactive with AI:
“Be proactive, Chanel, and understanding AI. You know, we're going to have to familiarize ourselves with those tools so we can be proactive in our current roles.”
[07:27] -
Make Yourself Indispensable: Anticipate job impacts due to AI and strive to add unique value.
“To be able to get ahead of that, you need to put yourself above and make yourself indispensable.”
[07:40] -
Embrace and Adapt to Change: Stay agile and prepare both oneself and staff for technological advancements.
“Be agile. You know, changes are inevitable, especially with technology advancement.”
[08:10] -
Patient-Centric Virtual Care: Ensure that technological integrations enhance patient support and connectivity.
“We have to ensure that that technology and that engagement is designed so the patient still feels supported and connected and not isolated.”
[08:45] -
Strengthen Critical Thinking Skills: Invest in developing analytical and decision-making capabilities to effectively integrate and manage technology.
“Invest time in honing critical thinking skills. You know, the future leaders will not be able to just manage technology. They're going to have to integrate that.”
[09:20]
Sharon concludes her advice with enthusiasm about the future, acknowledging both its challenges and opportunities:
“It's an exciting time. A little scary, but exciting at the same time.”
[09:50]
Conclusion
As the conversation wraps up, Sharon provides avenues for listeners to connect and learn more about her work:
“Connect with me on LinkedIn... You can email me at infoupskills.org or find me@excelwithai.org.”
[10:03]
Chanel expresses gratitude for Sharon's insights, concluding the episode on a note of appreciation for the valuable discussion.
Key Takeaways:
- AI Integration: Central to current and future healthcare innovations, particularly in revenue cycle management.
- Shakira AI Solution: A transformative tool aimed at harmonizing provider-payer interactions and enhancing operational efficiency.
- Upskilling Healthcare Professionals: Critical for adapting to technological changes and maintaining relevance in the industry.
- Leadership Adaptability: Emphasizes proactive learning, critical thinking, and patient-centric approaches to navigate the evolving healthcare landscape.
For more information and to connect with Sharon Easterling, visit Upskillz on LinkedIn or reach out via email at infoupskills.org and excelwithai.org.