Podcast Summary: Transforming Revenue Cycle at Mount Sinai Health System with Debra Jaeger

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Host: Andrew Kass, Becker's Healthcare
Guest: Debra Jaeger, Chief Revenue Officer, Mount Sinai Health System
Date: February 19, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features Debra Jaeger, Mount Sinai Health System’s first Chief Revenue Officer, discussing her unique journey from clinical nursing to revenue cycle leadership. Jaeger provides insight into transforming and integrating Mount Sinai’s revenue cycle operations, shares her strategies for talent development and succession, and outlines her focus on emerging trends like artificial intelligence, payer complexities, and the patient financial experience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Debra Jaeger’s Background and Approach

• Nursing as a Foundation:
  • Jaeger began her career in critical care and emergency nursing, later working in various healthcare settings, which provided her a deep understanding of clinical operations.
  • Transitioned into revenue-related roles, leveraging her clinical expertise to bridge the gap between clinicians and finance (00:53–02:16).
  • Quote (02:08):

    "I really viewed myself as a liaison between the clinical teams who really didn't have as much insight to the financial ramifications of payers and coding."

2. Role as Mount Sinai’s First Chief Revenue Officer

• Mission:
  • Uniting previously fragmented revenue cycle operations under one leader to create an industry best-practice model (03:50–06:25).
  • Focused on integrating front, middle, and back-end revenue cycle functions, moving from shadow operations to a centralized structure.
  • Achievements in the first year include improved cash collections, reduced denials, and increased standardization and optimization via Epic.
  • Quote (05:12):

    "We really have made improvements in our cash collections and reducing our denials. Much of that is done by just bringing these teams together and having collaborative conversations."

3. Biggest Headwinds in Revenue Cycle

• Complexity of Getting Paid:
  • Increased complexity in payer contracts and processes means claims take longer to resolve (06:36–08:22).
  • Workforce challenges: attracting and developing future revenue cycle leaders, especially as the profession is less visible to younger generations.
  • Navigating the proliferation of technology solutions to identify best fits for Mount Sinai's needs.
  • Quote (06:42):

    "The biggest one is the complexity of getting paid... getting resolution from the payer has been more and more challenging over the years."

4. Developing Revenue Cycle Talent

• Mentorships & Internships:
  • Aim to pair early-career professionals with seasoned mentors (08:31–10:03).
  • Building pathways from high school and college into revenue cycle careers, including partnerships with community colleges.
  • Broadening recruitment reach to reflect Mount Sinai’s role as both a care provider and major NYC employer.
  • Quote (09:14):

    "How do I expose [students] to this whole other world that they can transition right away from high school into some of these entry-level positions."

5. Top Healthcare Trends

• Artificial Intelligence and Technology:
  • AI’s potential to disrupt workflows, drive efficiencies, and blend human/machine strengths.
  • Payer Dynamics:
    • Ongoing complexity and anticipation of systemic changes in payer-provider relationships.
  • Patient Financial Experience:
    • Need for tools and education as patients navigate increasingly complex benefits and billing (10:08–12:05).
  • Quote (12:05):

    "Healthcare is so complicated for patients and it's only getting more complicated... how do I leverage tools and education to create a better financial experience and educate that consumer?"

6. What Excites Jaeger Now

• Team Integration:
  • Unifying diverse teams enables greater progress and operational elevation (12:10–14:02).
  • Predictive Analytics:
    • Using analytics to forecast cash flow and identify process bottlenecks earlier, from patient scheduling through claims.
    • Exploring ways to proactively alter revenue trajectories instead of reacting after the fact.
  • Quote (13:07):

    "How can I use this to predict cash or predict heat spots... so how do I get ahead of that?"

7. Mount Sinai’s Growth Outlook (Next 12–24 Months)

• Focus on Integration, Patient Experience, and AI:
  • Completing integration efforts, overhauling the patient financial experience, and rolling out new AI tools for workflow redesign (14:09–14:59).
  • Quote (14:41):

    "We will have a lot of a... different approach to how we welcome that patient in the door from that financial experience."

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Clinical-Operational Bridge:

  "Our goal is really to make the work that they do, taking care of patients their main priority and making all the revenue capture as easy as possible."
  (Jaeger, 02:45)

• First-Year Success:

  "Just bringing these teams together and having collaborative conversations and leveraging each other's skills in this area to be more uniform."
  (Jaeger, 05:24)

• Workforce Development:

  "This gives them an opportunity, if they're not interested in a trade, to have a career and to be able to go and develop that and look for promotional opportunities."
  (Jaeger, 09:29)

• AI Ambitions:

  "What would AI do that would make it look differently? ...how do I leverage the human component and leverage the AI component to be better at what we're doing?"
  (Jaeger, 10:21)

• Proactive Change:

  "Before we're looking back and we can be proactive and change that trajectory."
  (Jaeger, 13:52)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------| | 00:53 | Jaeger's nursing background and transition to revenue cycle | | 02:25 | Impact of clinical background on revenue cycle leadership | | 03:50 | Objectives as Chief Revenue Officer; integration efforts | | 06:36 | Payment complexities and workforce challenges | | 08:31 | Initiatives for talent development and recruiting | | 10:08 | Top trends: AI, payer relations, patient financial experience| | 12:10 | Excitement about predictive analytics and integration | | 14:09 | Growth outlook for coming years |

Tone and Language

Throughout, Jaeger’s language is clear, practical, and forward-thinking, emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and a deep commitment to leveraging clinical experience for financial transformation. Her tone blends optimism for new technologies with a grounded approach to everyday operational challenges.