Operations Associate – AR Follow-Up Delivery and Outcomes

Join us as we work to create a thriving ecosystem that delivers accessible, high-quality, and sustainable healthcare for all.

Position Summary:

This role leverages athena’s data and analytics to evaluate and optimize A/R Follow Up performance, identify trends in inflow, outflow, cycle time, and A/R outcomes, and translate insights into actionable recommendations. Reporting to the AR Follow-Up Delivery and Outcomes Manager, the role will partner with internal and external stakeholders to define success metrics, diagnose root causes, and lead continuous-improvement initiatives aligned to organizational goals. The individual communicates clear, data-driven insights to senior leaders, supports dashboard and analytics usage, identifies opportunities to leverage AI for efficiency and automation, and contributes to the ongoing improvement of analytics processes through collaboration, mentorship, and ad hoc analysis. This individual must be team oriented and embody athena's core values and behaviors. 

About the Team:

The AR Follow‑Up Delivery and Outcomes team is responsible for ensuring timely and efficient AR Resolution through workflow maintenance, delivery support, work enablement, and outcome optimization.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

• Conduct proactive review of data assets and dashboards to identify emerging trends in cycle rates, inflow, outflow, days in A/R, and A/R in billed status and other performance drivers to surface opportunities and timely action through stakeholder engagement.

• Analyze performance trends, determine root causes, and develop structured, data‑driven action plans to strengthen KPI outcomes; measure and refine interventions based on results.

• Lead continuous‑improvement initiatives from scoping through execution and retrospective evaluation, ensuring alignment with departmental and organizational objectives.

• Deliver clear, concise, and data‑supported insights and updates to senior leadership and cross‑functional partners.

• Collaborate with stakeholders to define research questions, hypotheses, and success metrics aligned with organizational goals.

• Translate complex data and research findings into clear, concise reports and presentations for diverse audiences, including leadership teams. Facilitate data-driven conversations and support leaders in interpreting analytics to inform strategy and action.

• Identify opportunities to leverage AI technologies to automate analytics processes and improve efficiency; develop and write effective AI prompts; and exercise sound judgment on appropriate and ethical use of AI tools in the workplace.

• Support the development and maintenance of analytics dashboards and reporting tools.

Additional Job Responsibilities:

• Contribute to continuous improvement of analytics processes and methodologies.

• Participate in cross-functional projects to integrate people analytics with broader business analytics efforts.

• Assist in training and mentoring colleagues on analytics best practices and tools.

• Stay current with industry trends and emerging analytics technologies to inform team capabilities.

• Provide ad hoc analysis and support for special projects as needed.

• This role may entail some business travel. (Optional)

Expected Education & Experience:

• 2–4 years of experience in healthcare revenue‑cycle operations with a demonstrated ability to drive measurable improvements

• Advanced proficiency in Tableau, Sigma, Excel, and PowerPoint; working knowledge of SQL preferred.

• Familiarity with Agile frameworks and supporting tools (Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, SharePoint).

• Strong project‑management capabilities, including the ability to manage competing priorities, meet deadlines, and communicate risks proactively.

• Demonstrated ability to influence diverse, geographically distributed teams through structured, data‑driven communication and constructive challenge.

Expected Compensation

The base salary range shown reflects the full range for this role from minimum to maximum. At athenahealth, base pay depends on multiple factors, including job-related experience, relevant knowledge and skills, how your qualifications compare to others in similar roles, and geographical market rates.  Base pay is only one part of our competitive Total Rewards package - depending on role eligibility, we offer both short and long-term incentives by way of an annual discretionary bonu