Experience

• National Healthcare Network

  Vice President, Provider Relations and Quality Management

  Highlights:
  • Senior level leadership position in start-up company
  • Established and implemented all policies and procedures for Department of Provider Relations and Quality Management
  • Involved in all aspects of company start-up, development, implementation and evaluation
  • Involved in new personnel hires and personnel management
  • Created national network of physicians to provide cardiovascular services to insurers
  • Responsible for establishing credentialing criteria to evaluate Network providers
  • Reviewed and approved credentials of all providers based on established criteria and evidence based practice
  • Extensive contact with senior level leadership at hospitals and physician offices throughout the United States
  • Interfaced with Network attorney to assure appropriate legal agreements
  
  As a key employee of this new start-up cardiovascular entity, responsible for the development, direction and coordination of the Department of Provider Relations and Quality Management to include planning, directing, organizing, controlling and evaluating the implementation of strategic plans to insure functionally sound provider interaction and provider network development. Ensured quality providers through extensive credentialing process of cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons based on evidence based practice. Exercised control of planning short and long term fiscal viability of the department in addition to formulating and administering department policies. Extensive contact with client senior management regarding provider and payer issues, contract negotiation, operations, staff, and general business matters.

• Georgia State University

  Faculty and Interim Assistant Dean for External Affairs

  Highlights:
  • New interim role in newly created Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions
  • Complex position with concurrent teaching, clinical group placements, external affairs and administrative responsibilities
  • Interfaced with nursing, nutrition, physical therapy and respiratory therapy to enhance collegiality and visibility of the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions across the University and Atlanta community
  • Enhanced Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions visibility through use of social media – Facebook, Quick Reader, Twitter
  • Heightened awareness of newly created Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions
  • Interfaced with other Georgia State University departments, such as, marketing and public relations
  • Personnel management – webmaster
  • Assisted in development of branding for the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing and Health Professions, such as, marketing brochures and logo design
  • Maintained teaching and student related responsibilities
  
  Concurrent with the faculty and clinical resources coordinator roles in the School of Nursing, expanded responsibilities to include the School of Nursing and Health Professions (Nursing, Nutrition, Physical Therapy, and Respiratory Therapy). Maintained responsibilities for fostering and nurturing relationships with alumni, clinical partners and community organizations, as well as, departments and programs within the University community.
  

• Georgia State University

  Faculty and Assistant Director for External Affairs

  Highlights:
  • Newly created role to enhance the visibility of the Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing visibility
  • Interfaced with University community, current students, alumni and Atlanta community
  • Fostered and nurtured relationship with clinical partners
  • Maintained teaching and student related responsibilities
  • Maintained student clinical placement responsibilities
  • Organized and conducted new nursing student orientation
  
  Concurrent with the faculty and clinical resources coordinator roles, responsible for fostering and nurturing relationships with school of nursing alumni, clinical agencies and community organizations, as well as, departments and programs within the University community.
  

• Georgia State University

  Faculty and Director of External Affairs - School of Nursing

  Highlights:
  • Demanding role as faculty, clinical resources coordinator, and external affairs
  • Teaching assignments involving syllabus development, course design and implementation, class lectures, student and course evaluations
  • Teach in undergraduate nursing program and RN to BS online nursing program
  • Serve as coach, mentor, and role model for students
  • Coach faculty regarding problem solving, student issues and conflict resolution
  • Interface with clinical partners to secure mutual beneficial clinical group placements and senior practicum placements for undergraduate students
  • Serve as liaison between school of nursing, clinical partners, and community organizations
  • Assist in initiating and maintaining legal agreements with clinical partners
  • Assist in identification of potential new clinical sites and evaluation for student placements
  • Foster relationships with clinical partners and other community based organizations
  • Engage other departments and organizations within the university community to enhance the visibility and value of the school of nursing
  • Serve on committees at the school of nursing, college, and university levels as well as community organizations
  
  
  
  
  

• Georgia State University

  Faculty and Clinical Resources Coordinator

  Highlights:
  • Teaching and administrative responsibilities
  • Secured all clinical placements for undergraduate program to include clinical group and senior practicum
  • Developed and maintained relationships with clinical partners
  • Assured that legal agreements were valid with clinical partners
  • Participated with student recruitment activities
  • Assisted with development of marketing materials for School of Nursing
  • Responsible for student advisement, coaching, counseling, and mentoring
  
  Creative position with teaching and administrative responsibilities. Responsible for all duties related to classroom teaching, such as, syllabus development, course objectives, methods of evaluation, grading, student counseling, course planning and implementation, and lecturing. Secures appropriate clinical group rotations for all students in the undergraduate nursing program. Develops and maintains relationships with clinical agencies and the community. Work with University Legal Affairs Office to ensure valid contractual agreements are in place with clinical agencies. Coordinate and participate with student recruitment activities. Assist with development of marketing materials for undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Responsible for student advisement, mentoring and coaching. Serves on School of Nursing, and University committees. Teach courses, coordinate and assist with special projects.
  

• Parkside Health Management Corporation

  Senior Manager, Nursing and Appeals Coordinator

  Senior Manager - Highlights:
  • Senior manager for new nursing office; involved with start-up process
  • Hired, trained, managed, and evaluated all registered nurse staff
  • Interfaced with clients regarding managed care services provided
  • Developed and presented reports to clients and senior management
  
  Responsible for activities of newly opened Atlanta office nursing department providing managed care services to assure that quality care and service provided to clients and their employees. Primary responsibilities included management and clinical support to registered nurse managed care personnel, problem-solving, data collection and interpretation, proposal writing, quality assurance-risk management, recruitment, education and training.
  
  Appeals Coordinator - Highlights:
  • Managed appeals process to include interaction with patient, client and physician
  • Served as client advocate and patient educator
  • Reviewed and evaluated medical records
  • Consulted with physicians and other providers as necessary
  • Coordinated and completed data collection and record keeping
  • Evaluated data and findings to determine appropriate goals and next steps
  • Interfaced with related departments to assure proper management of appeals process and financial obligations
  
  Responsible for coordination of appeals process per client guidelines. Served as patient advocate, guiding employees and providers through appeals process and educating in proper use of certification program to prevent benefit reduction. Organized, screened, reviewed and evaluated medical records for medical necessity and consulted with appropriate physicians and other providers. Acted as resource to other registered nurses and personnel with respect to appeals process, chart audits and related issues. Coordinated, completed data collection and data entry regarding appeals. Interfaced with accounting department to assure invoices, reimbursements or financial obligations regarding appeals were properly managed.

• Saint Joseph's Hospital

  Nursing Director, Fourth Floor

  Highlights:
  • Accountable for all patient care on multi-service unit
  • Managed 70 plus personnel; all registered nurses and support personnel
  • Managed multi million dollar budget
  • Responsible for personnel recruitment, management and evaluation
  • Identified staff needs and secured necessary resources
  • Implemented telemetry and appropriate education for personnel
  • Monitored quality and risk management initiatives
  • Complete administrative responsibility for the unit
  
  Twenty-four hour accountability for all nursing patient care activities on 48 bed unit. Primary patient services included medical cardiology with telemetry, urology, nephrology, and pulmonary. Major responsibilities included management of 70 plus professional nurses, including six clinical managers, and additionally support personnel. Controlled all administrative functions - multi-million dollar budgetary development and management, personnel recruitment, staff development, management and evaluation. Also participated in quality assurance - risk management activities and provided clinical resources to personnel.
  

• E. J. Bacon Nurse Careers Coach, LLC www.nursecareerscoach.com

  President and Chief Executive Nurse

  Highlights:
  • Serve as a nurse and healthcare career coach to provide insight, understanding, and overview of the profession of nursing
  • Coach individuals interested in a career as a registered nurse regarding all aspects of the nursing profession, to include but not limited to, nursing education programs, understanding the application process, selecting a nursing school, criminal background checks and drug screens, nurse licensure, National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX~RN), employment, graduate programs, and much more
  • Serve as a nurse careers coach to prospective nursing students, current nursing students, new nursing school graduates, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, middle and high students, employers, and persons who just want to know about the profession of nursing or healthcare
  • Assist clients in recognizing their best assets as a registered nurse to enhance job satisfaction and career trajectory
  
  E. J. Bacon Nurse Careers Coach, LLC (www.nursecareerscoach.com) is an Internet based nurse coaching business. Sessions are designed to stimulate discussion, share information, provide an overview and insight into professional nursing, and assist the client tap into their best self as a prospective nurse or experienced nurse. Coaching sessions are for individuals interested in becoming a registered nurse, current nursing students, new graduate nurses, or registered nurses who seek to find their best place in nursing practice.
  
  Employers of registered nurses will find E. J. Bacon Nurse Careers Coach, LLC to be beneficial in supporting job satisfaction and retention of their professional nurse workforce. Coaching sessions will assist employees in finding their niche within their current organization to minimize the desire to seek new employment, therefore decreasing expensive turnover of personnel.
  
  All coaching sessions are individual, personalized, and confidential via Skype, telephone, and email scheduled at the client’s convenience.