International member spotlight: Raghu Bemmanakodan shares his passion for his revenue cycle work and leadership role

Learn how Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City’s billing recovery manager engages his staff in learning and team building.

Raghu Bemmanakodan, billing and recovery manager, Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE, is a guiding light in leading his team to develop strong revenue cycle management skills and knowledge. The dedication of Bemmanakodan and his staff is exemplified in their willingness to work in study groups, outside of working hours, to attain the Certificated Revenue Cycle Representation (CRCR) certification, one of HFMA’s most sought-after certifications. (HFMA, in collaboration with Dubai-based Knwbility Healthcare Training Academy,  recently launched a targeted CRCR for the Middle East region, the CRCR – GCC.)

“The course made a difference in my life in terms of understanding revenue cycle management and doing my job better. My passion is to convey that message and spread the word on revenue cycle education to my team,” says Bemmanakodan, who recently became an HFMA international member.

Bemmanakodan is a revenue cycle leader, but he also has a background in finance as well as data science and artificial intelligence.

And while the dedication of his team is clear from their willingness to meet in the evenings and on weekends to study and review for the certification, Bemmanakodan’s staff also enjoys team social events and celebrations. For example, members of his staff share special talents during departmental events, including vocal performances and traditional dancing.

He says the biggest impact of the education on the day-to-day revenue cycle management operations at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) is a new understanding of the workflow between various health system departments.

“CRCR is very user friendly. We work on the certificate after hours and in groups. We share our own viewpoints on how we can implement the concepts into our daily jobs,” Bemmanakodan says.

“A lot of people come to revenue cycle, and they pick it up from their daily work. But the certification provides a standard to follow,” he adds.

To that end, Bemmanakodan is looking forward to using some of his other HFMA international membership benefits, including other coursework and access to the HFMA Community Revenue Cycle Forum group, among other targeted healthcare finance groups.