Yolanda Williams

HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE

Expertise leveraging strategy management and continuous improvement to lead organizational change efforts and business performance transformations for hospitals, laboratories, insurance and other payers, doctors and other providers, Pharmaceuticals, Biologics and Medical Device Manufacturing environments. Results driven with demonstrated understanding of healthcare finance, revenue cycle, hospital operations, health law/regulation, human capital, process/product design, experience engineering, quality, new/emerging technology and data analytics in the creation of sustainable strategic solutions for industry specific challenges and the identification of opportunities for growth. Experience implementing and leveraging Lean Six Sigma and Kaplan-Norton BSC (Balanced Score Card) and Strategy Management Systems in a fortune 50 corporation. Experienced standing up Legal Operations efforts in a fortune 50 corporation.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

AETNA, INC. (formerly Coventry Healthcare), Hartford, CT                                                                                2012 – Present

Fortune 50 health insurance payer and health/wellness services company innovating to make health care simpler, more accessible, and convenient with a goal of building a healthier world, community by community. Peered with C-Suite members to identify opportunities and ensure success of selected initiatives.

Senior Director, Operational Excellence - Law and Regulatory Affairs                                                       2016 - Present

Head of Global Legal Operations reporting directly to Aetna’s Chief Legal Officer, leading a multi-disciplinary team of 8 supporting the 600+ FTE in L&RA. Maintain the law department’s strategic plan and coordinate with the other members of the legal executive team to ensure the department’s objectives are realized. Primary accountabilities are to oversee:

·         Strategic Planning: in collaboration with the legal executive team, create and maintain the law department’s target operating model. Drive, track, and report on progress. Recommend new objectives and course corrections.

·         Change Management: foster a sense of urgency and build a coalition of stakeholders in leading change initiatives inside the law department, in the enterprise at large, and throughout Aetna’s legal supply chain.

·         Financial Management: create, maintain, track, and report on a unified department operating budget covering both internal and external resources.

·         Technology: ensure company-wide tools are being fully utilized by the law department. Research, vet, implement, integrate, and maintain legal-specific toolsets from ebilling to artificial intelligence.

·         Knowledge Management: institutionalize legal knowledge by capturing and organizing legal work product, creating self-service tools for business customers, and embedding legal know-how in business workflows.

·         Data Analytics: improve data-driven decision making throughout the law department and the enterprise at large. Develop and deploy dashboards, metrics, KPIs, and OKRs.

·         External Resource Management: optimize the legal value chain. Create a robust external resource management program integrating the department’s internal workflows with managed services, vendors, and a law firm panel.

• Day-to-day interaction with the CLO to drive the department goals and metrics.
• Day-to-day department operations, including reporting, dashboarding, budgeting, and financial management.
• Change management and continuous improvement of internal legal service delivery through innovations in process, analytics, and technology.
• Optimization of Aetna’s legal and regulatory value chain through a comprehensive external legal resource management program that includes managed services, vendors, and the law firm panel.

Senior Director, Operational Excellence and Enterprise Strategy Management                                            2014 - 2016

Accountable for oversight of excellence and management of 30 employees to drive change and transformation that supports change for 50K FTE organization. Internal consultant, subject matter expert, coach, and change agent responsible for assisting Aetna’s Senior Leadership Team in the development, communication, execution, and sustained results of Aetna’s corporate strategy (Vision 20/20) and associated strategic initiatives. Reporting to VP, Aetna Business Excellence who was a direct report to Aetna’s CFO.

·         Organizational resource partnered with institutional leadership, special teams, and external consultants to support execution of key initiatives and ensure cohesion with strategic plans.

·         One of five leaders chosen to be the “face” of ABX–Aetna Business Excellence and Vision 20/20 initiative and traveled with senior leaders to communicate and implement to employees, partners, suppliers, and constituents on everyone’s role in the organization’s overall goal.

·         Managed inclusive, facilitated planning and periodic review process to mobilize and support teams and individuals charged with strategy execution and translation of strategy into actionable and quantitative plans to ensure departmental and unit level plans reflect organizations’ strategic priorities.

·         Implemented TABLEAU solution that leveraged HADOOP effort to enable automated tracking and trending of strategy aligned, actionable performance metrics for Aetna value streams to drive shared accountability, fact-based decision making, and to ensure management to expected results.

·         Sole executive to lead teams to earn prestigious Aetna Distinction Award 2 years in a row for cost savings and AR reduction through increasing claim payment integrity work in 2016 by Aetna’s Commercial and Medicare Service Operations teams and reduction of significant state and federal compliance risk in 2017 by Aetna Legal and Compliance teams.

Director, Integrated Technology and Service Operations (ITSO) -Operational Efficiency                               2012 – 2014

Lead a multi-disciplinary team of 5 supporting the 12K FTE ITSO organization. Management and administration of the corporate continuous improvement program (Aetna Process Improvement - API) Spearhead the analysis and measurement of efficiency and effectiveness of existing operational processes to identify opportunities for improved quality, speed, and cost. Reporting to Head of Aetna Service Operations who was a direct report to Aetna’s C-Suite Operations and Technology Member.

·         Identification and management of projects inside of service operations responsible for more than $5M of direct savings or cost avoidance.

·         Successfully designed and launched "I am Kaizen" initiative focused on driving LEAN operations through process analysis, waste identification and elimination from the top down and bottom up.

·         Redesigned processes and redeployed capacity during successful continuous improvement engagements to transform Medicare Part D cost model for supporting Verbal Grievance Process while maintaining quality and compliance and reducing overtime and number of FTE’s required to support volume and backlog resolution.

BAPTIST HEALTH SYSTEM [VANGUARD HEALTH SYSTEM], San Antonio, TX                                                        2011 – 2012

Healthcare leader in San Antonio and South Texas that became a part of Tenet Healthcare Corporation in late 2013 with Vanguard’s acquisition by Tenet, a diversified healthcare services company on a mission to help people live happier, healthier lives by leveraging its subsidiaries, partnerships, and joint ventures.

Director, Process Improvement – Hospital Operations (Senior Operational Improvement Engineer)

Managed day to day activities related to performance improvement including the integration of Lean and Six Sigma methodology into existing operational processes.

·         Strategically partnered with accountable CEOs, COOs, CMOs, CNO’s, service line leaders, physician groups, and growth officers of all 5 San Antonio Area Hospitals for the identification of improvement and growth opportunities, solution design, and implementation of strategic solutions that improve clinical quality, contain cost, enhance revenue, streamline the delivery of care, while making it safer and more effective.

·         Supported change management, leadership development and creation of a positive culture and engaged workforce. Reinforce Studer principles.

·         Education and training of clinical and administrative staff on CI tools and methods, process changes, and project related work. Facilitated VSM, Kaizen, FMEA and other CI activities in support of improvements.

·         Leveraged Failure Modes Effects Analysis (FMEA) to solution systemic issues at all 5 hospitals. (Breast milk errors, maternal hemorrhage, baby “banding” – nursery and NICU infant identification and security solution, chemotherapy drug administration).

BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF MINNESOTA, Eagan, MN                                                                                        2007 – 2011

Leading health insurance payer dedicated to making a healthy difference in people’s lives by providing quality, cost effective health plans and unique health programs through innovation, leadership, and community involvement.

Manager, Operational Improvement

Oversaw Service Delivery for Commercial, Medicare and Medicaid Products. Led team of 10 that supported service operations through implementing strategic change, training, process improvement redesign, project management, scheduling/workforce management, data analysis and reporting.

·         Leveraged speech analytics and call center data to design and implement a skill-based routing solution for the contact center that increased productivity, lowered cost of service and improved member experience.

·         Designed and implemented a virtual care delivery product offering with vendor, American Well, for employees and select commercial members.

PDL BIOPHARMA, INC. (GENMAB), Brooklyn Park, MN                                                                                       2006 – 2008

Senior Quality and Regulatory Compliance Lead

Managed quality and compliance efforts for bio-pharmaceutical product and medical device manufacturing including - CAPA, deviations, root cause investigations, batch record review, product disposition, complaints, non-conforming material, change control, product transfer, compliance audits, supplier quality, labeling, annual product review and other compliance required activities.

Chevron Phillips Specialty Chemicals (Quality Manager)                                                                                                  2003 – 2006

Oversaw all aspects of GLP and GMP for manufacturing of commercial pharmaceutical intermediates and medical grade plastics. Supported clinical development activities, including FDA compliance, batch record review/disposition, supplier quality/OEM/CMO transfer (CAPA, deviations, complaints, non-conforming product), change control, and annual product review.) Supported ISO 9000 and FDA certification activities for site.

ADDITIONAL RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

ExxonMobil Research and Engineering, Chemist

Focused on improving process efficiency and effectiveness through innovation and process reengineering.

ABB: Analytical Instrumentation, Training Manager/QA Consultant

Travelled internationally and domestically to design and implement quality assurance programs and analytical equipment for pharmaceutical and various chemical-manufacturing applications. Responsible for pre and post-sale support for ABB client facilities.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science, Chemistry, Pre-Med (Minor: Biology), Texas Southern University Houston, TX

EXECUTIVE TRAINING

Aetna Executive Leadership Program

Kaplan-Norton BSC/Strategy Management System (Palladium Group – for Aetna)

CERTIFICATIONS

Villanova University, Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt for Healthcare

Project Management Professional (PMP), Inactive

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND INDUSTRY AFFILIATIONS

ACHE – American College of Health Care Executives

HFMA – Healthcare Financial Managers Association

NAHQ – National Association for Healthcare Quality

ASQ - American Society for Quality

ACC - Association of Corporate Counsel - Legal Ops

Consero – Corporate Legal Operations Advisory Board

CLOC – Corporate Legal Operations Consortium