Health systems across the U.S. continue to navigate mounting financial pressures, shifting reimbursement models and growing administrative complexity — placing revenue cycle leadership at the center of operational success. Each week, Becker’s is highlighting five revenue cycle leaders to know, recognizing executives who are driving performance, improving patient financial experiences and advancing innovative strategies to strengthen their organizations’ financial health.
Becker’s is accepting nominations for revenue cycle leaders to be featured in this weekly series and for the “Becker’s CFO and Revenue Cycle Podcast.” We are also recruiting speakers for the Becker’s IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, Sept. 14-17, 2026, at the Hilton Chicago. Reach out to Andrew Cass (acass@beckershealthcare.com) or Alan Condon (acondon@beckershealthcare.com).
Five revenue cycle leaders to know:
Dan Angel. Vice President of Revenue Cycle at Baptist Health Care (Pensacola, Fla.). Mr. Angel oversees a revenue cycle team that was one of three integrated delivery systems to earn the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s MAP Award for high performance in revenue cycle in 2026. Mr. Angel joined Baptist in 2023 as vice president of financial services, where he had responsibility for all areas of the patient revenue cycle. He was promoted to his current role in October 2025. He previously served as vice president of revenue cycle at Hershey, Pa.-based Penn State Health and associate vice president of revenue management at Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System.
Brent Carson. Chief Revenue Cycle Officer at University Hospitals (Cleveland). Mr. Carson has more than 30 years of healthcare and managed care experience. At University Hospitals, he oversees both revenue cycle and managed care operations. He led the successful Epic conversion for revenue cycle as part of UH’s systemwide implementation in September 2023. He has maintained final denial rates at or below 1% of net revenue while advancing a five-year automation strategy incorporating AI.
Sandy Decker. Associate Vice President of Revenue Cycle at OU Health (Oklahoma City). Ms. Decker has served as OU Health’s associate vice president of revenue cycle since June 2020, providing executive oversight of front-end revenue cycle operations for Oklahoma’s only comprehensive academic health system. She is responsible for patient access, registration, central scheduling and insurance verification, supporting high-volume operations within a complex academic environment. Ms. Decker has been with OU Health since 2001, and her experience includes leading patient access process implementation for new facilities, integrating registration workflows and EHR functionality and supporting ongoing operational optimization.
Erin Hodson, MSN. Vice President of Revenue Cycle at Inova Health System (Falls Church, Va.). Ms. Hodson has been with Inova since 2011 and most recently served as vice president and administrator for the system’s medicine service lines before being named revenue cycle vice president in 2024. In her current role, Ms. Hodson has led sweeping change across Inova’s five hospitals and medical group, building alignment among previously siloed departments. She has also championed data-driven improvements in coding, billing and patient access.
Shana Tate. Senior Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer at Ballad Health (Johnson City, Tenn.). Ms. Tate returned to Ballad Health in 2023 after serving in a senior role at Ensemble Health Partners. She was serving as senior vice president of revenue cycle of Mountain States Health Alliance when the system merged with Wellmont Health System in 2018 to form Ballad Health. She was named chief revenue officer in 2024 and promoted to senior vice president earlier this year. The system has spent several years modernizing registration, billing and patient access. The results include a 27% decrease in registration wait times, a nearly 10% increase in patient satisfaction year over year, and holding first-pass denial rates to 1.4%.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.