Her Story
About Helene
Helene Goldfarb is a consultant in healthcare revenue integrity consulting. She earned her associate's degree and then her bachelor's degree in healthcare services administration in 1982, graduating with a 4.0 GPA while on the dean's and president's honor rolls. After working as Director of Medical Records for the first eight years of her career, she transitioned to consulting in 1990 and has continued in that capacity ever since. Her expertise encompasses chargemaster analysis, coding, billing, and revenue integrity, skills she developed through hands-on management of paper-based medical records departments and subsequent traveling consulting assignments across the country. Goldfarb attributes her professional success to a strong sense of self and a belief in her capability to exceed expectations, forged through early family responsibilities following personal tragedy. She values continuous growth, setting high standards for herself, and learning from both achievements and mistakes. Among the biggest changes she has navigated in the field are the integration of AI, updated software, and the restructuring of roles to combine coding and billing expertise under the revenue integrity umbrella. Goldfarb advises young women entering the industry not to be limited by a perceived glass ceiling and to seek growth through job changes if necessary, noting that her own move from middle management to consulting proved highly rewarding.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Helene
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to a very strong sense of self and believing I was capable of more than what was expected. After losing my sister in a car accident as a teenager, I postponed college to care for my mother who couldn't function, taking over family responsibilities. This showed me how strong and capable I truly was. I always set the bar high, graduated with a 4.0 GPA on the dean's and president's honor roll, and never said no to a challenge, learning from both achievements and mistakes.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
My dad gave me the best advice: you can't go wrong if you're involved with finance, especially in healthcare, because no matter the economy, your job will never be at risk. He was right, as I've always been in demand and had people contact me about jobs even when I wasn't looking.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't consider yourself limited by a glass ceiling. Find a way to break through it, and if you can't in your current position, get what growth you can and then make a job change if needed. I switched from middle management to consulting and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Always do the best job you can possibly do regardless of recognition.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
After taking a career break, things changed with AI, updated software, and restructured job responsibilities. Roles that used to require two separate people with different degrees are now combined into one, requiring expertise in both coding and billing. This is now called revenue integrity, which is exactly what I do.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The work has made me feel so much more accomplished as an individual, spilling over into my personal life making me much happier. I'm proud of making a contribution and helping clients. I've always sought to grow, accepting challenges and learning from achievements and mistakes. I set the bar high for myself and believe in being the best I can be.
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