Lori Cunningham
Lori Cunningham is a seasoned healthcare reimbursement specialist with over 36 years of experience in Medicare and Medicaid cost reporting. She began her career at Memorial Hospital of South Bend, where she transitioned from a property coordinator role into accounting and ultimately volunteered for the reimbursement department. Over the years, Lori has witnessed the growth of her healthcare system from a single hospital to a multi-hospital network, including Beacon Health System and affiliated Michigan hospitals, gaining extensive experience in cost report preparation, contract management, and government programs accounting along the way.
During her tenure, Lori has demonstrated exceptional skill in handling complex reimbursement tasks under pressure. Notably, she successfully created a new home office cost report for Beacon Health System during a major merger, completing the project in just one week. She has served as a manager for nine years, overseeing staff training, maintaining knowledge of evolving Medicare and Medicaid rules, and ensuring accurate documentation for audits and contract negotiations. Following the sudden passing of her husband, Lori refocused on her strengths in reimbursement rather than management, maintaining a high level of professional excellence while balancing personal priorities.
Currently, Lori works at Indiana University Health, where she manages multiple cost reports and month-end third-party journal entries for government programs. She values a supportive and collaborative work environment that allows her to perform her responsibilities with precision and care. Outside of work, Lori contributes to her community through volunteer work with Ronald McDonald House Charities and enjoys hobbies such as scrapbooking, jewelry making, and spending time with family. Her career reflects a deep commitment to healthcare finance, meticulous attention to detail, and dedication to both professional and personal growth.
• Indiana University South Bend - B.S.
• Who's Who in 1989
• Ronald McDonald House
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to several things that have shaped who I am professionally. First, math in general came easy to me, and I actually decided in high school I was going into accounting because I really liked those accounting classes. My dad played a huge role in my success. I remember after my parents were divorced, sitting on the phone with him and crying because I could not figure out what a geometry problem was trying to do, and this poor man is sitting on the other end of the phone, can't see the book, and I'm trying to explain the problem to him, but he still helped me over the phone. He was always the one who helped me with my math homework, and that foundation he gave me has been invaluable. I also attribute my success to my 37 years of experience in healthcare reimbursement. I was there when Memorial Hospital was just one hospital, and I was there when we had to merge the hospitals. During the merger that formed Beacon Health System, I was the only one who realized there was a whole stack of papers to fill out with Medicare to create a new home office with a new home office provider number, and I did that entire project in one week. That was honestly my most notable professional achievement. Now at IU Health, I'm given the time I need to complete my work properly, which allows me to do my best work. I'm a note-taker - I still put pen to paper because I don't like having to open a file to see what I need. I want to grab a notebook and flip to the right page. I'm very old school, but it works for me.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
You can have a career you love and be able to make a difference as she was almost featured on the news for her hard work merging the 3 Hospitals together
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You can achieve great success just work hard and also make sometime for yourself as she enjoys making jewelry and time with family
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Being able to always help those in need as healthcare is growing and has changed and has to work with the government to ensure everything is accurate.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me center around taking care of myself so I can be the best at what I do, and being there for the people who matter. Working remotely at IU Health has been wonderful because I can have peace and ensure that I pour into myself. I have my little Bluetooth speaker, I play whatever music I want, and I don't have to worry about bothering anybody. I can sleep at night now, which is so important. The job at Beacon had gotten so stressful, and this is like the exact opposite. It's important to take care of you. I also deeply value being a caretaker and people pleaser. I tend to be the one who takes care of others. When my dear friend John was dying of stage 4 kidney cancer at St. Paul's Assisted Living Center, my sister and I would go every Sunday and go grocery shopping for him. I organized a 24-hour watch so he was never alone, and I usually took the night shift. I would just sleep next to him because I could fit in his bed, and go to work from his room the next morning. I was with him the night he died, holding his hand all night long. I didn't let go of his hand until I had to call his power of attorney. I was so honored to do that for him and be able to do that for him. He went out the way he wanted to go, but he wasn't alone. I'm also a mom of five Chihuahuas, and they take care of my heart just as much as I take care of them.