Her Story
About Mary
Mary Berard brings more than 30 years of experience to her work in medical billing and human rights. She owns Realistic Solutions MR LLC, a third-party medical billing company, and Human Rights and Diplomacy LLC, through which she consults with patients and families, advocating on their behalf against nursing facilities. Berard created a welfare program in 1998 that remains in use today and has generated significant revenue for providers, including $1.4 million in 90 days and a zero-variance posting method that led to company-wide raises and bonuses. She holds an associate's degree in medical office services earned in 1994 and is pursuing additional certifications in trauma-informed care, mental health coaching, addiction and recovery, and board certification in human rights and diplomacy from Washington. Berard attributes her success to God and emphasizes the importance of respect, continuous learning, and helping others believe in themselves. She advises young women entering the field to believe in themselves and protect their reputation above all.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mary
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to God. It's the only one that can actually get me through all those. I also believe that God doesn't put me where I'm not needed. I organize people that are disorganized.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is that there is nothing that cannot be fixed.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say believe in yourself and your abilities to be successful. And to always rely on one thing, and that would be you. Because people change, jobs change, and opportunities change. But the one person that can be stable, and they can't take it away from you, is your reputation. Your reputation is everything in this field.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is getting them to believe in themselves. Providers, people in general, they restrict themselves because they don't think they either have enough time, enough money, or the ambition to do so. They can see it, but they don't know how to get it there. So my job is to help them not only see it, but get there.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Respect is the main value for me. If I can't respect you, I can't work for you. Everybody has to be nice to each other. Humanity is built on the ability to be able to see others' possibilities. If you can't see that, or even learn, you could be the top of the top of the person you want to be, but if you stop learning, you stop being human, because everybody learns every single day, even if they don't realize they're learning something new.
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