Her Story
About Natalie
Natalie Santana is a healthcare operations and project management professional. She began her career on the provider side in network operations for about three years in New York before moving to California. There she transitioned into quality management as a specialist, handling reporting, committees, and executive reporting, followed by compliance work involving contracts, implementation, RFPs, audits, and policy writing. She then returned to provider operations leading initial contracting and a growing team for nearly three years. She currently serves as a project manager at Centene, focusing on compliance and implementation for state Medicaid agency contracts, including DSIP and CSNP populations across 15 to 20 states, with emphasis on network operations, appeals, grievances, claims, benefit configuration, payment integrity, and provider communications. Throughout her career she has emphasized continuous learning, seeking mentors, and maintaining high personal standards of accountability.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Natalie
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think what I would say is that you have to stay curious and remain open to learning. When I started I felt unqualified and maybe I was unqualified but I never stopped learning and put myself in spaces where I could continue to absorb information. I found people that were willing to mentor me and guide me through the business.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In my previous company we were a lot more limited just because it was a small company that grew very very quickly and still as a company had like a small business mindset that I think we were trying to catch up to the growth that was coming but couldn't. Transitioning into Centene I have found that a lot of that like red tape or the barriers that I had encountered they're not here anymore. At Centene being such a large corporation there's already infrastructure for growth as well as setbacks.
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