About Melissa Frierson, MBA
A healthcare advisor who sees the numbers and the work behind them.
I bring 27+ years of healthcare finance, reimbursement, revenue cycle, compliance, and operations experience to financial and operational challenges that cross teams, with specialized advisory support for cancer centers, neuroscience programs, and cardiovascular institutes.
How I lead
Close enough to understand the work. Experienced enough to guide the decision.
I work with executives and with the people who carry out the process every day. That means listening, tracing evidence through systems and handoffs, and getting involved when a workflow needs to be untangled.
My role can include advising leadership, organizing a project, coaching and training a team, or leading implementation. The goal is clear ownership and a practical way forward that the organization can sustain.
I focus on the financial connection between clinical research, reimbursement, revenue cycle, and operations, as well as broader healthcare financial strategy and transformation across cancer centers, neuroscience programs, cardiovascular institutes, academic medical centers, and integrated health systems.
Where I can help
Clinical research finance
Connect sponsor and payer financial pathways across the study lifecycle.
Revenue integrity
Locate reimbursement and workflow gaps, then lead improvement work.
Financial strategy
Turn analysis and priorities into accountable implementation.
Cancer centers & oncology
Research finance, billing compliance, and program growth for cancer centers.
Neuroscience programs
Financial strategy, research administration, and service line transformation.
Cardiovascular institutes
Research finance, reimbursement, and cardiovascular service line development.
Working across the organization
Bring decision makers and the people doing the work into the same picture.
Financial problems rarely sit in one department. I work with the teams involved to understand the handoffs, define who owns each decision, and support the change after a plan is approved.
Executive and finance leaders
Clarify financial priorities, tradeoffs, measures, and decisions that need leadership approval.
Revenue cycle and operations
Trace billing, reimbursement, workflow, and account follow-up to the teams responsible for each step.
Research and clinical partners
Coordinate financial handoffs around study activity while qualified professionals retain clinical, coverage, and coding decisions.
Cancer center and oncology leaders
Align clinical research finance, billing compliance, and infusion operations with cancer program growth.
Neuroscience program leaders
Connect financial performance, research administration, and service line strategy for neuroscience institutes.
Cardiovascular institute leaders
Strengthen research operations, reimbursement, and cardiovascular service line development.
Let’s talk about what your organization needs to move forward.
Share the challenge and I’ll follow up to discuss an appropriate next step.
Request a consultation