About me

My name is Crysta Dickens. I am a native to the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. I am married and the mother of two children and a dachshund puppy. I love to travel and spend time with my family.

I began my nursing career in a skilled nursing facility, specializing in post-acute hospital care and rehabilitation. I later advanced into administration as a Quality Assurance Performance Improvement Manager, where I designed and implemented data-driven strategies to enhance both the quality of care and the quality of life for our patients.

Next, I served as the Director of Health Services/Director of Nursing at the North Carolina State Veterans Home, a 100-bed skilled nursing facility with a secured dementia unit. Enhancing the care provided to our military veterans remains one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. In addition to leading a large, multidisciplinary team of clinical and non-clinical staff, my most significant achievement was elevating the facility to a 5-star CMS rating in less than eight months.

Following the birth of my daughter, I accepted the role of Director of Nursing at both Pruitt Health and Accordius Health, where I was responsible for leading and managing all nursing operations across two skilled nursing facilities. In this role, I provided clinical leadership, ensured regulatory compliance, developed and implemented policies and procedures, coordinated staffing, and fostered a culture of quality care and continuous improvement. I worked closely with interdisciplinary teams to enhance patient outcomes, maintain high standards of care, and ensure the efficient day-to-day operations of the nursing departments.

In 2019, I joined UnitedHealth Group within the Fraud, Waste, Abuse, and Error sector of the Payment Integrity division at Optum, serving as an RN Clinical Investigator. In this role, I conducted in-depth reviews of inpatient hospital medical records to validate the accuracy of claim submissions and ensure that reported diagnoses were clinically supported and appropriate. My audits spanned all hospital specialties, including complex operating room procedures, extended ICU stays, unexplained deaths, labor and delivery, NICU cases, and more. This position required a strong attention to detail, advanced clinical judgment, and the ability to interpret intricate medical scenarios across diverse specialties.

In 2022, I was promoted within the same division to serve as a Provider Education Clinical and Coding Consultant and Content & Ideation Manager. In this role, I reviewed CMS and insurance-related complaints and collaborated with corporate attorneys on complex cases as needed. I provided clinical and coding education presentations to physicians, hospital staff, and healthcare providers nationwide. I was responsible for creating and maintaining all educational content, developing interactive web-based tutorials, and leading the development of an inpatient facility reactive program designed to enhance provider collaboration and customer satisfaction. I am highly proficient in ICD-10-CM, ICD-10-PCS, CPT, and HCPCS coding, as well as MDS processes, and have an in-depth understanding of CMS, Medicare, and Medicaid regulations.

Over the years, I have earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, achieved certifications as a Professional Coder and Inpatient Coder, and most recently became a Certified Legal Nurse Consultant (CLNC®). With more than a decade of diverse nursing experience, I bring a broad and in-depth knowledge base to the intersection of healthcare and the legal field.