Written by Natalie Moore on Mar 27, 2015
Rozanne Andersen on Thought Leadership and Closing the Gender Gap
This week I sat down with Rozanne Andersen, thought leader and Ontario Systems’ Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer to talk health finance, thought leadership, and gender equality. We are pleased to feature Ms. Andersen in this Forward Leadership Series exclusive: Women Making History. She’s had a role in making history. Her advocacy efforts have resulted in landmark legislation and regulation at the state and federal levels with regard to the FDCPA, FCRA and HIPAA. Follow her on Twitter, @RozanneAndersen.
1. Before you were the arm and healthare industries’ trusted advisor, who were your inspirations?
Since I was a very young girl, it has been burned into my brain that my grandparents suffered and endured so that future generations could reach their full potential and do something extraordinary for the world. I never knew my grandparents. They were immigrants from Yugoslavia (which is now Slovenia).
They didn’t flee from a country in the dark of night, sit on train and go through Ellis Island so I could take life for granted. Their story has been a constant driver for me personally and is the foundation for my motivation. I’m not sure if I have lived up to their dream, but the message motivated me and continues to do so in both my personal and professional life.
The other person who empowered me along the way is my previous manager at ACA International, Gary Rippentrop. Gary could only see the good in me. He trusted in me; he confided in me; he pushed me; he cared about me as a person.
2. As an advocate of health finance in D.C. and before state regulatory bodies, how were you able to create progress?
The achievements I’m most proud of center around my work as a government affairs advocate for the collections industry. In particular, the achievements I spearheaded in the form of amendments to the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, (FDCPA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines were very meaningful to me and the industry.
Sitting across from Barney Frank negotiating amendments to the FDCPA was a moment I will never forget. Regardless of your political bent, all who meet Chairman Frank would agree – he is brilliant and the experience was exhilarating.
Also, in 2003 I had the good fortune to work with the Department of Health and Human Services team responsible for drafting HIPAA regulations. Being in D.C. and working with those who were actually crafting the text of the regulations to help them understand the role business associates play in the healthcare delivery systems was very rewarding.
In both instances I attribute success to the fact I worked with consumer groups and advocated for solutions that were both business and consumer friendly. The arguments I made were not one-sided. Quite honestly when it comes to legislative and regulatory advocacy, any change must benefit people and business or the bill or regulation will simply not pass. Anti-consumer legislation and regulation is nothing more than a political football. The only way to get it to pass the goal line is to make sure both the consumer groups and the industry groups are pacified.
3. What inspired you to make the move from private legal practice to corporate governance and executive management?
I am not an adversarial person by nature. On the DISC scale, I am the negotiator with high interpersonal communication skills. So private law practice never truly agreed with me. Practicing law didn’t excite me or make me want to be the first one in the office in the morning and the last one to go home.
Since I found a place in the collection industry I can say I haven’t worked a day. I have lost track of time. When you pursue a passion time does not exist.
The Only Way to Change Perception Really is By Changing Actions
I thought I could make a difference for the Collections industry. This could be taken the wrong way as though I’m being arrogant and I don’t mean it that way at all. I found an entire industry of people who were misunderstood and to some extent, blind to the refinements of the rest of the world.
I felt like I could bring more professionalism to the industry. I could help them see what they are doing. That to really be the best and do a great job, and protect the consumer and still collect debt and do it in a professional manner – you really had to change the perception people had of the industry.
4. When did you embrace becoming a thought leader in the community?
I think thought leadership found me, almost by accident. It happened because people within the industry began asking me to share my thoughts on issues. What do you think of that? Why did this happen? Should we agree with that? Should we embrace that? So I was really put in a position of influence where people asked me to share my thoughts.
I began to find it was valuable to volunteer the information instead of waiting for them to ask. I would volunteer what I thought about things and gained influence in the industry that way.
5. How can healthcare finance benefit from more thought leadership?
I just returned from the United Kingdom, in eight days my eyes have been opened to an entirely new way of thinking about the industry. I have seen how others adhere to stringent consumer protection requirements and still make money – lots of money.
The collections industry can benefit from more thought leadership by simply looking beyond borders, both geographically and intellectually.
We need to look at how other countries are collecting debt. In the United States, there’s this mentality, ‘if it isn’t happening here then it isn’t happening at all’. The truth is other countries have made more advancements in consumer protection. Really looking beyond our borders may be very helpful for us.
What obstacles have you faced as a woman in a male-dominated industry?
The obstacles I have faced include being heard and taken seriously. Another obstacle I’ve faced is being recognized as a first responder. When there’s a unique problem and everything hits the fan in an organization or department, it’s interesting to watch males and even females gravitate first to males for the solution. It’s almost as though a workplace crisis brings out an inherent tendency for the men to take on the leadership role. Women have to work harder for the recognition as a first responder.
If the leaders of the organization do not recognize the power they have within their female workforce they’re missing out on a lot.
7. There is a disparity of female leadership across healthcare, finance, and technology. How do you see this shifting? What advice can you give to women looking to follow in your footsteps?
I am actually quite surprised I do not see women fight for equal pay, equal recognition, and promotions to the c-suite. In fact, I don’t even hear younger women talking about these issues.
I just don’t see the same tenacity for Women’s Rights as I did in the 60s and 70s. I wasn’t exactly Gloria Steinem’s cousin, but when I entered the workforce fighting for Women’s Rights was a big deal. It mattered. It mattered to stand up for other women. Just because fewer inappropriate jokes are shared in the office and degrading photos aren’t hanging in cubes, that doesn’t mean [women and men] have achieved equality. Sure that’s a good baseline, but there needs to be more of a dialogue about equal pay and equal status.
The shift for women will happen when the shift is mandatory. Things will change when diversity no longer frightens those who currently hold the power; when a difference in thought and approach is honestly embraced. That’s when we’ll see a shift in the disparity of female leadership.
Success is not trampling over everyone in your path. You just have to work hard.
My advice for women on their way up is to look at the person you most admire and make sure you have the same or similar pedigree. If the person is a doctor, go to med school. If the person is a politician or executive, go to law school or get your MBA. Then believe in yourself, respect others, and just work hard. It’s no guarantee, but it is a prescription for success.
How can those at the executive level make a difference?
The way we can make a difference is by creating a dialogue. The best-case scenario would be for this post to find its way into someone’s office where it really fosters needed communication among a team or between a supervisor and an employee to use it so a dialogue can start. I’ve said what I’ve said so that people discuss it; so it prompts change.