Luis Castaneda

About Luis Castaneda

As a Revenue Cycle and Health Information professional with a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Health Policy & Management from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, I bring a strong understanding of healthcare operations, payer processes, and system-level workflows that impact access to care and financial performance.Currently, I work as an Authorization Specialist within Revenue Cycle Management, supporting payer authorization workflows, medical necessity review, and denial prevention across clinical services. I collaborate with clinical teams, revenue cycle partners, and payer representatives to ensure services are authorized accurately and efficiently, helping reduce delays in care and downstream revenue risk.My background includes experience across healthcare operations, data-supported analysis, and administrative workflows through prior roles and internships in large health system environments, including Kaiser Permanente as well as several years in direct patient care and behavioral health settings. I am actively building toward advanced credentials in Revenue Cycle and Health Information Management to support long-term growth in analytical and leadership-focused healthcare roles.

Experience

1. Insurance Authorization Specialist

   Ensemble Health Partners

   Mar 2026 — Present

   Proactively manage insurance verification and prior authorizations for scheduled and non-scheduled diagnostic radiology exams, ensuring timely approval and minimizing delays in patient care.* Review clinical documentation and physician orders to assess medical necessity against payer-specific authorization and pre-certification requirements.* Serve as a primary liaison between technologists, referring providers, and patients to communicate authorization status, exam changes, and required rescheduling or cancellations.* Coordinate real-time updates to scheduled imaging exams, ensuring accurate authorization alignment with protocol-driven exam modifications and payer guidelines.* Collaborate with referring provider offices to resolve new, pending, or denied authorizations and communicate evolving payer requirements to support timely and compliant diagnostic services.

Education

• University of Connecticut

  Bachelor of Arts - BA

  2017 — 2021

• UCLA

  Master of Public Health - MPH

  2022 — 2024