Leadership
Lora Hefton, Executive Vice President, Harris Data Integrity Solutions
Lora oversees all aspects of the Harris Data Integrity Solutions business unit, a part of Harris Computer, which acquired Just Associates in 2019. She ensures Just Associates has the proper vision, strategy, controls, procedures, development, distribution, support, and people to deliver quality services and solutions to healthcare entities while maintaining growth of the group. Before serving in this role, Lora was Chief Operating Officer for Just Associates, working closely with the company’s founders to expand the solutions and services offered by the business.
Lora has more than 30 years of experience in the technology sector. Prior to joining Just Associates, she was a product marketing manager at Microsoft, and has held various sales, contract, project/product management, and operational positions with various software organizations focused on data management. Lora holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City. In addition, she holds a SHRM-CP certification with the Society of Human Resource Management.
Rachel Podczervinski, MS, RHIA, Vice President, Professional Services
Rachel oversees Just Associates’ data reconciliation and MPI clean-up projects and leads a team of managers, supervisors, quality assurance specialists and patient identity experts. She also consults on duplicate remediation best practices, algorithm optimization and MPI data conversion strategies.
A nationally recognized leader in EMPI maintenance and management, Rachel joined Just Associates in 2005 and is our spokesperson at leading healthcare conferences, summits, and meetings. She holds a Master of Science in Health Informatics from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.
Karen Proffitt, MHIIM, RHIA, CHP, Vice President, Data Integrity Solutions
Karen provides HIM and eMPI consulting expertise and is responsible for strategic development of new services and solutions that help us serve the needs of an evolving market. Karen is renown in the industry for her MPI expertise and is often invited to speak at conferences on the state and national levels.
An active member of AHIMA, Karen was a past director of the Colorado Health Information Management Association and previously held leadership positions in the Tennessee Health Information Management Association, the Upper East Tennessee Health Information Management Association, and the Mid-East Tennessee Health Information Management Association. She earned a bachelor’s degree in medical record administration and a Master of Health Informatics & Health Information Management from the University of Tennessee.
Identity Management
Megan (Munns) Pruente, RHIA, MPH-PHI, Director, Professional Services
Megan leads a team of managers who oversee the Just Associates’ data integrity projects for our clients across the United States. She is responsible for helping her team manage project scope, strategy, and budget, and works with the sales department in scoping new project leads. Prior to joining Just Associates in 2013, Megan worked as a business analyst for a large healthcare organization, where she deployed their EHR across 11 hospitals and various clinics. Her career has expanded into several areas such as electronic implementation in acute care and physician settings, maintenance of EHRs, health information exchanges, and Public Health Informatics.
Megan is an active member of HIMSS, AHIMA and WSHIMA and is a nationally recognized speaker on data integrity and data quality. In 2014, AHIMA and CHIMA each awarded her the prestigious Rising Star Award recognizing promising new HIM professionals. She earned a bachelor’s degree in health informatics and information and a minor in computer information systems and biology from The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minn., and a Master of Public Health with a focus on informatics and policy from the University of Minnesota. Megan also mentors students on professional practicum experiences and is a guest lecturer on health informatics topics for several programs.
Jessica Bock, Identity Manager
As a member of the Identity Management Team, Jessy assists healthcare facilities nationwide with EMPI/MPI maintenance and data reconciliation projects. She is a member of the Colorado Health Information Management Association and is part of its Technology Committee.
Jessy is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics and Information Management at the College of Saint Scholastica, with an anticipated graduation date of May 2023.
Rosalie M. Dixon, Identity Manager
As a member of the Identity Management Team, Rosalie works with healthcare organizations nationwide utilizing Just Associates’ duplicate record workflow tool, ID Master®, and other technology tools for data integrity projects including EMPI/MPI maintenance and data reconciliation. She joined Just Associates in 2004 as a patient identity expert and held positions including business analyst and testing team lead on the firm’s development team before moving permanently to the identity management team.
Rosalie is a member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and has participated in numerous Colorado Health Information Management Association (CHIMA) annual Data Integrity Summits and meetings.
Mackenzie Higgins, RHIA, Identity Manager
Mackenzie is an award-winning identity manager responsible for overseeing E/MPI data reconciliation projects for Just Associates. Her passion for volunteer works, including mentoring student interns and serving as the CHIMA Technology Committee Chair for three years, was recognized with the 2019 CHIMA Outstanding Volunteer and 2020 CHIMA Rising Star awards.
Mackenzie, who holds the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) credential, is a graduate of the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota, where she received a bachelor’s degree in health information management with a minor in computer information systems.
Candice Neisen, MS, Identity Manager
Candice is responsible for client interactions, project scope, staffing and the overall success of Just Associates’ MPI clean-up projects. She brings 10 years of experience working with numerous EMR, MPI and EMPI software applications, electronic implementations, and maintaining electronic health records.
A member of AHIMA and CHIMA, Candice often speaks on data integrity and quality issues at industry meetings. She earned a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from Regis University in Denver and a Master of Health Information Management from The College of Scholastica in Duluth, Minn.
Sales
Joseph D’Elia, Vice President of Sales, Northern Region
Joseph is responsible for developing new business in the Northern United States and Western Canada for the entire Just Associates’ portfolio. This includes our data integrity, master patient index and workflow optimization solutions, as well as our point-of-service identity resolution software.
Joseph is a member of HIMSS and has more than 20 years of experience in Health Information Management (HIM) and Health Information Technology (HIT) and has been a trusted advisor to providers, payers, and Health Information Exchanges (HIE) throughout his career. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania.
