IRC Office Hours - AUGUST 2024

Marnie Cabezas

Marnie is the former CEO of Innovation Billing Service, Inc. and now owner of Marnie Cabezas Consulting. Her experience as both an independent medical practitioner and a small business owner fuels her passion for helping practices work smarter and get the compensation they deserve. She is committed to helping healthcare organizations optimize their revenue cycle, improve patient satisfaction and minimize administrative costs, while providing compassionate, inclusive, evidence-based care to their communities. 

Claudia Jennings

Claudia has worked with midwives at freestanding birth centers for 6 years and is proud to have held many operational roles, most recently as the administrative director of a birth center in MN. She provides behind the scenes support to ensure midwives can provide excellent clinical care and get paid appropriately for doing so! She is passionate about the value of the freestanding birth center model and how to demonstrate it, barriers to higher payment for birth centers and midwives, and ways to create operational and billing efficiency in the birth center model.

Laura Wiegand

Laura is the COO/Co-Founder of Birth Partners, INC. She has successfully managed the openings and operations of several Birth Centers across the country. At the national level, she currently co-chairs the AABC’s Industry Relations Committee, and on a state level she serves on the Illinois Birth Center Task Force Committee, the Oregon Association of Birth Centers, and the Florida Birth Center Owners. She works at the state and local level to educate medical communities and health insurance providers about the benefits of the midwifery and birth center model of care including better outcomes, reduced costs for families and payors.

Laura was awarded the 2022 AABC Professional Award, in recognition of her passion, advocacy and dedication to the birth center model of care. With over 25 years of healthcare management experience, Laura has made her passion of maximizing care, while securing financial results and building a team that focuses on family and the entire the experience, serving as a resource for many aspects of healthcare and birth center operations.