Executive Team

Shellie Sulzberger, LPN, CPC, ICDCT-CM

Shellie has 20 years of experience in the health care industry, with diverse experiences as a nurse, internal compliance auditor, and health care consultant. Shellie began her health care career as a licensed practical nurse working for Saint Luke’s Health System in Kansas City, MO. After developing her clinical expertise, Shellie transitioned to a new role as an internal compliance auditor focusing on documentation quality and coding accuracy.

Shellie co-founded Coding & Compliance Initiatives, Inc. (CCI) in 2003, and is recognized for her extensive knowledge of documentation and coding guidelines. Shellie’s combined knowledge of clinical processes, along with CPT and payer guidelines enables her clients to operate in compliance with health care regulations, while improving their documentation quality, charge capture, coding accuracy and cash flow. In addition, her combined knowledge as a clinician and certified professional coder (CPC) enables her to communicate effectively with physicians/providers regarding appropriate documentation and coding guidelines by bridging the provider’s clinical knowledge with the documentation requirements outlined by CPT, Medicare, and other regulatory bodies.

Shellie is a certified ICD-10 trainer, having earned her ICDCT-CM designation in 2012.

Shellie is a member of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC), and is a speaker for the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and AAPC.

Shellie received her practical nursing education from Penn Valley Community College, and a BS in Business Administration from Mid-America Nazarene University.

Patrick Sulzberger, CPA, CHC

Patrick has over 19 years of experience in the health care industry working as a performance improvement consultant. An accountant by background, he spent the initial ten years of his career working for a national public accounting firm, with a focus in health care reimbursement, labor productivity benchmarking and revenue cycle operations. Patrick worked with hospitals, rural health clinics, physician clinics, federally qualified health centers and long-term care facilities during his public accounting career.

As a health care consultant with the desire to continuously provide greater value to his clients, Patrick co-founded Coding & Compliance Initiatives, Inc. (CCI) in 2003, allowing him greater flexibility to adapt as the needs of his clients evolve in a rapidly changing health care environment. Through his work with CCI, Patrick has focused on helping his clients improve their operational performance in several key areas, including revenue cycle operations, labor efficiency/continuous process improvement and corporate compliance.

Patrick is certified in health care compliance through the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA).

Patrick holds an MS in Accounting and BS in Accounting from University of Missouri – Columbia, and became a certified public accountant (CPA) in 1996.

Patrick also co-founded S&S Healthcare Services, LLC in 2009, a medical billing company focused on physician professional component services for independent medical clinics and hospital-owned physician groups.

Patrick also co-founded Total Solution Partners in 2012, an operations improvement firm focused on positioning its clients for sustainable success in a rapidly changing health care environment.