We were lucky to catch up with Shelby Washington recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shelby, appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

I worked in a medical practice for about 5 years and learned multiple positions within in the office such as receptionist, medical assistant, medical biller, and office manager. After being promoted to a role that I had no training in, I quickly had to teach myself the ins and out of billing as the practice was relying on me to save it financially. I was able to get an understanding of how medical billing worked for that particular specialty and later began submitting credentialing applications for providers. Credentialing is the process of submitting network participation requests to insurance companies on behalf of healthcare providers. One day, a coworker of mine said to me, “you should become a consultant and do this for yourself”. I had never thought about becoming a business owner or working as a consultant. I was very hesitant as that was a major step for me to take. As time went on, I resigned from that role and went to do medical billing for another specialty. While the work environment was great, I did not have the passion for that role and knew it was time for me to make a change. I then began networking and brainstorming on the types of services I would offer my clients. Soon after, I received my first referral and that started the beginning of S. Washington Consulting, LLC. I would not say that I wish I had started sooner or later because I feel that everything fell into place right when it was meant to.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a Certified Medical Biller who started in the healthcare field in 2014. I initially started my business as a consultant assisting healthcare providers with medical billing and starting up their private practices. While I enjoy working with providers, I realize that the medical billing field is ever growing and there is a lot of room for growth and opportunities in the field. I began teaching basic medical billing training workshops in January of 2021. As of August 2023, I have taught over 70 women from all over the United States. My class teaches students the basic skills needed to be come a medical biller or a similar role. The medical billing training workshops are held both in person and virtually. Students get a hands-on learning experience as they learn how to complete claim forms, They are also given the opportunity to practice calculating patient responsibility amounts such as coinsurances and deductibles. I make sure students are given the tolls needed to be successful, including resume building and job interview preparation skills. I’ve had a few students who were able to land positions in the revenue cycle management field which is very rewarding!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

To grow my audience on social media, I first had to find out who my target audience was., It is important to make sure that you find your target audience as they are the ones who are likely to follow you on social media and use your services. It takes time and effort to create social media posts so you want to make sure your content it being viewed by people who are interested in what you are offering.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has been Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.swashingtonconsulting.com
• Instagram: swashingtonconsulting
• Facebook: S. Washington Consulting