Our Why.

My name is Scott Leshin, and I am the proud father of Sam, who was born with cerebral palsy. After spending 3.5 months in various NICUs, my wife and I came home with the insurmountable task of trying to coordinate care for our son. I remember the day before my son came home; I sat in my kitchen with my laptop and a phone and started scrambling for help. I immersed myself in my health insurance plan details and state and federal law. Over time, armed with the knowledge I gained, I could fight back and get the care my son so desperately needed. After working 16 years in the financial services industry in New York City, I decided to take my skill set and build a team of professionals to assist those who need help. Having gone through the system several times over, our firm can help!
Scott Leshin

Scott Leshin

Founder/CEO

Scott Leshin is the President and CEO of SJ Health Insurance Advocates.  Scott founded SJHIA after discovering firsthand how broken the health insurance industry was while trying to seek reimbursement for his son, Sam, who has cerebral palsy.

Scott received his Bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and Master’s degree from NYU Stern School of Business. Prior to founding SJHIA, Scott worked on Wall Street for both Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs. While working an intense full-time job, Scott was also managing the challenges and frustrations that came from navigating the health insurance bureaucracy. Through consistent and determined advocacy for his son, Scott continued to cultivate his knowledge and expertise in the health insurance industry. After achieving success for his son (who he still fights for daily) Scott decided to take his experience and build a company that would go on to help others.

Personally and professionally, Scott has made it his goal to help as many patients and providers as possible faced with similar needs and difficulties. Scott prides himself on managing a company comprised of competent, compassionate individuals who believe in the same.

Stewart Ashenberg

Director of Finance & HR

Stewart Ashenberg is our Director of Finance and Human Resources. Stewart has specialized in the medical billing industry for the past ten years. With more than 20 years in the finance industry, Stewart brings a number of talents to this new position.

In addition to holding a Bachelor of Science in Information Studies from Syracuse University, Stewart brings over 20 years of experience in IT Recruiting, Accounting, and HR Services to his role at SJHIA. He manages a dedicated team of professionals who will verify benefits by completing a thorough inquiry with the insurance company and detailing this information in an individualized template. SJHIA will also walk clients through understanding their benefits, their expected reimbursement, and the specifications of their policy.

Michelle Forrester

Director of Operations

Michelle Forrester serves as the Director of Operations of SJ Health Insurance Advocates which fosters and maintains relationships with all of our clients. SJHIA values and prioritizes the connections with our clients and knows that this differentiates us from our competitors.

Michelle is highly experienced in all facets of client relations, with a background in customer service and health care administration. Her education and experience lend to a solid understanding of billing, accounts receivable and invoicing procedures. Michelle has expertise in report generation as it relates to client activities and makes it her mission to understand and provide support around the nuances of each of our clients’ billing profiles.

In this role, Michelle notes that she loves the balance of working behind the scenes, as well as directly with our facilities and their patients. She takes pride in her job of assisting and establishing relationships with others in order to achieve the goal of providing the best care and support to our clients.

Natalie Diken

Utilization Management Department Manager

Natalie Diken serves as the Manager of the Utilization Management Department at SJ Health Insurance Advocates. The Utilization Management Department is comprised of licensed behavioral health professionals who communicate directly with insurance carriers to secure authorizations for treatment.

Natalie has an array of experience working in Behavioral Health for over 8 years which has allowed her to acquire a deep understanding of every element included in providing care to the substance abuse and mental health population. Prior to SJ Health Insurance Advocates, Natalie gained extensive knowledge as Utilization Management Director for a PHP/IOP program and Utilization Manager for a nationally renowned company with facilities nationwide. Natalie also has experience in various other roles including Admissions, Operations, Program Management, Mobile Assessment, Outreach and Recovery Coaching. Advocating for patients is both personal and paramount for Natalie – this offers a robust and unique approach towards securing authorizations and managing her team of dedicated professionals.

Lee Rosenblum

Vice President, Client Relationship Management

Lee manages a team of dedicated professionals and works closely with SJ clients to oversee the complete billing process from the time clients enter facilities through navigating the insurance maze to successful claims adjudication.

Lee holds a Master’s Degree in Telecommunications from New York University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Information Science from Yeshiva University. She brings over 20 years of experience in Corporate Customer Service and Technical Support to her role at SJ Health Insurance Advocates. Lee is passionate about assisting her clients in navigating complex insurance claims and billing processes. Her report generation and data analytics expertise allow for a deep understanding of client needs, revenue generation, and predictability.

Lee’s many years of working closely with customers and understanding their individual needs allow her to provide customized creative solutions to all aspects of the insurance claims process, billing, and advocacy. She enjoys building and maintaining close relationships with SJ clients and ensuring they are comfortable with the entire billing and claims process.

Debbie Minsky

Vice President, Client Relationship Management

Debbie received her bachelor’s degree in finance from The University of Florida.  She brings over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, including over ten years in the healthcare industry.

Debbie manages a team providing excellent client support to facilities and their patients in her role at SJ Health Insurance Advocates.  She is well versed in our billing platform, including coding, claim submissions, and report generation to maximize reimbursement.

Melissa Hickman

Vice President, Billing Department

Melissa manages a team of twenty professionals in our Billing Department. Daily, Melissa addresses escalated issues and ensure claims are followed up on diligently and timely.

Melissa is highly experienced in billing, commercial, and government insurance procedures to maintain industry requirements. With years of experience, her background in billing and health care administration ensures each client can see their claims through accurate adjudication.  AAPC certified, Melissa’s education and experience lend a solid understanding of billing, accounts receivable, and industry regulations.

In this role, Melissa notes that she loves the challenges insurance companies bring. She prides herself on her problem-solving skills.

Our industry-leading experience and technology are some of the most valuable assets we offer.

Our knowledge helps you increase efficiencies and transparency and reduce or even eliminate denials. Contact us and see how we can change your bottom line!

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