Julie Gilchrist

Insurance Services Administrator – Missoula
Since: 2013

Julie came to us after a long and varied career in a number of fields, the latest of which had been operating a dude ranch, with her husband, dedicated to all-abilities adventures for kids. Her husband became an electrician, while she joined us on the admin team and has been working behind the scenes for our families ever since.

Nuts & Bolts: I see myself as an advocate for the families. I verify insurance coverage, submit pre-authorizations and claims, follow up on payments with insurance companies…I spend a lot of time of the phone and know most of the “on hold” songs by heart! But it’s worth it because I know the families often don’t have the time and resources to do what I do, and I know how critical it is for an organization like ours to collect the money we’ve earned from insurance companies.

Standout Moment: Payment disputes with insurance companies can be quite protracted. For example, we just started receiving payments for services we provided to a family several years ago, and it took over a year for the dispute to be settled in our favor. That was very gratifying.

A Thing I’ve Learned: When you’re on the phone with insurance companies, there is no point in getting mad. The person on other end is a human being doing a job. They don’t make the rules. If you can get through to them on a human level, it almost always ends up being a good conversation.

Little Known Fact: Well, I’m kind of an open book. I think my colleagues know pretty much everything about me. I just got back from Australia, where my daughter lives, with my mom. My coworkers knew about that trip for a year before I went!

Pet Tales: We have two border collies, Pancake and Huckleberry. They’re my running companions.