About Me

I am one of the lucky ones. I get paid to do what I love to do. I am currently employed as a hospital-based IBCLC in a suburban hospital with an 90% breastfeeding initiation rate. But, I was in private practice before I was employed in a hospital setting and I understand your hard work with mothers and babies. If you want to learn about all types of billing or if you may be looking into becoming an in-network IBCLC, I want you to get paid to do what you love to do! Since 2012, it has been very frustrating for IBCLCs to get enrolled and reimbursed by insurers like Aetna, Blue Cross, and others. That is why I feel compelled to put on my “billing manager” hat and help. I know what I know from experience.

So I sat down, wrote a billing manual for lactation professionals and I collaborated with Annie Frisbee, IBCLC. The Crash Course and more is at: https://learn.anniefrisbie.com/crashcourse/aqgbh

She also has my 3 lectures on coding, documenting and billing too! 

 I have a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and worked as a retail manager for a few years out of college. I had my daughter in 1992 and struggled with breastfeeding and pain and saw an IBCLC in her home. Her love and care started me on my path. After the birth of my second child, I became a volunteer Nursing Mothers Counselor and my husband’s insurance and billing manager for his chiropractic practice for several years. I worked part time for his office while raising my two beautiful kids and chopping off my 2500 contact hours I needed to sit the IBCLC exam. I have been an IBCLC for 20 years now. I operated a private practice, assisted new moms in labor and postpartum as a doula and even worked in a small retail breastfeeding center.  I also currently teach for the International Breastfeeding Institute - the lactation school of the International Doula Institute where you we offer a Core Course to become a CBC and an Advanced Lactation Course - equaling the 95 hours needed for IBCLC certification. https://internationalbreastfeedinginstitute.com/

I must disclose, I am not a certified professional coder. There are over 20 specialty areas of certified professional coders and currently NONE of those are for Board Certified Lactation Consultants. That job doesn’t exist yet. So together we will work on navigating the game!    

Scenarios presented on this website were created for coding teaching purposes only, may or may not align with what each insurance company is looking for.