Keith Leitzen

President

Keith Leitzen joined Managed Care Partners in 2012 and acquired ownership of the company in 2019. Since assuming ownership, he has led the organization’s continued growth and expansion while maintaining its commitment to supporting rural healthcare providers and the communities they serve.

Under Keith’s leadership, Managed Care Partners has strengthened its commitment to rural healthcare, expanding its service footprint beyond its Midwest roots to include hospitals and health systems across Illinois, Arkansas, Texas, Idaho, Indiana, Missouri, and Michigan. Managed Care Partners serves as the outsourced managed care department for numerous rural and Critical Access Hospitals, helping providers navigate an increasingly complex healthcare environment. Keith is passionate about ensuring that rural hospitals remain financially viable, locally governed, and independent so they can continue providing high-quality care close to home. Through innovative payer strategies, reimbursement optimization, and educational initiatives, Managed Care Partners helps rural hospitals strengthen their long-term sustainability and preserve access to essential healthcare services for the communities they serve.

Keith works closely with hospitals, health systems, and payers to improve reimbursement opportunities, strengthen payer-provider relationships, and advance strategies that support the long-term financial sustainability of rural healthcare organizations. He is actively involved in managed care contracting, value-based care initiatives, Medicare Advantage strategy, employer engagement, and revenue enhancement programs designed to help hospitals better serve their communities.

A strong advocate for rural healthcare education, Keith also leads educational initiatives that provide resources and training related to Medicare, Medicare Advantage, managed care contracting, and healthcare reimbursement. These programs support hospital leadership teams, staff, boards of directors, and community stakeholders in understanding the evolving healthcare environment.

Prior to joining Managed Care Partners, Keith owned and operated an independent insurance agency.

Keith earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education and Psychology from Eastern Illinois University.

Mata Binteris

JD, Assistant Vice President

Mata employs her legal education and experience with Managed Care Partners to advocate for providers. In addition to evaluating and negotiating payer agreements, Mata researches laws affecting providers and provider networks, seeks to resolve payer-provider reimbursement disputes, and participates in developing and implementing managed care contracting strategies for the firm’s clients. With Managed Care Partners for over 20 years,

Mata focuses on the needs and pressures unique to smaller independent hospitals, particularly critical access hospitals and the Medicare and Medicaid managed care markets.

Mata earned her law degree at Chicago-Kent College of Law and is licensed to practice law in Illinois. She holds a Master of Arts degree from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, also from DePaul.

Carey Kerney

JD, Vice President, Contracts and Credentialing

Carey’s responsibilities at Managed Care Partners include review, evaluation and negotiation of managed care and delegated credentialing contracts for our hospital accounts. She also works with our Credentialing department to prepare and update the policies and procedures utilized by our clients who have been granted delegated credentialing of providers. Carey’s research on changing regulations and other relevant healthcare legal matters is a comprehensive service provided to all our valued accounts.

Prior to joining Managed Care Partners in 2015, Carey was a litigator in a boutique firm in Beaufort, SC and Jones Day in Washington, DC, where she concentrated on plaintiff and defense litigation. Carey is a former President of the Beaufort County Bar Association and served for five years on its Board of Directors. She now applies her litigation skills of fact-finding, strategizing, communicating, persuading, problem-solving and dispute resolution on behalf of our client providers.

Carey is licensed to practice law in South Carolina, Virginia and the Fourth District Court of Appeals. She earned her law degree at Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Gettysburg College.

Jodi McDonald

Assistant Vice President

Jodi McDonald is a healthcare professional who has extensive experience in Managed Care Account Management and provider and facility Credentialing. Jodi has been with Managed Care Partners since 2009 and has established herself as a trusted expert in contracting, negotiating, problem solving and credentialing.

Jodi’s duties include assisting her clients in facilitating contracting efforts, issue resolution and provider enrollment. She collaborates closely with payer representatives to address the complexities of credentialing requirements, address any disputes, and ensure that all necessary documentation is provided promptly. Jodi’s proactive approach and attention to detail have been instrumental in maintaining strong relationships with payers and minimizing disruptions in reimbursement for her clients.

Prior to her current role, Jodi had various roles in the healthcare industry, gaining valuable experience. Her diverse background encompasses roles in both provider and payer organizations, as well as a national PBM, providing her with a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of healthcare from different perspectives.

Jodi’s dedication to excellence, meticulous approach to her work, and her ability to effectively collaborate with stakeholders across different departments and organizations.

Layla Earl

Assistant Vice President Revenue Cycle / Account Management

Layla Earl serves as Assistant Vice President of Revenue Cycle and Account Management for Managed Care Partners. With more than 25 years of healthcare leadership experience, Layla specializes in managed care contracting, reimbursement strategy, revenue cycle optimization, and payer-provider alignment.

Recognized for her collaborative approach and deep understanding of rural healthcare, she partners with hospitals and health systems to strengthen financial performance while preserving local access to care.

Having spent much of her career serving rural hospitals and critical access facilities, Layla understands firsthand the unique opportunities and challenges facing independent hospitals, health systems, and physician organizations. Her practical approach and collaborative style help clients navigate an increasingly complex payer environment while supporting financial sustainability and long-term growth.

Prior to joining Managed Care Partners, Layla held leadership roles in both the provider and payer sectors, including serving as an account manager and network developer for one of the nation’s largest healthcare organizations. This experience provides her with a broad perspective on healthcare operations and payer-provider relationships.

Layla supports Managed Care Partners clients throughout Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Idaho, Michigan, Missouri, and additional markets. She holds a Master of Health Administration degree from Saint Louis University and bachelor’s degrees in Applied Mathematics and Vocal Performance from San Diego State University.

Amy M. Edgar

Credentialing & Special Projects Coordinator

Amy Edgar serves as Credentialing and Special Projects Coordinator for Managed Care Partners and has been a valued member of the organization for nearly seven years. In her role, Amy develops and maintains critical resource tools that support account managers and hospital clients across multiple states and markets.

Amy oversees the creation and maintenance of Contract Reimbursement Summaries, providing hospitals with valuable insights into payer contract performance and helping ensure appropriate reimbursement for services provided. She also manages Medicare and Medicaid membership tracking, monitors health plan design changes, and maintains regional market intelligence that supports strategic decision-making for Managed Care Partners’ hospital clients.

In addition, Amy analyzes and compiles annual Medicare Advantage reports for clients and coordinates the development of the ABCs of Medicare educational presentations delivered to communities on behalf of partner hospitals. As part of the credentialing team, she provides ongoing provider license verification services for delegated credentialed hospitals, helping ensure compliance and accuracy across provider networks.

Amy brings more than 10 years of accounting experience and over 35 years of customer service expertise to her role. As the parent of a son with special needs, she also offers a unique personal perspective and firsthand understanding of Medicaid programs and the challenges many patients and families face when navigating the healthcare system.

Her analytical skills, attention to detail, and commitment to supporting rural healthcare organizations make her an integral member of the Managed Care Partners team.

Pamela A. Radcliffe

Analytics and Operations Administrator

Pamela Radcliffe serves as Analytics and Operations Administrator for Managed Care Partners, where she supports both client-facing analytics initiatives and the firm’s day-to-day operational and financial functions.

In her client services role, Pamela collects, organizes, and analyzes utilization and claims data, assists in the development of physician fee schedule summaries, and prepares analytical reports that support managed care strategy and performance evaluation. She also develops financial statements and reporting for physician-hospital organizations and other healthcare clients.

In addition to her analytical responsibilities, Pamela oversees the administrative and financial operations of Managed Care Partners. Her responsibilities include accounts payable and receivable management, financial reporting, general ledger maintenance, bank and credit card reconciliations, expense reporting, client billing, and other core financial functions that support the organization’s continued growth and operational excellence.

With extensive experience in accounting, financial administration, and customer service, Pamela brings a detail-oriented and solutions-focused approach to every project. Her unique blend of analytical expertise and operational leadership helps ensure both the financial integrity of the organization and the delivery of high-quality support to Managed Care Partners’ clients.

Ryan Hartigan

Analytics Specialist

Ryan joined Managed Care Partners in March of 2022. He focuses on collecting, cleaning, analyzing, and visualizing data for our clients. Ryan’s duties include claim reimbursement data analysis, medical and prescription claim utilization analysis, contract comparisons, and other ad hoc analytical reports.

Ryan thrives on innovation, efficiency, and asking the question “Why?” With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and a Master of Science degree in Business Analytics from Lewis University, Ryan brings a creative and analytical, outside-of-the-box approach to achieve results for our clients.