Candace Blackburn, RHIT, is a Research Charge Capture Specialist with Baptist Health, bringing more than 15 years of experience across patient access, prior authorization, revenue cycle operations, and clinical research billing. Her career has been shaped by working at the operational fault lines where study design, billing decisions, and real‑world site workflows intersect.
Known for her ability to connect upstream planning with downstream impact, Candace helps research teams understand how protocol language, coverage decisions, and documentation choices affect denials, reimbursement risk, and participant billing outcomes. Her work focuses on building clear, usable, and compliant research billing processes that scale across studies without adding unnecessary burden to site staff.
Candace is also an advocate for the practical use of AI in site operations. She uses AI‑supported workflows to streamline research participant payment request processes, improving transparency, turnaround time, and consistency. In study maintenance, she applies AI tools to support amendment reviews by comparing protocols and study documents, quickly identifying discrepancies and billing‑relevant changes so teams can move forward with confidence and speed.
A trusted educator and problem‑solver, Candace is recognized for translating complex regulatory and operational requirements into actionable guidance for site teams. She is an RHIT‑credentialed professional, an award recipient for innovation and integrity, and a regular contributor to internal education and process improvement efforts. At the Site Innovation Summit, Candace brings a grounded, site‑first perspective on how thoughtful process design and responsible use of technology—especially AI—can strengthen research operations from the inside out.
