A win-win situation

Mardi Suhs | Cadillac News Business owner Barbara Darrigan (right) consults with Baker College student Debbie Becker, an extern at DarriganŐs company Northern Billing Specialists, Inc.

CADILLAC — Barbara Darrigan has watched her customized medical billing service grow from two employees to the 20 she now employs at Northern Billing Specialists.

And in her specialized business, one that requires knowledge of medical coding, attention to detail, strict confidentiality and bonded employees, Darrigan repeatedly hires graduates from the Medical Insurance Specialist programs at Baker College.

“Most of my employees are Baker graduates,” she said. “That’s the first place I look when I look for employees. We have a good partnership with them.”

Northern Billing Specialists is a Baker Partner, a business that agrees to take two externs (medical field interns) or interns per year and also agrees to hire one Baker graduate per year. For Darrigan, the partnership is a win-win relationship.

“I’m really pleased to have Baker College in Cadillac,” she said. “If Baker was not here, I would be training them myself, which is more costly.”

Darrigan said she became familiar with the partnership program when she was teaching Medical Insurance classes at Baker College.

“I could see how great the students were and it became my resource for future employees. After I stopped teaching, I continued to use their externship program.”

This semester, the Baker extern working for Darrigan has already been hired for a full-time position upon her graduation in June.

“We were hoping this would work out,” explained 27-year-old Debbie Becker, who is married with two children. “I graduate in June so now I have a job to come to.”

Becker said she started taking classes at Baker so she could get a better job to provide for her family. She began her externship as a medical insurance specialist on Jan. 2.

“At first coming from the classroom into the work situation was overwhelming, but enjoyable. I felt like there’s so much more to learn but I had a good foundation. Working here has helped to expand that foundation.”

Darrigan said Becker’s attention to details, good work ethic and her ability to think through a problem has made her an asset to her company.

mardijo@chartermi.net | 775-NEWS (6397)