Executive Suite: Barbara Cataletto

Today Barbara Cataletto is an expert in medical coding and reimbursement issues related to spine surgery.

She started her career as a basketball coach and physical education teacher. "I had three young kids at the time," she says, and was too tired out from being active on her job to "come home and try to be active with my own kids."

While working in the early 1990s as a business manager and doing billing and coding for a spine practice in Mineola, she came to recognize this specialty niche. Cataletto, 52, went on to receive an MBA from Adelphi University.

Now she sees advocating for reimbursement for the surgeon, patient and others as a major role of her business. "We argue points with insurance companies, we challenge them, we do appeals."

Cataletto also launched a business that provides education and consulting services, as well as one that provides Web-based spine coding programs.

What's your biggest headache?
"Finding the right staff at the right level." That would be "high-level spine reimbursement specialists . . . one of most complicated and difficult employment pools out there."

What do you look for in job candidates?
"We have to get those who have some experience with the business -- a long enough span of employment at one place. But more importantly, those who are eager and interested in learning how to challenge the system." Successful candidates should "really have the skills to tolerate and work through a very complicated system." Also, have "intuitive brightness," be a "street-smart professional," and "have gone on for additional training," showing "they are eager to continue to learn."

What's it like to work for your company?
Given the complexities and workload, "it's not easy working here. We have a lot of successes. We have some very good days . . . fun minutes. We have successes, and then it's back to work. We've got to pay the bills and keep people in their jobs. Let's go."

What book has influenced you in managing your business?
"Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don't" by Jim Collins. Especially the chapter on the hedgehog concept: "Keep your head down, stick with what you know, get better and better and better, forget about what distracts you."

What's the biggest perk that comes with being the boss?
Getting to hire family members "and have them here." Also, "being the decision maker. I like the control part."

If there were a fire alarm, what in your office would you grab first?

When fire alarms go off "I never leave." Still, if she had to, she might grab her photos of racehorses Secretariat and Barbaro, "both crossing the finish line."

Name. Barbara M. Cataletto, chief executive, founder ORGANIZATION: Business Dynamics Llc, Mineola, a medical coding and reimbursement firm, working primarily with spine surgeons and hospitals.

What her business does. "We are spine industry advocates, making sure all parties are protected, are treated fairly and more importantly, get everything they deserve -- the doctors, fair pay for their services; the patients, the coverage their insurance companies are supposed to provide."

Employees. 45 full-time, three part-time, in roles such as medical coder, biller, processor, auditor, customer service, appeals.

Revenue. About $5 million