Deborah Lynn Stephens is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Behavioral Health Systems, Inc. (BHS).
BIRMINGHAM, AL, December 24, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Deborah Lynn Stephens with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Ms. Stephens celebrates many years' experience in her professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes she has accrued in her field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Ms. Stephens is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Behavioral Health Systems, Inc. (BHS). Established in 1989 as a privately held corporation headquartered in Birmingham, AL, her organization created and administers a national preferred provider organization of behavioral health-related hospitals, physicians and professionals. BHS administers the mental health, substance abuse and employee assistance program benefits on behalf of 300+ employers and 500,000 beneficiaries nationwide. In addition to overseeing the care provided through this network and processing all claims between the employer-client and BHS providers, the organization offers complementary behavioral health-related programs and services including drug testing and workers' comp. Ms. Stephens became a principal shareholder of BHS in 2015 and has been chairman of the board of directors since inception.
Prior to founding BHS, Ms. Stephens was the executive vice president and chief operating officer of Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Hospital and its holding company Medical Rehabilitation Institute, in Milwaukee, WI for five years and vice president of finance and CFO for three years prior. She also held positions with Unicare Health Facilities and Miller Brewing Company in Milwaukee and the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City. Before embarking upon her illustrious career, Ms. Stephens received a Bachelor of Science at the University of Iowa in 1974, Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. She later completed postgraduate coursework at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and the University of California Berkeley. A notable educational experience for Ms. Stephens was attending junior high school at the Theodor Fliedner School for Girls in Germany, where her father started the first European division of Maytag Corporation, and where she learned fluent German.
A sought-after health care executive, Ms. Stephens has contributed her expertise as a consultant on rehabilitation, hospital administration, finance, multi-corporation planning and zero-based budgeting. She served on the oral examining boards for the City of Milwaukee and Jefferson County, was active on the prospective payment advisory committee for the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington and was a founding member of the American Rehabilitation Network, Inc. based in Delaware. Ms. Stephens has presented nationally on zero-base budgeting, corporate reorganization, managed care and planning, workers' compensation, managed psychiatric care and substance abuse issues and also recently on opioid treatment options and the use of psychotropic medications to regional and national organizations.
Affiliated with multiple industry related organizations nationally, Ms. Stephens was active on the governing board of the Hospital of Finance Management Association and the prospective payment advisory board and medical oriented facilities committee of the National Association of Rehabilitation Facilities. Locally, Ms. Stephens has served as a member of the Business Council of Alabama's health care cost containment committee. Among other memberships, she has served as a trustee for the Birmingham Business Alliance since 2005. Moreover, Ms. Stephens is a 25-year member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham (and board member 2009), the Venture Club, and BHS is a member of the Midwest Business Group on Health. Ms. Stephens also served as chairman of the Applecross homeowners association for 8 years.
Renowned for 30+ years of success, BHS has maintained an 89% employer-client retention rate since inception in 1989 and a staff turnover rate that has averaged less than 3% per year since inception. Among other recognitions, the organization has also maintained a 96% patient satisfaction rate since 1994. BHS currently ranks among the 10 largest in the nation among similar companies, with a regional office in Chicago, IL. Ms. Stephens, specifically, has been named One of the Top 5 Thriving Business Women in Birmingham by Business to Business magazine in 1995 and One of the Top 78 National Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneur magazine in 1996. She has been featured in Healthwatch, Business Alabama, the Birmingham News, Managed Healthcare Magazine, Open Minds, Birmingham Magazine, the Birmingham Post Herald and the Birmingham Business Journal, Who's Who in Health Care (8 times) for her successes as well.
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