Ariel Jenkinson – Director of Finance – St. Luke’s Health Partners

Ariel Jenkinson has been working in the finance space since she got her start at Deloitte & Touché, LLP, in Seattle, Washington, in 2012 where she worked as a senior auditor for several years. As a senior auditor, she managed several teams and both planned and performed audits for companies according to Generally Accepted Accounting Principle rules. But in 2017, Jenkinson would shift her career a bit by moving into the health care finance sector specifically.

In 2017, Jenkinson began working as a health care reimbursement analyst/accountant with the St. Luke’s Health System. And since then, her career in health care finance has seen her working in Boise with St. Luke’s in several different responsible capacities. Her achievements with St. Luke’s have been quite significant, including acting as a liaison between St. Luke’s Health System and the state of Idaho during a transition to a new statewide upper payment limit model As liaison, Jenkinson identified a $77 million a year opportunity within the model to enhance both hospital and state budget funding.

Eventually in 2023, Jenkinson would move into her most recent role with St. Luke’s Health Partners (SLHP) as Director of Finance. As Director of Finance, Jenkinson is responsible for many things including structuring and performing strategic analyses for SLHP and working in a collaborative capacity to provide insights to help support contracting efforts. Her role oversees a clinically integrated network that is focused on lowering the cost of health care throughout the Treasure Valley and she is at the center of developing transformation methods of care through risk-based contracting arrangements.

Jenkinson’s career meshes well with her philosophy in life, which is to be curious.

“As a health care finance leader, I am guided by curiosity as a core value. As a first-generation college student, I have always viewed challenges as opportunities for learning and improvement,” Jenkinson said of her philosophy. “Being curious encourages a culture of ongoing innovation within health care. I value flexibility and an openness to new ideas, adapting strategies and practices based on emerging health care trends and stakeholder needs.”

Alongside her professional life, Jenkinson is also dedicated to both nonprofit work and civic engagement. She has previously served on the Idaho Healthcare Financial Management Association as a board member and with the Idaho Suicide Prevention Action Network as treasurer, where she assisted regional teams with timely financial information so they could continue with community outreach and call intake programs.

When it comes to some of the important influences throughout her life, Jenkinson points to both her parents as being key.

“My parents’ unwavering belief in me and their constant encouragement have been the cornerstone of my success in my career,” Jenkinson said. “They instilled in me the belief that I could achieve anything I set my mind to, and their support has fueled my determination and drive to excel. Their words of encouragement have been a guiding light, motivating me to push beyond boundaries and strive for greatness.”