Kristina Gursky Named 2026 Top Lobbyist | IC System

Healthcare policy decisions affect more than regulations and reimbursement. They influence how hospitals operate, how patients access care, and how healthcare organizations manage the financial side of providing that care.

For IC System’s Kristina Gursky, helping policymakers understand those real-world challenges has become an important part of her work.

Gursky, Vice President of Healthcare Strategy & Continuous Improvement at IC System, has been named a 2026 Top Lobbyist in the grassroots advocacy category by the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics (NILE).

She is one of just three professionals recognized in the grassroots category and among 100 lobbying, political action committee (PAC), and grassroots advocacy professionals honored nationwide.

Recognizing Leadership in Healthcare Advocacy

NILE’s annual Top Lobbyist Awards recognize professionals who have demonstrated exceptional advocacy success, innovation, leadership, and integrity.

Unlike awards based on public voting or organizational size, honorees are nominated by colleagues, clients, congressional staff, or fellow professionals and evaluated through a blind peer-review process. Judges consider accomplishments from the current year, innovation in the field, and commitment to ethics and community involvement.

Gursky’s recognition reflects her work helping healthcare revenue cycle professionals participate directly in policy discussions that affect their organizations and the patients they serve.

At IC System, Gursky leads healthcare strategy and oversees Account Management and Client Service operations for the company’s healthcare portfolio. Her work involves supporting hospitals, health systems, physician groups, and dental practices as they manage outstanding patient balances and the challenges associated with healthcare collections.

She also serves as Vice President of the Association of Revenue Cycle Professionals (ARCP) and Chair of its Government Relations Committee, where she has helped develop the association’s advocacy efforts.

Bringing Revenue Cycle Professionals to Capitol Hill

One of the most significant examples of Gursky’s advocacy work in 2026 was ARCP’s inaugural Healthcare Revenue Leadership Summit.

Held September 22–24, 2026, at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., the sold-out event brought revenue cycle leaders from across the country together for continuing education and direct engagement with congressional offices.

Gursky helped develop the summit’s advocacy program, prepare attendees for congressional meetings, and participate in policy conversations with offices in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

Two major healthcare policy issues were central to those discussions.

The first was prior authorization reform for Medicare Advantage plans. Prior authorization requirements can create administrative challenges for healthcare providers and delays for patients seeking medically necessary care.

The second was modernizing financial assistance programs, including proposals that would allow healthcare providers to use IRS income verification information to help determine patient eligibility for financial assistance more efficiently.

Both issues reflect challenges that healthcare revenue cycle professionals encounter regularly but that may not always be fully understood during the policymaking process.

According to Gursky, congressional offices from both parties responded positively to the discussions. The meetings also helped establish relationships that could support continued conversations about healthcare policy well beyond the summit.

Recognition for a Broader Advocacy Effort

For IC System, the award reflects both Gursky’s leadership and her commitment to bringing practical healthcare experience into national policy conversations.

“Kristina has shown that the people who manage healthcare’s revenue cycle every day belong in the room where healthcare policy is made. This recognition from her peers reflects the integrity and persistence she brings to protecting both providers and the patients they serve,” said John Erickson, Jr., President & CEO of IC System.

Gursky emphasized that the recognition extends beyond her individual contributions to the revenue cycle professionals who participated in ARCP’s advocacy efforts.

“Healthcare policy is often developed with good intentions, but the real-world effects on patients and providers aren’t always fully understood. My goal is to help policymakers understand the complexities of the revenue cycle by bringing the professionals who do this work into the conversation,” said Gursky. “I’m honored by this recognition, but I share it with every ARCP member who came to Washington to tell their story and the stories of the patients they serve.”

ARCP President Kenny Koerner, who also serves as Director of Revenue Cycle and Director of Patient Accounts at CGH Medical Center in Sterling, Illinois, highlighted Gursky’s role in building the association’s government relations efforts.

“Kristina has been instrumental in building ARCP’s government relations and grassroots advocacy efforts. As our Vice President and Chair of the Government Relations Committee, she brings tremendous expertise and leadership to developing position papers and advocating for policies that support healthcare providers and their patients,” said Koerner. “Her understanding of the real-world impact of legislative and regulatory decisions makes this recognition especially well deserved.”

Continuing the Conversation on Healthcare Policy

Gursky’s work through ARCP represents a broader effort to ensure that the professionals responsible for managing healthcare revenue cycles have opportunities to contribute to the policies that affect their work.

Whether those conversations involve prior authorization, financial assistance, regulatory requirements, or patient access to care, the perspective of revenue cycle professionals can help policymakers better understand how proposed changes may work in practice.

The relationships developed during the Healthcare Revenue Leadership Summit also provide a foundation for continued engagement between healthcare professionals and congressional offices.

Gursky will be formally recognized at the 2026 Top Lobbyist Awards Gala on November 2, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

IC System congratulates Kristina on this recognition and her continued contributions to the healthcare revenue cycle profession.

The complete list of honorees is available in the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics’ official 2026 Top Lobbyists announcement.

To learn more about IC System’s work with hospitals, health systems, and healthcare providers, visit IC System.