Having a “Ripple Effect”—Meet Our 2026 CCSS Agent of the Year

For Stacie Rivera, who was recently named VNS Health’s 2026 Contact Center Shared Service Agent (CCSS) Agent of the Year, teamwork is everything.

“Teamwork is central to everything we do,” she says. “I emphasize to our team that our work on the authorization team has a ripple effect across each member’s care. If there’s an incomplete notation, for example, it can leave a colleague without the answers they need.”

Stacie also tells her team that every day is a new day… You need to put yourself in the caller’s shoes … Don’t take challenging calls personally.

This philosophy sums up how Stacie has approached her job during her 20 years at VNS Health.

In her position as Senior Authorization Coordinator on CCSS’s Medicare Authorization team, Stacie assists providers who are seeking authorizations for plan members’ Medicare procedures. She also spends considerable time supporting her fellow team members—training new hires, answering colleagues’ questions, and stepping in as a supervisor when needed.

That support is felt and appreciated by her colleagues. In their nominations, they described Stacie as “a trusted go-to resource who reduces uncertainty and improves execution across the team,” as well as someone who “combines speed, accuracy, and care in a rare balance of responsiveness and depth.”

Stacie has worn a number of different hats during her career at VNS Health, starting in Home Care before transitioning to the Authorization Department, and she knows well what it’s like to start in a new role. “I’ve received great support from my supervisors over the years, and I try to return that support to my colleagues,” she says. “I feel like everybody could use help at one point or another.”

As Stacie is training her CCSS colleagues, she makes empathy a central feature. When a provider calls in with a need or a concern, she notes, it’s important to imagine how you would feel in their situation—and act accordingly. She also teaches the value of patience. “Take every call as it comes, and don’t try to rush things,” Stacie advises. “When someone takes their time and deeply understands the training, then they’re flying.”

One of Stacie’s favorite parts of the job is seeing her training pay off, especially when the reps she’s coached earn their own recognition for handling calls well and providing strong customer service.

Stacie takes enormous pride in her Agent of the Year award as a recognition of her long career at an organization she loves—an appreciation that’s deepened by the fact that her nomination came from her coworkers. “That made me even happier about the award because I felt, okay, my colleagues appreciate how I work with them, and the people I’ve trained appreciate what I taught them,” she says. “It’s a joyous time.”

Congratulations, Stacie, on being named CCSS Agent of the Year! And congratulations as well to the runners-up for this year’s award, Archana Beemsigne and Freddy Quinones!