Protenus Employee Values Spotlight
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Theo Laster, Cash Applications Associate

Our mission at Protenus is to advance the science of healthcare by bringing together creative and skilled individuals who are passionate about the security, usability, and applicability of health data. As this information becomes more voluminous, comprehensive, and, as a consequence, more vulnerable, we are building scalable, insightful solutions that address critical issues preventing the efficient, safe, and effective delivery of patient care.

Our team is comprised of a diverse group of people who come together to achieve this shared mission. To give a glimpse into our culture and highlight the diversity of our team, we’ve asked Theo Laster, Cash Applications Associate, to share more about his experience working at Protenus.

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What’s your role at Protenus, and what do you do?

I serve as the Cash Applications Associate for the Protenus team. I handle all of the accounts payable and receivables for the company. Essentially, if it involves the inflow or outflow of Protenus money, I am involved in ensuring the efficiency of the process.

What did you do before coming to Protenus?

Prior to joining the team at Protenus, I worked for Maxim Healthcare Services as a Reimbursement Specialist.

What initially attracted you to Protenus?

Once I interviewed with Brian, our CFO, I knew working at Protenus would offer a lot of autonomy and I could tell that this would be a place where I would thrive. I like that there are a lot of opportunities to work with different people across the company and that I am not siloed in finance. I have been able to learn about many different aspects of this growing organization that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve elsewhere. Reflecting on my career trajectory, I knew that the fast-paced environment would catapult my skills by leveraging the unique opportunities available by working with a high-growth company.

What’s your favorite part of your job?

The quirky challenges and questions I get from various team members are by far my favorite part of the job. I find myself working on revenue recognition, contracts, accounting issues, and more. Anything remotely affected by cash flow, I’m normally being asked about it, which can be really engaging for me. With my past experiences, my duties were very limited and restricting, with little room to learn or grow. Protenus has been the complete opposite. My expertise and thoughts are always welcomed and encouraged as we navigate this evolving landscape together.

What’s the most important thing you’ve learned since starting at Protenus?

Stay open to new challenges. Before I joined, I wasn’t exactly sure how I would be able to impact the company, but Protenus gave me an opportunity to help different teams and learn new skills. If I was working anywhere else, I would probably just finish my work and go home but here, I am excited by the opportunity to help other teams like People Operations and many other teams within the company.

How has working at Protenus impacted your career?

It has helped relate my accounting classes to real world applications. For example, in one of my classes we were discussing the performance obligations of a contract. At the same time I was learning about this in my class, I was actually reading contracts for Protenus and applying the skills learned in class. You can’t get much better real world application than that!

What has surprised you the most about working at Protenus?

The honesty and truthfulness I’ve seen throughout Protenus is unlike anything I’ve experienced in my career. Ideas like true autonomy and transparency are buzz words many companies use to describe their company culture, but they are not just buzzwords at Protenus, they are operationalized every day. I really enjoy working at Protenus.

In 10 words or less, how would you describe the culture at Protenus?

  • Focused
  • Open
  • Freeing
  • Challenging
  • Communicative
  • Strong Community

 Protenus has given me the opportunity to explore a new part of my career that I didn’t know existed. I’ve been able to take my previous experiences and new skills and apply them to my job in new and exciting ways. I’m excited to be a part of this growing team and to see what the next stage looks like.

View our Careers page, if you’d like to see current job opportunities at Protenus.