Title: Senior Director of Care Management and Utilization Review
Company: Valleywise Health
Location: Mesa, Arizona, United States
Lene Hudson, RN, MSN, CCM, CDS, senior director of care management and utilization review at Valleywise Health, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Nurses for dedication, achievements, and leadership in care management.
First becoming interested in the field as a teenager, Ms. Hudson has built an esteemed 40-year career as a nurse. The origin of her fascination came at the age of 14, when her father arranged for her to care for two elderly women over the summer. Throughout the course of this experience, Ms. Hudson discovered how much satisfaction she received from helping others. Motivated by that recognition, she decided to devote her life to nursing.
Beginning along her professional path properly in 1986, Ms. Hudson became a staff relief charge nurse in the critical care department of Mesa General Hospital. Following this, she filled the role of regional director at Centrum Healthcare from 1998 to 2005. Ms. Hudson later contributed as vice president of clinical operations at Premier Hospice; emergency room case manager, utilization management supervisor and system manager of care management at HonorHealth (formerly Scottsdale Healthcare); and professional services manager at MedAssets. Her leadership was rewarded when she was offered the role of director of utilization management at Community Health Group in 2016.
Since 2017, Ms. Hudson has served as the director of care management and utilization review at Valleywise Health. She oversees strategic program development for the company, which is the only public teaching health system in the Phoenix area. Ms. Hudson’s specialties include disease management, team leadership and integrated care. She considers herself a servant leader who prioritizes mentorship and helping employees to achieve their full potential. Ms. Hudson believes her greatest career highlight has been watching her staff members grow into leadership positions of their own. She believes in the power and potential to impact the field by teaching individuals.
Before embarking onto her vocational journey, Ms. Hudson solidified her knowledge through a strong education, beginning with an associate’s degree in 1985. Building on that foundation later in her career, she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Chamberlain University in 2011. Subsequently, Ms. Hudson earned a Master of Science in Nursing from the same institution in 2013. She was licensed as a practical nurse in 1984. Dedicated to continued self-improvement, Ms. Hudson has pursued numerous opportunities to expand her credentials. She has been certified as a case manager, a clinical documentation specialist and a registered nurse.
Long dedicated to civic advocacy, Ms. Hudson contributes to her wider community in a number of capacities. She regularly volunteers with local foundations for underserved populations and occasionally offers her expertise to organizations like the National Association for Mental Health. Ms. Hudson also teaches others through a variety of speaking engagements. In 2025, she gave a presentation on pediatric care management programs for a national conference. In the past, Ms. Hudson has given speeches on such topics as care coordination, behavioral health and transitional care. She has contributed to articles on these same topics for a variety of professional journals.
Beyond her work, Ms. Hudson is a loving mother to two and a grandmother to two. She enjoys practicing yoga, gardening and spending time with her dogs. Moving ahead, Ms. Hudson is committed to continuing to improve her field through providing insights and mentorship. She also hopes to do more public speaking with the same goal in mind.
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