Sarah Henriksen
Background & Education
Sarah Henriksen holds a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a concentration in Community Health Nursing from Montana State University in Bozeman. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the same institution and has maintained active Registered Nurse (RN) licensure throughout her 14-year career in healthcare education and clinical nursing.
Her graduate work focused on health literacy, patient self-management support, and rural health access — a set of interests that has consistently shaped her approach to patient education and her understanding of the structural barriers many patients face in navigating the healthcare system.
Clinical & Educational Experience
Sarah spent the early years of her career as a staff nurse in acute care, building a clinical foundation across medical-surgical and oncology units before transitioning into patient education and care coordination roles. For nine years, she worked as a Patient Education Specialist and later as a Discharge Planning Coordinator at a regional Montana medical center, developing and delivering individualized education programs for patients managing chronic conditions, preparing for surgery, or transitioning from inpatient to outpatient care.
In that role, she became deeply familiar with the challenges patients face in understanding their diagnoses, their medications, their post-discharge care plans, and — critically — their insurance coverage. She developed particular expertise in explaining complex insurance concepts, including prior authorization processes, appeals procedures, and behavioral health parity rights, to patients and families in plain language.
Editorial Role at Holy Rosary Healthcare
Sarah oversees the Patient Resources and Community Health verticals and contributes to insurance navigation content in the Health Insurance section. Her editorial focus areas include:
- How to find and evaluate quality healthcare providers
- Understanding medical bills, Explanation of Benefits (EOB), and negotiating costs
- Patient rights under HIPAA, the ACA, and state-level protections
- Preparing for medical appointments and communicating effectively with providers
- Preventive care recommendations by age and risk category
- Healthy aging — fall prevention, cognitive health, chronic disease management in older adults
- Family wellness and pediatric health education
Relevant Sources & Guidelines
- CDC Preventive Health Guidelines
- HealthCare.gov — ACA Coverage Information
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) patient safety resources
- American Nurses Association (ANA) health literacy and patient education frameworks