Ruth A Cummins

Ruth A. Cummins, 69, of Carmel, IN, passed away on October 30, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, integrity, generosity with her knowledge, and devotion to her family.

Ruth was born in Winton, MN on April 22, 1957 and raised in Babbitt, MN. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Information Administration from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota, where she graduated summa cum laude in 1979. That same year she became a Registered Health Information Administrator. It was the start of a 40-year career spent making sure hospitals kept accurate, complete records of the patients in their care.

Ruth began her career at Caylor-Nickel Medical Center in Bluffton, Indiana, where she rose to Director of Health Information Management. She then spent more than 20 years in healthcare consulting. She was a senior manager at Ernst & Young, a partner at V4 Consulting, and a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She later helped build Accretive Health, now R1 RCM, from a start-up into a national company. She also held system and national leadership roles with St. Vincent Health and Ascension Health. In 2019, she ended her executive career as a Vice President at R1 RCM before transitioning to an administrative role at the law firm of Drewry Simmons Vornehm, where she retired in 2024.

Over the course of her career, Ruth led hundreds of projects at hospitals across the country. She worked side by side with physicians and hospital staff to improve their documentation and quality of care. She also served as an expert in federal healthcare investigations, and she was known nationally as an early champion of new technology in her field.

Ruth gave just as much to her profession as she took from it. She served as President of the Indiana Health Information Management Association, which honored her with its Distinguished Member Award in 1992. She chaired the Long Term Care Section of the American Health Information Management Association and wrote that organization’s first set of coding guidelines for long-term care. A sought-after speaker, author, and guest lecturer, she spent decades teaching the next generation of professionals in her field.

Outside of her work, Ruth loved baking and cheering on her beloved Indianapolis Colts. But she was happiest turning ordinary days into special occasions. Birthdays, holidays, and every milestone in between got the full Ruth treatment, and no detail was too small. She was dedicated to her faith and an active member of Cornerstone Lutheran Church, where she taught Sunday School for many years and led both her children through Catechism to their First Communion. Above all, Ruth was cherished by her family, friends, and many professional colleagues.

She is survived by her husband of forty-five years, Gregory Cummins; her children, Colin (Abygail) and Erin (Peter) Cummins; her sisters, Alice (Steven) O’Brien, Jean Hartshorn, and Eileen Eddy; her sister-in-law, Sandra Stallings, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Wilho and Helia (Niemela) Heikkila; her brothers-in-law, Bradley Eddy and Kirt Hartshorn; and her sister-in-law, Judy Edwards.

Family and friends will gather for a Funeral Service on Friday, November 6, 2026, at 11am at Cornerstone Lutheran Church (4850 E. Main Street, Carmel, Indiana 46033). Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Burial take place at 2pm at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens. All who knew and loved Ruth are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association or the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.

Ruth was loved beyond belief and will be deeply missed.