Imagine that you reduced the time spent performing the tasks critical to the financial success of your organization from several hours to just five minutes each day. And, your rate of accuracy jumped to nearly 100%!
Christina Hertzberg, Application Coordinator at Riverside Medical Center, and her colleagues were able to do just that thanks to the introduction of Emdeon Patient Lockbox. The Riverside Medical Center staff eliminated hours upon hours from their workdays which were previously spent sorting, posting and depositing 450+ payments each day. Now, two people spend just five minutes combined to manage those same tasks. Not to mention, it virtually eliminated the inefficiencies and inaccuracies associated with manually posting payments.
“Using Emdeon solutions to automate processes, we are able to get more done in the day and use our staff for problem solving instead of manual tasks,” Ms. Hertzberg stated.
Suffice to say, Riverside Medical Center is running smoother than ever because they really did find more time! Want to learn more? You can get all the details by downloading the recently released case study highlighting Riverside Medical Center’s success with Emdeon Patient Lockbox.
In this case study, you’ll learn…
• How deep Riverside’s struggles were with outdated manual processes and posting errors
• Why this provider determined Emdeon offered the best solution for its needs
• What kind of training was involved to get staff up and running with Emdeon Patient Lockbox
• Specific results that have positively impacted Riverside Medical
If your organization is searching for solutions to overcome manual processes, posting errors and overworked staff, this case study is a must read. Want to learn more about Emdeon Patient Lockbox, visit us online or call 877.EMDEON.6 (877.363.3666) to discover more!
Download now!
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Find More Time. Really.
It's 10 O'Clock. Do You Know Where Your Patient Data Is?
If nothing is more important to a healthcare provider than caring for the well-being of patients, protecting patients’ personal information runs a very close second. Patient care is guided by the Hippocratic Oath but it is also heavily regulated by HIPAA mandates requiring that provider organizations keep a watchful eye to safeguard patient data too.
If your organization uses email to transmit patient billing files, you are likely subjecting precious data to potential compromise. The causes of possible data leakage through email are vast including human error, system hacking and unauthorized access. All around, transmitting patient billing files using email is a high risk procedure that comes with enormous consequences should the method fail.
That’s why Emdeon ExpressBill Services is designed to protect patient billing information throughout statement printing and mailing and especially when files are initially uploaded from the provider’s patient billing system.
The key to our data protection? Emdeon leverages a password-protected File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site which allows customers to transfer files to this secure site ensuring only the provider and Emdeon can access the files. This method is like an armed guard escort leading the file directly from one locked safe to the next reducing the risk of misdirected, leaked or intercepted data. Our eye on file security doesn’t stop there. After the files are uploaded, they are automatically scanned to evaluate data integrity and file completeness. Another bonus? Data can be sent 24 hours a day, seven days a week and customers have the flexibility to select whether file processing should start in real time or on a pre-determined schedule.
Keeping sensitive data protected and secure is at the core of Emdeon’s business. Did you know that Emdeon powers the single largest financial, administrative and clinical information exchange in the U.S. healthcare system? Recently, Emdeon opened the second of two new data centers that serve as the central nervous system for the largest and most powerful network in healthcare. With a Tier 3 infrastructure, these centers allow us to provide a single, interactive and standards-based transaction processing and analytics platform.
Take a comprehensive look at your patient billing data processes. Do you see any potential leaks in the system? Call 877.EMDEON.6 (877.363.3666) to learn more about Emdeon ExpressBill Services!
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What to Expect When You're Expecting (...A Bill, That Is!)
Tips for Teaching Patients What to Expect Before the Statement Arrives
It’s human nature to fear the unknown. The quake of uncertainty arises during many of life’s big challenges. Leaving home for the first time, getting married, having a family… receiving a hospital billing statement.
Yes, holding a billing statement from a healthcare provider can be a white-knuckled experience when the Total Amount Due puts an unexpected strain on the household budget.
Many professionals in the business of Accounts Receivable and collections in the healthcare industry report that people generally want to pay their bills but are hindered in doing so promptly or in full if their billing statements are complex or hard to read. Add the innately daunting details of a healthcare encounter to a billing statement, and it’s simple to understand why patients are so fearful come payment time.
Today, many providers have taken steps to make statements more approachable and understandable. They’re using better designs organized for easier review, incorporating colors to call out key information and tailoring language with the recipient in mind. Nonetheless, fears and confusion associated with billing remain. What’s a provider to do?
Here are some practical ideas to help educate patients about the billing process.
Show & Tell at Registration
Begin educating patients about their bills at the point of registration by familiarizing them with the statement layout. Display a poster-size version of a statement in the patient registration area with visual callouts highlighting key aspects of the design. If your facility has different statement templates for subsequent notices, display the entire statement series so patients are acquainted with what to expect.
Interactive Explanation Online
Extend this “show & tell” approach to your website. Create an easily accessed page that shows interactive first, second and final notice statements. Create clickable highlighted information to engage patients as you explain how to find essential balance information, due dates, etc.
Continuous Improvement Based on Feedback
In the latest report issued by the PATIENT FRIENDLY BILLING® Project Report “Case Studies in Customer Service”, the case study of Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s approach to improving patient statements serves as a motivating template for providers. The Sharp Grossmont team met regularly to identify and address the portions of patient statements that generated the most calls and questions. Over time, the organization redesigned its statements to reduce calls and empower patients to better understand their payment requirements and options.
Pre-Statement Communication
Don’t blindside patients, especially those facing large out-of-pocket balances. Make it standard practice to pull reports identifying these patients, and send them pre-statement correspondence to prepare and guide them regarding what’s to come. Call them directly and proactively offer financial counsel to help ease the payment process. Starting the conversation early will make it easier to stay in touch during the payment process.
Want to learn more about helping your patients better understand their financial responsibilities? Call 877.EMDEON.6 (877.363.3666) to learn more or visit us online.
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U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Declares Postage Rate Changes
Helping Emdeon ExpressBill Services Customers Brace for USPS Increases
With the loss of nearly $10 billion in 2011, the USPS faces more operational challenges and rampant questions if it can (or even should) remain solvent. Rate increases are just one of the tactics being employed to help the agency attempt to survive. In an effort to address their financial losses, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced an increase in postage rates effective January 22, 2012. While Emdeon will attempt to minimize the impact, Emdeon ExpressBill Services customers may experience a rise in the postage costs associated with their service. Emdeon has communicated directly with all impacted customers to provide specific information regarding their postage increase.
With the decree to reduce operating costs by $20 billion by 2015, the USPS is also planning closures of approximately half of its 500 major mail processing facilities. There’s been strong talk of eliminating Saturday mail delivery and a workforce reduction, as well. Such actions would shift the standard for First Class mail delivery from one to three days to two to three days.
In this age of digital information sharing and online payments, it’s inevitable that the scope, service and cost of traditional mailing would undergo changes as mail volumes have decreased over the past few years. This reality, coupled with the required prefunding of health-benefit premiums for future retirees (approximately $21 billion total) as prescribed by a 2006 law, has put the USPS in a growing sea of red ink.
Of course, Emdeon will stay on the forefront of these issues and provide updated information as necessary. Given the current situation, there has never been a better time to aggressively encourage patients to go paperless by electing to receive an electronic only bill. Emdeon can also help you expand payment collection channels to accept payments over-the-phone, online and at the point-of-service as well. Call 877.EMDEON.6 (866.363.3666) to learn more!
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Vegas Baby, Vegas!
Visit Emdeon at HIMSS12 Annual Conference & Exhibition at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas February 20-24, 2012. The HIMSS12 Annual Conference & Exhibition offers the most comprehensive collection of educational sessions and the most extensive technical exhibition in the healthcare Information Technology (IT) industry. In 2011, over 31,000 people attended and even more are expected to attend the 2012 conference in Las Vegas. Visit Emdeon at Booth 3616 to learn more about Emdeon and to be entered into a drawing to win an Apple iPad®!
As part of HIMSS12 Annual Conference & Exhibition, Emdeon will also be participating in the HIMSS Interoperability Showcase at booth 11000 within Hall G of the Sands Expo and Convention Center. Emdeon will demonstrate the capabilities of Emdeon ePayment which replaces paper-based claims payments with electronic (EFT) payments that are directly deposited into the provider's bank account. This exhibition features leading clinical and financial solutions using interoperable standards-based systems to improve patient care.
About HIMSS
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is a cause-based, not-for-profit organization exclusively focused on providing global leadership for the optimal use of information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare. HIMSS frames and leads healthcare practices and public policy through its content expertise, professional development, research initiatives, and media vehicles designed to promote information and management systems’ contributions to improving the quality, safety, access, and cost-effectiveness of patient care.
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What's the Big Deal About Payment Automation?
Would you consider the capability to get paid faster and more completely while also reducing manual processes and the need for full-time staff to be a big deal? Of course you would. The evolving healthcare landscape demands that providers of all sizes find solutions to not only collect more revenue, but be more efficient in doing so. Any alternative that results in greater reimbursement and staff efficiencies is, simply put, a big deal.
That’s where Emdeon Payment Automation comes in. Providers nationwide are reaping the benefits from automated solutions for processing paper Remittance Advice (RA) and Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) for one streamlined workflow. We’re empowering providers to eliminate burdensome, manual processes related to paper with automation to post commercial insurance payments promptly and accurately.
Rather than just tell you of Emdeon Payment Automation’s powerful impact from our vantage point, we’d prefer to show you its benefits through a recently-released case study featuring a prominent medium-sized organization’s surprisingly simple and quick journey to big time benefits.
Download this compelling case-in-point to discover:
• The shortcomings of a bank’s EOB processing system and lockbox services
• How long it took and how many people were needed to post payments and correct Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) errors for this provider organization
• The many, measurable ways Emdeon Payment Automation improved the situation
• An executive’s firsthand account of Emdeon’s implementation process and support
• How long it took for the provider organization to break even on its investment in Emdeon’s solution
While this Emdeon Customer Success Story is a relevant read for any organization seeking a practical, simple-to-implement payment automation solution, it’s particularly fitting for providers that are:
• Still using an inordinately large dedicated staff to handle manual commercial payer payment processes
• Currently tied to a bank for payment process and lockbox support
• Struggling with posting errors and subsequent revisiting of items posted
• In need of higher first-pass yield, reduction of denials and all-around better data accuracy
• Looking for a simple-to-integrate, automated solution that will enhance efficiencies and bring big deal results
With Emdeon, achieving those big deal results can be a relatively small feat. We cover all the details to get you up and running with automated payment solutions promptly and offer integration to make workflows as seamless as possible. Click here to download the case study and learn more!
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