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Technology Revs Up Revenue

 |  By gshaw@healthleadersmedia.com  
   May 24, 2011

Wouldn't it be nice if someone gave you $206,817.63—simply because you asked for it? Well, that's more or less what happened at the Houston-based Richmond Bone & Joint Clinic.

"We were missing a big opportunity at our check-in desk to address balances in advance of the patient's visit," says CEO Juliet Breeze, MD. "So we would check the patient in and because the check-in people were so busy, they would sometimes forget to talk to the patient about the balance that we already knew was due."

The practice installed check-in kiosks that are integrated with its payment management system. The kiosks alert patients to current and past balances—they can pay with the swipe of a credit or debit card. Patients who don't pay can't complete the check-in process without speaking to a financial counselor.

At the end of the first year, collections were up nearly $207,000—a 5% increase. Breeze says she's also saved on the cost of sending out paper bills and on salaries, as fewer FTEs are needed to staff the front desk now.

The clinic is one of many healthcare organizations that is using technology to increase revenue and reduce costs before the patient ever sees the doctor.

Orlando Health uses a software program that monitors patient registration in real time—alerting staff to potential mistakes (such as an insurance subscriber ID that's off by a digit) so they can fix errors on the spot.

The organization has reduced the number of claims edits from about 1,000 a day to about nine a day—at seven cents an edit, that's a savings of about a quarter million dollars. Claims accuracy used to hover around 80%; now it's 95%—and jumps to nearly 100% after 24 hours, when registrars have had a chance to correct or complete missing data.

Other organizations are taking even simpler steps—allowing patients to pay their bills and co-pays online, for example. Florida-based Adventist Health System doesn't just patients pay their bills; it lets them set up a recurring payment plan. Not only has it increased collections, it also saves on account management vendors, reduces the cost of sending out paper statements, and—best of all—patients like the convenience.

You can read more about how these and other organizations are using technology to increase collections, improve front and registration desk efficiency, and improve patient flow and satisfaction in this month's issue of HealthLeaders magazine.

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