Healthcare providers are under increasing pressure to improve patient satisfaction. However, allocating the necessary resources to achieve these goals means that hospital administrators must seek greater revenue cycle process efficiency through cost cutting strategies and technology investments. Healthcare Document Management (HCDM) solutions are uniquely positioned to deliver key benefits to administrators and clinicians alike.

Hospital administrators and Revenue Cycle Managers are turning to HCDM solutions for process improvements and direct cost savings. HCDM delivers results through the replacement of manual, paper-based processes with more efficient, automated, computer-based processes.

HCDM is comprised of core technologies including document scanning, centralized electronic storage, and workflow automation. Healthcare industry innovators are deploying HCDM systems as organization-wide enterprise solutions, while others choose an iterative, department-by-department, model.

“Ubiquitous Hospital Management System” - That sort of sums it all up doesn’t it? Healthcare is probably the most paper-filled industry that shouldn’t be.

NetSol and its partner are working towards the research and development of a ubiquitous Hospital Management System that will serve as an automated, secure and integrated solution for any hospital’s clinical, financial and management needs. This collaboration enables each party to complement the unique capabilities of the other and will provide pros…

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Check out PayStream’s new Technology Insight Report on Healthcare Document Imaging.

What does “healthcare enterprise” really mean? The healthcare enterprise will vary from one organization to the next, but a common characteristic is that it is all-inclusive. It extends beyond the scope of the revenue cycle (registration/ admitting, service delivery, medical records, patient accounting) into corporate administration (human resources, capital planning, marketing, accounting/ audit, corporate council) as well as materials management and accounts payable. The key benefit of enterprise technology is that a single functionality can be used by various departments in different ways for improved outcomes.

HCDI technology is one of the finest examples in the healthcare marketplace. Take secure, web-based access functionality as an example. Within the HCDI environment, this functionality makes stored data files available to authorized users from virtually anywhere there is an internet connection. From a clinical perspective, physicians can access patient records quickly and more efficiently. From a pre-service…

I recently spoke with Ed Katz, SVP Healthcare Solutions, about the acquisition of LASON by HOV Services and the positive impact it had on the HOV Services healthcare business.

HOV Services is among the top-tier business process outsourcing firms, of which I would also include Accenture and IBM. All three of these players have a strong presence in the healthcare industry.

In conversation with Ed, I learned that the new HOV Healthcare Advantage solution builds on the core revenue cycle management (RCM) offering that was developed and refined by the former LASON group. The biggest impact of the new offering was the addition of expanded capabilities in the area of accounts receivable collections. Whereas the legacy RCM solution identified where collections efforts were needed, it fell short in terms of providing the services to pursue those dollars. This former weakness has now become a notable strength for HOV Services, particularly in the…

Earlier this year, Mike Caudle (Assistant Vice Preseident, Patient Financial Services, Carolinas Healthcare System) and Henry Ijams (Managing Director, PayStream Advisors) joined forces to present at the HFMA ANI in San Diego, CA. The topic of their presentation was Carolinas Healthcare System’s (CHS) innovative new patient portal. Mike’s story of how the CHS Online Billing Manager was developed and implemented peaked the interest and intrigue of the entire audience – myself included!

In fact, Henry was traversing the room with the microphone non-stop, trying to keep up with all of the audience questions and comments. Once again, CHS demonstrated its leadership through early adoption of innovative technology at the NCHFMA Summer Institute. Jim Burke (Director, Revenue Cycle Technology, CHS) and Chris Johnson (Vice President, Patient Financial Services, CHS) presented on Improving Patient Access Performance With Technology. I was most impressed by their commentary on the successes…

High Deductible Healthcare Plans, or HDHP’s, are changing the landscape of healthcare providers’ accounting, according to a recent article by the Louisiana Medical News. It surely goes without saying that the multitude of available insurance options, a number growing every day, is problematic for any healthcare institution of any size, and a lack of automation in such a paper-intensive industry is a yoke that is going to become more and more difficult as time goes on. The HDHP threat, it seems, is a similar yet different beast.

Healthcare providers make certain assumptions about patients based upon their available insurance - Historically, these assumptions have boiled down to either “well-covered” or “not-covered.” But HDHP patients foul this system because they appear to be well covered, and perhaps even consider themselves well covered, but in fact their high deductible means quite the opposite. Billing to their insurance company will be met with a relative indifference - the patient is responsible for most, if not all, of their bill, if they have not yet cleared their yearly deductible.

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I just returned from the North Carolina HFMA Summer Institute in Myrtle Beach, SC and wanted to share some of the highlights.

The event was well attended by over 250 local industry leaders. The Exhibit Hall was bustling with product demonstrations, networking, and give-aways. As a local chapter event, I saw many familiar faces. The Kingston Plantation provided a great setting for the event and the overall atmosphere was open and receptive.

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