It hasn’t been 2010 very long, but the year’s already feeling less than new for professional practices that have yet to hone their patient access and cash flow processes.
The first of the year brings changes to benefits plans and renewed deductibles, and though this happens predictably every year, some practices have not learned practical solutions to welcome such changes with preparedness and ease. And beyond those expected annual changes, the healthcare system is in constant flux as Consumer-driven Health Plans (CDHPs) gain prominence and patients take on more payment responsibilities for their healthcare. For busy practices, being unprepared for changes of any kind can ultimately add “wait” to patient access processes and make the bottom line less than fit. That’s no way to start the new year!
Where does your practice stand? Is your patient check-in process sputtering in the wake of changes and slowing your cash flow?
It’s not too late to make amends for twenty-ten. Make a resolution to incorporate new solutions for optimum processes and greater success and you won’t even be spending more money because you will be saving money on the back end. Here’s a starter list:
• Incorporate affordable, interactive technology to guide frontline staff to success in the check-in process, saving time and money. Not only will such tools help capture accurate patient contact information, leading edge technology automates the entire access process and ensures all changes to benefits plans are accounted for in the system. This makes patient verifications quick and accurate and the registration process less stressful for patients and staff alike. Less wait time all around!
• Prioritize patients’ need for clear communications regarding payment responsibility and collections. As more patients are required to participate in payment for their care, it’s imperative that practices ease them into this new role. Upfront estimates, easy-to-read statements and collections alternatives empower patients, encourage point-of-service collections and ultimately improve both patient experience and cash flow.
• Invest in frontline staff, training them to treat patient access as a pivotal point of contact rather than a passive administrative function. When your practice obtains the best, most complete patient data during check-in, long term communications, patient interactions, collections and cash flow are improved.
Emdeon’s Patient Access Management Solutions incorporate leading edge technology for fast, accurate eligibility verifications and integrated patient data acquisition. Learn more about Emdeon Office– a web-based solution for eligibility and benefits verification, claim submission and tracking from point-of-submission through payment– all at an affordable price.
By committing to resolutions backed by real solutions, you’ll shed ‘wait’ and get that bottom line in shape in 2010. Contact your Emdeon representative today to get started!
Resolve to lose 'wait' and get the bottom line in shape this year
Making a referral is a very rewarding experience
At Emdeon, we know your time is valuable and your opinion counts. That’s why we’re ready to reward you for both.
If you find yourself singing Emdeon’s praises to colleagues, make the process a little more official, and you could be rewarded to the tune of $50 in an American Express Gift Check. That’s a tangible expression of our appreciation for your time and influential recommendation. Simply submit referrals to us online and encourage your colleague to sign up, then we’ll send you a $50 gift check.
Of course, your good word— shared by word of mouth— is the ultimate endorsement for us. We acknowledge there’s no advertising or marketing campaign more persuasive than your authentic approval shared directly with colleagues and coworkers. For our part, we hope to earn your good word every day with each service, solution and point of contact we provide.
Don’t hold back, and we won’t either! Share contact names with us, tell colleagues about our exceptional solutions (such as electronic claims, processing eligibility inquiries and claims status checking— we know you rely on those services!) and we’ll gladly reward you when sign up and implementation are complete.
While your satisfaction with Emdeon is truly priceless, hopefully $50 per signed referral is a good start. Log on today!
HIPAA Simplified
On January 16, 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published rules that require updated versions of the standards for electronic transactions under the authority of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). These updated standards (Versions 5010 and D.0) are designed to replace the current standards (Versions 4010/4010A1 and 5.1) and are designed to promote greater efficiency in electronic transactions. Compliance with the new HIPAA 5010 and NCPDP D.0 standards is required by January 1, 2012.
This transition poses a number of challenges for covered entities which are defined as businesses that are required to achieve compliance in large part because these changes affect all healthcare segments: hospitals, physicians, dentists, pharmacies, PBMs, payers and vendors.
In December 2009, Emdeon Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Government Services, Miriam Paramore, testified before the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS). During her testimony, Paramore said, “Emdeon is committed to supporting our customers and leading the industry in compliance and adoption of the new standards and code sets.” She continued, “Our goal is to be ready in advance of the government mandated deadlines to ensure a smooth and successful transition.”
On January 22, 2010, Emdeon launched HIPAA Simplified to be a one-stop resource for the information that covered entities needed for HIPAA readiness. HIPAA Simplified will be a communications focal point as Emdeon helps its customers adopt the 5010 and D.0 standards prior to 2012. The website offers technical gap analyses, simplified business-level downloads, trading partner transition strategy information, frequently asked questions and testing tools.
Additionally, HIPAA Simplified is divided by business units across the entire healthcare industry, eliminating the need for complex web navigation or surfing multiple sites. Visitors simply select their line of business and all available resources are located on the page to browse and download. For free.
What really sets HIPAA Simplified apart from other resources, however, is its analytical tools that are designed to propel the transition strategies of covered entities. Only HIPAA Simplified offers informational and analytical tools, from high-level FAQs, to documents that explain the transition in business-level language, to in-depth technical analyses.
As the nation’s largest health information network, Emdeon is the healthcare industry’s most comprehensive source for HIPAA readiness. Just as with HIPAA 4010 and the National Provider Identifier (NPI), Emdeon is working diligently to deliver solutions that enable its customers to seamlessly meet the new requirements for HIPAA 5010, NCPDP D.0, and ICD-10.
Make sure to spread the word and bookmark www.hipaasimplified.com–it will be updated often as the compliance deadline approaches.
Have you seen the new Emdeon website?
The Emdeon website has been redesigned to improve the customer experience and keep customers engaged. Improved ad space with enhanced video capabilities will allow us to post customer testimonials and current promotions so we can keep you informed on what is going on.
Visit us online at www.emdeon.com
• New, innovative design
• Improved customer experience
• Improved navigation
• Distinct call-to-action
Emdeon podcast series
Industry leading publication Physicians Practice and Emdeon have teamed up to bring you a series of short podcasts focused on how you can get more out of your practice. In this month’s podcast, you’ll learn from industry leaders as they discuss optimizing the revenue cycle from eligibility to payment.
Listen to the monthly podcasts or find us on iTunes.
eHealth educational seminars
March Please visit our EDI Transaction Center online to register online and obtain other information that will help you send more transactions electronically.
A FREE seminar covering payer requirements for filing claims electronically, benefits of real-time transactions, and understanding electronic claims submission reports. Staff from provider offices, hospitals, facilities, billing services, etc. are invited to learn more about how to save money and improve efficiency by effectively utilizing electronic transactions. Participating payer representatives will be present at each seminar to answer any questions you may have about filing claims!
• March 16, Los Angeles, CA
• March 18, Phoenix, AZ
• March 23, Monroe Township, NJ
• March 25, Cherry Hill, NJ
Do you know?
• Top reasons claims are rejected
• How to resolve claim rejections
• What information is required by each payer to file claims electronically
• How to submit secondary claims electronically
• The benefits of ERA/EFT
• What electronic reports you should be receiving and how to read them
• How to maximize your potential with electronic transactions
• Various EDI transactions available today
• What EDI transactions save you the most money
• What EDI transactions payers are recommending
Come to a seminar for answers!
New payers on board
The Emdeon network of payers continues to grow
New payers added recently:
• 21st Century Insurance and Financial Services-ERA
• Americas 1st Choice Health Plans of South Carolina, Inc.-Claims
• Boulder Administration Services-Claims
• Bravo Health-ERA
• Brown and Toland Medical Group-Claims
• Capstone Health Plan, Inc.-Claims
• Care Wisconsin Health Plan (Trizetto)-Claims
• CO Medicare Part A (J4-Trailblazer)-ERA
• Columbia United Providers-ERA
• Connecticut Blue Cross (Anthem)-ERA
• First Administrators, Inc.-Claims
• HAA Preferred Partners-Claims
• Healthplex, Inc.-ERA
• Kentucky Medicaid-ERA
• Louisiana Medicaid (Adult Dental)-ERA
• Louisiana Medicaid (EPSDT)-ERA
• Lovelace Salud-Claims
• MA Medicare Part A (J14-NHIC)-ERA
• Medicaid South Carolina-ERA
• MedStar Family Choice-Claims
• Mennonite Mutual Aid Association and Affiliates (MMA)-Claims
• New Hampshire Medicaid-ERA
• North Carolina Medicaid-Claims
• Optimum Healthcare, Inc.-Claims
• Personal Insurance Administrators (PIA-Eligibility Inquiry and Response
• Planned Administrators, Inc.-Claims
• Select Health of South Carolina-Claims
• Tethys Health Ventures-Claims
• University of Utah Health Plans-ERA
• WRHN Beechstreet-Claims
For a complete list of the payers in our network, visit our website at www.emdeon.com/payerlists/
