Self-Pay Revenue Management

2 min read

How Does Registration Impact Revenue?

February 6, 2019 - 5:13 PM

 

Inaccurate account information will cause for inaccurate balances to be billed, infuriating patients and hindering the debt collection process. Here at Emerald AR, we have been searching for ways to eliminate registration and data mishaps for 10 years. Physicianspractice.com was correct in saying, “The revenue cycle starts with patient registration.” Even in emergency situations, information on patient registration forms need to be filled out in order for a medical provider to provide service to the patient. Once services are completed, the patient is billed using information from the registration form like the patient’s address, insurance information, etc. You can’t get paid without this information. If the patient information is incorrect, patient insurance companies may not pay their share; a bill could be sent to a different address and never reach the patient, or the wrong person could be billed and sent to collections. The list of possible mishaps goes on and on. Multiple other scenarios could arise at any given time if patient information is missing or incorrect.
 

The research firm, Gartner, discovered that over 25% of critical data in Fortune 1000 databases are inaccurate or incomplete. So, what are these hiccups in data entry and how can we prevent them? The following is a list of types of problems and how to stop them.

Transposed names and numbers often are the root of the cause. It is very easy to have “fat fingers” or not pay attention. To prevent transposed or wrong information from being entered in the system, it is best go back and review your work to make sure errors are not present.

Leaving information out.When a transcribe is working with the patient or guarantor, information can be misheard, then incorrectly entered into the system. This information is a vital part of the billing process and can be the difference between a payment and a denial. To solve this issue, we have two suggestions. First, have another member from your team re-verify the information entered in the system to ensure accuracy. Second,  scan your data consistently throughout the aging process to ensure you haven't missed Medicaid or ancillary insurance coverage. New patient information may be the reason for the original denial. Now that you have new information, re-scan your self pay accounts. We've seen a significant amount of increased revenue from healthcare billing offices that use Claim Miner, a system that detects missed Medicaid.

Mixing up patients. Have you ever received your neighbor's ER bill? This can be embarrassing for the patient and their neighbor. Nobody wants to be asked daily about their health or have their dirty laundry out there for the world to see. 

To resolve errors associated with mixing up  patient data, require data entry resources responsible for patient entry records, check multiple sheets containing shared demographic data such as DOB, SSN and addresses. they should identify mismatched data and correct it before entry.  This process will reduce data errors, increase revenue and increase claim processing time. 

The bottom line is that patient registration and revenue are positively correlated. If you want to increase revenue, improve your  patient registration process. Need Help? Chat with an expert here

To learn more about detecting missed Medicaid,

LinkedIn, Facebook, and visit our Website  or schedule a time to meet with an expert here.

 

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