University Orthopedics Center (UOC) improves staffing consistency, increases efficiency and improves cash flow with Revenue Cycle Services™ (RCS) from SourceMed, now Surgical Information Systems (SIS).
Full-service orthopedic center and ambulatory surgery center with 275
employees system-wide
Billing staff disruptions were hampering UOC’s ability to achieve consistent cash flow and increase revenue.
Complementing its existing AdvantX™ software, UOC chose SIS Revenue Cycle Services™ (RCS) to outsource billing for its ambulatory surgery center and improve key revenue cycle benchmarks.
University Orthopedics Center (UOC) in State College, PA offers a complete range of technologically advanced, patient-centric surgical and non-surgical services to provide the greatest potential for successful recovery.
UOC’s ambulatory surgery center (ASC) was a long-time user of AdvantX software to manage its facility and employed an internal team to manage billing. Joseph Myers, VP of Surgical Services, explained some of the challenges with maintaining its own billing department. “We went through a two-year phase of staffing inconsistencies which resulted in revenue peaks and valleys from month to month,” said Myers. “We were under-achieving on benchmarks we use to evaluate department performance and knew we couldn’t continue with that model.”
Responsible for all administrative aspects of the 30-person ASC facility, including financial management, Myers outlined the industry benchmarks against which UOC measures its performance, including: days to bill (DTB), days in accounts receivable (AR), and net collections. In search of a more reliable approach, Myers reached out to SIS to learn about the company’s outsourced services for revenue cycle management. “For the consistent coverage required to get our benchmarks back in line to where they needed to be, we selected SIS RCS,” said Myers. “The transition was seamless and the results are impressive in multiple areas.”
The implementation took approximately 90 days and was completed in September 2014. According to Myers, “It was important to get the necessary processes, policies and procedures in place and fully transition our information to the SIS team up front. There were no declines in revenue or hiccups in claims going out during the transition.”
Since service was initiated, UOC has realized significant revenue cycle improvements including:
Myers cites several factors behind these improvements, including RCS staff expertise across the full revenue cycle and coding that complies with Medicare requirements and other regulations. But, more than that, RCS persistently follows-up on claims to ensure they are being processed and, if denied, provides additional information to the insurance company or submits appeals. RCS also requests payment corrections when insurers make errors.
According to Myers, “RCS does a fantastic job at making sure that claims are processed in a timely fashion and discrepancies are quickly resolved.” UOC also experiences many qualitative benefits with RCS.
“RCS takes one of my stresses away,” states Myers. “We have had a consistent team and the service is outstanding – everyone is professional, easy to work with, very responsive and knowledgeable about the ins and outs of billing. Their emphasis on transparency and communications means that any questions I have are answered quickly.”
Based on Myers’ experience, one of the keys to successfully outsourcing billing services is accurately assessing your challenges and needs as an organization and conveying them to the service provider. “RCS worked in partnership with us to understand our expectations and immediate needs,” said Myers. “As a result of this collaboration they were able to knock it out of the park – decreasing DTB, reducing AR and increasing revenue.”
Myers has observed that many ASCs share the same inconsistencies with internal billing staff that create revenue cycle management challenges. “A solution like RCS provides consistent coverage, which leads to greater efficiencies,” Myers explains. “The more streamlined you can make the cycle, the better off you will be – processing more quickly
and receiving payments faster.”
Moving forward, as UOC expands the types of outpatient surgical services it provides, the RCS solution will remain integral to helping UOC grow efficiently and cost effectively. Myers concludes, “RCS has allowed us to put our revenue cycle management challenges behind us so we can focus on expanding the services we provide to patients, particularly in the areas of Same Day Total Joints and Outpatient Spine Surgery.”
Toll-free: 800-930-0895
Surgical Information Systems
100 North Point Center East, Suite 125
Alpharetta, GA 30022
Telephone: 800-866-0656
Email: sales@sisfirst.com
ASC Support
Cloud Solutions: 800-930-0895
SurgiSource Support: 800-447-0104
AdvantX Support: 800-562-7069
Vision Support: 800-246-0875
Amkai Support: 866-265-2434
Hospital Support
SIS Hospital Support: 800-944-3896