Between increased adoption of virtual care, transitioning staff to remote work and financial pressures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare organizations across the country are facing volatility and uncertainty in revenue cycle operations.
Navigating such a rapidly changing environment requires a different mindset to ensure organizations are resilient and maintain business stability.
During a July 16 webinar hosted by Becker's and sponsored by revenue cycle management company Alpha Health, speakers discussed how automation in revenue cycle operations can provide continuity; strategies to protect and support staff through work fluctuations; and how to mitigate financial risk amid a changing payer mix and shifting patient volumes.
Four quotes from speakers:
1. Malinka Walaliyadde, co-founder and CEO of Alpha Health: "We [at Alpha Health] had been deploying [revenue cycle technology] almost entirely remotely in the past because we thought that was the best customer experience. And recently … we have been able to deploy our last customer entirely remotely from end to end, from beginning to production, without stepping a foot onsite. [That's] something we thought was the best customer experience before but now has become a critical function. It is something we will have to plan on doing for quite some time."
2. Albert Chan, MD, chief of digital patient experience at Sutter Health (Sacramento, Calif.): "I want to quote [award-winning composer, lyricist and actor] Lin-Manuel Miranda, [the original star of Broadway's play Hamilton], who said: 'I'm not throwin' away my shot.' I really do think our organization has adopted a pace of change that is truly remarkable. There always seem to be reasons why not to do something. There are always concerns. But I saw a new spark in folks' eyes — virtually, of course — and we thought about, 'How could we get things done [during the pandemic]?' We had 200 people throughout Sutter Health [come together] for a common purpose … For example, we decided to deploy [more than 4,000] iPads to make it easier for doctors to do telemedicine. Then we virtually enabled those technologies and deployed them. We never thought we could do it, but we did it — all within a matter of weeks."
3. Gregg Smith-McCurdy, CIO of PriMed and Hill Physicians Group: "We're really doubling down on telemedicine efforts [and] looking at opportunities to use telemedicine outside just the office visit, [in] care management and other areas of the organization where we've been talking to people via phone and we'd rather talk to them on video. [Video] gives a much more personal experience. During this time when people are so isolated, a video visit is a great opportunity to extend that personal touch in a time of crisis. We've also used a lot of this time to look at how we would apply automation to some of the major tasks we do. We definitely need to continue to do that as we try to lower our administrative expenses."
4. Jeff Francis, vice president and CFO of Methodist Health System (Omaha): "Due to processes and some of the technology, we couldn't move to fully remote [revenue cycle operations] …Those who were at home or working from home, we had daily huddles. We had more interaction than we did a year ago … We started moving to Alpha Health about a year ago for some process automation, and that allowed us to continue to check the status of claims 24/7. So even while people were moving, adjusting [to remote work during the pandemic], in the background we were still able to monitor that. And it was a great benefit to us … We've actually seen an improvement over the last six months because we had our business office staff work at the top of their license because they were focusing on the more difficult [claims] as opposed to spending time checking on the claim status that was being automated in the background."
To learn more about Alpha Health, click here.