When it comes to personal health, people typically try to avoid getting sick. We get vaccines, we try to get regular exercise to control our weight and strengthen our hearts, and we wash our hands to avoid communicable disease. "Preventive care" means making decisions in the present based on statistics that show such activities will most likely ensure a healthier future. It's proactive. The alternative isn't fun—trying to make oneself better after becoming sick. That's reactive, and far less productive.
Proactive thinking—doing something now to prevent problems later—can also be applied to revenue cycle management. It's about making decisions based on data and analytics rather than adopting a "wait and see" strategy where you do nothing or postpone action, putting off dealing with potential problems until after they turn into serious issues.
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[Editor's Note: This article originally appeared on SourceMed's blog.]