Amidst inflation, rising costs of providing care, and staffing shortages, the role of Physician Advisors (PAs) is poised to become increasingly critical.
That’s because Physician Advisors play a vital role in healthcare organizations, serving as the link between two areas, clinical practice and administrative decision-making.
As licensed doctors trained in a variety of specialties, Physician Advisors bring unique clinical and leadership skillsets that allow them to navigate the complex interplay between patients, clinical staff members, and administrative leadership, with duties including but not limited to:
- Acting as liaisons, ensuring smooth communication and often translating between healthcare administration business language and clinician dialogue to ensure both medically appropriate and financially responsible decisions are made with the patient at the forefront
- Assisting in the revenue cycle, reviewing denials and advocating for appropriate patient status and revenue reimbursement
- Leading hospital-wide programs and reviewing future employment decisions by the administration, with an eye towards compliance and regulatory requirements
- Mentoring junior physicians, offering second opinions on treatment plans, driving length of stay reduction, and championing multidisciplinary rounds, particularly for more challenging cases
- Driving innovation and improvement within the healthcare system, leveraging clinical expertise and administrative insights to introduce new techniques and practices that can further streamline hospital operations
As healthcare systems grapple with mounting challenges, the need for innovative solutions has also increased. To meet these demands, health systems seek out flexible vendor partnerships that can provide Physician Advisor (PA) services tailored to their unique needs.
KLAS Research surveys hundreds of hospitals and health systems about their PA Services vendors each year across five criteria: loyalty, operations, relationship, services, and overall value. Xsolis has risen to the top as No. 1 Best in KLAS for Physician Advisor Services for four years.
“The education and knowledge of Xsolis’ PAs are unmatched,” said Cindy Neumany, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations for Population Health at Hackensack Meridian Health. “Xsolis’ AI and its flexible models for clients have been invaluable to meet our unique goals.”
Xsolis’ Physician Advisor Services team undergoes rigorous in-person training to deliver high-quality reviews, responsiveness, and a consultative, partnership approach.
“It’s hard to imagine how other PAs do their jobs without this additional coverage,” said Dr. Sarah Kim, Physician Advisor at Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital. “Xsolis is indispensable for efficient PA operations.”
However, Xsolis is not just a service organization. It is also a technology company that has been creating AI-driven solutions for more than a decade to reduce administrative waste and enable more data-driven approaches and collaboration between providers and payers.
The company’s award-winning technology is a SaaS platform called Dragonfly, which can be paired alongside Physician Advisor Services — to support an existing in-house team or fully outsourced. Regardless of which service model is desired by the client, the predictive analytics surfaced within the platform help identify trends and areas for further improvement.
“In just a short amount of time, Xsolis’ combined technology and services have empowered our nurses to look at clinical merit to guide their patient status determinations,” said Kim Petram, Director of Case Management at Valley Medical Center. “Xsolis’ PA Services helps us make case determinations more quickly, accurately, and efficiently.”
By analyzing past medical history, severity of illness, and intensity of service for a patient, the AI-driven platform offers a complete and holistic view of the patient’s clinical picture, with key clinical data consolidated into a concise presentation for case review.
“As we look toward the future, Physician Advisors will play an even bigger role in evaluating and integrating these technologies into hospital workflows, because they are in a prime position to ensure whether the tools enhance rather than hinder clinical decision-making,” says Xsolis’ Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Heather Bassett.
Tomorrow’s PAs must also possess a diverse skill set that extends beyond clinical expertise. In addition to understanding evidence-based care, physician documentation, regulatory compliance, and medical necessity, they benefit from training in financial management, healthcare operations, and AI, increasingly seeking advanced business degrees such as an MBA to pair alongside their medical education.
“The business acumen of Physician Advisors paired with clinical expertise allows them to bridge gaps between financial decision-makers and frontline clinicians, making them unsung heroes. They continue to grow in recognition for the value they bring to their organizations and ultimately the patient,” said Dr. Bassett.
