Geisinger chooses Connance to improve self-pay performance | Healthcare Finance News

Five Strategies for Strategic Debt Recovery of Self-Pay Patient Accounts

AHA Approves Updated Hospital Billing, Collections Guidelines

The New Model for Healthcare Debt Collection

AHA endorses updated patient billing, collection procedures

A Form 990 Schedule H Conundrum: How Much of Your Bad Debt Might Be Charity?

Preparing For Patient Self-Pay Overload

Federal Proposals Would Limit Aggressive Hospital Collections Practices

Hospitals Find Solutions for the No-Pay Self-Pay Patient

7 Strategies to Optimize Patient Responsibility Collections for Orthopedic ...

Articles in category: Improving Collections

1. How to get patients to pay their bills Explore American Medical Association (Jul 9 2012) Collections , Improving Collections , Vendor Management Practice Management - A column about keeping your practice in good health (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Agency for Healthcare Research

2. Federal Proposals Would Limit Aggressive Hospital Collections Practices Explore healthleadersmedia.com (Jul 3 2012) Feature Story , Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Point-of-Service Collections , Vendor Management New proposed federal legislation and regulations would limit aggressive hospital debt collection. One proposal would amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to include medical debt. Treasury regulations would set policies for patient financial assistance and emergency medical care for hospitals with tax-exempt status. (Read Full Article)

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3. New Accretive allegations: Debt collector told new mom to pay or baby would stay Explore healthleadersmedia.com (Jun 27 2012) Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Point-of-Service Collections , Vendor Management Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson has leveled new charges against Accretive Health, alleging the Chicago-based debt collection agency used illegal billing and collection tactics to get money from patients at two Twin Cities hospital systems. Swanson's revised complaint, filed Tuesday, June 19, in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, cites a dozen instances where "emergency room patients (were) hustled with bedside collection visits" that led them to believe they had to pay before receiving care. (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Accretive Health   Lori Swanson

4. N.J. lawmakers approve bill requiring for-profit hospitals to post financial records Explore healthleadersmedia.com (Jun 27 2012) Collections , Community Benefit , Cost Reduction , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Point-of-Service Collections , Vendor Management The bill (A2143) passed the Senate in March and now heads to Gov. Chris Christie, who will decide whether to sign it. Any hospital that seeks a share of the state charity care funds to treat uninsured patients would have to disclose sources of income, business holdings and salaries of its top officers along with other information that nonprofit companies must file with the Internal Revenue Service, according to the bill. The state Department of Health and Senior Services would collect and post the information on its website. (Read Full Article)

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5. Health Care Costs in the News Explore AHIP Coverage (Jun 17 2012) Accountable Care Organizations , Cost Reduction , Improving Collections , Vendor Management Several recent articles have spotlighted the rising costs of health care in the United States. Continue reading → (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Ahip   Health Care Costs

6. Thousands lose Medicare billing rights during revalidation Explore American Medical Association (Jun 14 2012) Improving Collections , Vendor Management CMS has removed health professionals with outdated and invalid enrollment records as it works to strengthen Medicare participation rules. (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   Peter Budetti

7. S&P report: Health reform could cause net-negative for hospitals Explore Healthcare Finance News (Jun 12 2012) Cost Reduction , Improving Collections , Vendor Management According to a report released Friday by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, the ratings agency believes there could very likely be a net negative for for-profit hospitals with the full implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The ratings agency believes that while there may be benefits to mandated insurance for hospitals, there are other prominent components of the legislature that could likely cause a greater downside risk to hospitals, such as employer responsibility, the payor mix shift and the value-based purchasing system. Election Feature Content:  No Feature read more (Read Full Article)

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8. Changes to healthcare entitlement programs needed for a sounder fiscal future Explore Healthcare Finance News (Jun 7 2012) Cost Containment , Cost Reduction , Improving Collections , Vendor Management In the Congressional Budget Office’s latest long-term budget outlook, the nonpartisan federal agency continued to hammer the message that the country’s aging population and rising healthcare costs mean that lawmakers and the country as a whole have difficult choices to make in the days ahead. Election Feature Content:  No Feature read more (Read Full Article)

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9. AHA endorses updated patient billing, collection procedures Explore Healthcare Finance News (Jun 6 2012) Feature Story , Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Patient Friendly Billing , Point-of-Service Collections , Vendor Management Last week, a number of major national hospital organizations, such as the American Hospital Association (AHA), lent their support to the recently updated Statement of Principles and Guidelines on practices that hospitals should follow in regards to billing and collection, which incorporate patient-friendly billing practices. Election Feature Content:  No Feature read more (Read Full Article)

   Comment Mentions:   American Hospital Association

10. Hospitals Find Solutions for the No-Pay Self-Pay Patient Explore healthleadersmedia.com (Jun 6 2012) Feature Story , Collections , Cost Reduction , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Vendor Management Efforts to help uninsured patients achieve healthcare coverage can be uneven, leaving medical providers and patients clamoring for solutions to a complex bureaucracy that stymies their abilities to access reimbursement. (Read Full Article)

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11. Kyle Goldammer: How to Improve ASC Cash Flow in 30 Minutes Explore Becker's ASC Review (Jun 5 2012) Business Process Improvement , Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Revenue Cycle , Vendor Management A recent study conducted by MGMA showed that independent physician clinics are only collecting 75 percent of the revenue they deserve due to poor revenue cycle management practices. These poor practices include inaccurate demographic information at time of admission, an inadequate charge master, below market rate payer contracts, poor coding, denied claims, antiquated claims management and electronic claims submission, and a lack of follow up on aging receivables. Although all of these issues ca (Read Full Article)

    Comment Mentions:   Medical Group Management Association

12. CMS Identifies Recovery Auditor Findings Explore healthleadersmedia.com (May 31 2012) Improving Collections , Patient Friendly Billing , Vendor Management For the first time since it began publishing a quarterly Medicare compliance newsletter, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released official guidance on problematic billing errors. (Read Full Article)

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13. AHA Approves Updated Hospital Billing, Collections Guidelines Explore Becker's Hospital Review (May 30 2012) Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Patient Friendly Billing , Point-of-Service Collections , Vendor Management In an effort to adapt to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and as a reminder that hospitals must address billing issues in a "timely, transparent and forthright manner," the American Hospital Association released updated guidelines (pdf) on hospital billing and collection practices. Under the PPACA, non-profit hospitals must conduct community needs assessments, clearly state financial aid policies and follow other billing procedures in order to keep their tax exemptions. The AHA ori (Read Full Article)

    Comment Mentions:   American Hospital Association

14. 14 Pros and Cons of Outsourcing ASC Billing Explore Becker's ASC Review (May 30 2012) Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Patient Friendly Billing , Revenue Cycle , Vendor Management There are benefits and drawbacks to every decision ASC administrators make, including the decision about whether to outsource billing and collections. Here, industry experts discuss the pros and of outsourcing revenue cycle management. 1. Vendors are liable for coding mistakes. Surgery centers around the country are dealing with RAC audits, a new anxiety for many administrators. When auditors find a mistake, in-house billing departments are responsible (Read Full Article)

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15. Carepayment offers compliance insights to hospitals Explore Healthcare Finance News (May 29 2012) Collections , Improving Collections , Patient Friendly Billing , Payment Models , Vendor Management Healthcare providers who offer extended payment terms to help patients meet rapidly increasing financial liabilities are exposing their organizations to a series of complex consumer credit compliance obligations due to increased regulations by federal and state agencies. Election Feature Content:  No Feature read more (Read Full Article)

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16. OIG probes physician Medicare billing for office visits Explore American Medical Association (May 24 2012) Improving Collections , Patient Friendly Billing , Vendor Management Federal investigators single out nearly 1,700 physicians for billing a relatively high number of costly evaluation and management codes. (Read Full Article)

    Comment Mentions:   Marilyn Tavenner

17. Michael Lamm: Healthcare ARM and RCM Industries Converging Explore insideARM (May 17 2012) Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Revenue Cycle , Vendor Management The convergence between Accounts Receivable Management (ARM) and Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) providers continued to be apparent in Q1, as both strategic buyers and larger private equity backed Healthcare OBS companies were aggressively seeking acquisition opportunities in both markets. (Read Full Article)

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18. Accretive 'money-hungry' tactics raised alarms Explore healthleadersmedia.com (May 17 2012) Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Vendor Management Just months after a consulting firm swept into the Fairview system with a new approach to collecting money from patients, hospital employees were expressing alarm and frustration, records show. "We are giving the image that we are money-hungry," one said. Said another: "The patients are being bombarded by phone calls." In the past few weeks, Fairview and its consulting firm, Accretive Health, have faced an outpouring of criticism over high-pressure tactics exposed in an April 24 report by Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson. But internal documents, including hundreds of private e-mails, show that warning signs were mounting soon after Accretive arrived in early 2010. (Read Full Article)

    Comment Mentions:   Accretive Health   Lori Swanson

19. No fines, penalties for payers' summary of benefits Explore Health Payer, Healthcare Payer, Payer (May 16 2012) Improving Collections , Vendor Management Insurers won't be seeing fines or penalties if they don't comply with the health reform law's summary of benefits and coverage (SBC) requirements within the first year, federal officials said in a frequently asked questions document published Friday. The FAQs, which the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor and Treasury jointly released, acknowledged that insurers face administrative difficulties to provide the summaries, reported Bloomberg BNA. "During this first year of applicability, the departments will not impose penalties on plans and issuers that are working diligently and in good faith to comply," officials said. The agencies also clarified that they won't take any enforcement actions related to expatriate plans and that insurers have until Sept. 23, 2013, to provide SBCs for products they don't actively market, reported LifeHealthPro. In addition, the FAQs said insurers can provide an electronic SBC if enrollment or application is otherwise handled online, but they still must offer a paper copy as an alternative, according to the Health Affairs blog. Other issues the agencies addressed in the FAQs include: Insurers must provide an SBC when members apply for coverage, but if negotiations occur, they don't have to issue another SBC until coverage actually begins. If insurers provide an SBC before members apply and the terms don't change upon ... (Read Full Article)

    Comment Mentions:   Health and Human Services

20. Accretive Health may farm out debt-collection work Explore healthleadersmedia.com (May 10 2012) Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Point-of-Service Collections , Vendor Management Accretive Health Inc. is in little danger of losing any more of its customers and is considering doing away with its hospital debt-collection services, the company's chief executive said Wednesday. Accretive Health Inc. is in little danger of losing any more of its customers and is considering doing away with its hospital debt-collection services, the company's chief executive said Wednesday. The practice has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after Minnesota's Attorney General released a blistering report, accusing the company of unsavory tactics that may have violated debt-collection laws. (Read Full Article)

    Comment Mentions:   Accretive Health Inc.

21. 5 Much Better Ways To Collect Patient Debt Explore Hospital Impact (May 8 2012) Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Point-of-Service Collections , Revenue Cycle , Vendor Management by Ron Shinkman, FierceHealthFinance We tend to be creatures of habit, often settling into routines we don't reassess until something jarring occurs to them or our lives.Hospital finance executives should consider the recent coverage about patient collection practices in Minnesota, North Carolina and elsewhere as that opportunity to make a reassessment. It seems perfectly reasonable that highly educated professionals with advanced degrees in hospital or business administration want to be proactive about collecting unpaid bills. They have been relentlessly educated about not leaving money on the table. In an era of reduced payments from public and private payers, collecting every little bit helps. But hospital patients didn't buy a flat-screen television from you; most sought care because they had no other choice. And unlike the neighborhood Best Buy, there is likely not a single price for a single procedure posted anywhere in your institution. In such an environment, dunning and then suing patients with low incomes and few resources to respond is extraordinarily short-sighted, if not mean-spirited. So how can hospital finance executives improve patient debt collections? Read the full article at FierceHealthFinance to find out. (Read Full Article)

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22. Interest-free payment program increases cash collections Explore Healthcare Finance News (May 8 2012) Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Payment Models , Vendor Management Providers offer way for patients to pay medical bills SAN DIEGO, CA - As more patients grapple with high-deductible health plans and self-pay circumstances, it is becoming increasingly difficult for providers to collect payment for services rendered. Many organizations are starting to offer zero- or low-interest payment programs to their patients who would otherwise be unable to pay for medical services in a timely fashion. Election Feature Content:  No Feature read more (Read Full Article)

    Comment Mentions:   Palomar Health

23. Poorest no longer to pay highest price at CO hospitals Explore healthleadersmedia.com (May 8 2012) Collections , Debt Management , Improving Collections , Payment Models , Vendor Management Starting Aug. 8, Colorado hospitals will no longer be allowed to charge their highest prices to the poorest, uninsured patients. A bill banning the widespread practice was signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper Monday afternoon. Currently, hospitals effectively charge different prices for the same procedure, depending on who's paying. The uninsured end up with the highest prices because they don't have an insurance company to negotiate for them. The new law would make hospitals give their best price, not their worst, to the low-income and uninsured. The bill had support from the Colorado Hospital Association. The bill also requires hospitals to tell patients about their financial aid and payment plans. Hospitals also would be required to give patients 30 days after a late payment before sending bills to collections agencies. (Read Full Article)

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24. Regulators eye insurance maneuver to cut healthcare costs Explore healthleadersmedia.com (May 4 2012) Business Process Improvement , Cost Reduction , Improving Collections , Vendor Management Federal regulators are now scrutinizing whether small companies with relatively healthy employees will pull out of the group health insurance market by self-insuring—meaning the companies take on the risk of paying for employees’ medical care. That could make premiums for traditional health insurance plans, where an insurance company bears the risk, unaffordable for the businesses that remain. Stop-loss policies are insurance agreements that employers can buy to limit the amount of risk they take on when self-insuring. In a Federal Register notice posted on May 1, three agencies are requesting information about stop-loss insurance. A company might agree, for example, to pay for up to $50,000 of medical claims for any individual employee, and beyond that level, the stop-loss carrier pays. (Read Full Article)

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