Preventing Bad Debt: Inside Tips from One Hospital's Journey to Success
Product Description:
Audio Conference on CD or Audio On-Demand
Sponsored by The Patient Access Director's Handbook
presented on June 9, 2009
Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital (PIH) in Whittier, CA, grew its upfront collections to $4 million in 2008 and expects to exceed $6 million in 2009. What is its secret and how can your facility increase collections despite the harsh economic climate?
Listen to HCPro's 90-minute audio conference, Preventing Bad Debt: Inside Tips from One Hospital's Journey to Success. Sue Carlson, CPAM, the administrative director of revenue cycle and managed care at PIH, outlines the steps her hospital is taking to improve cash flow, such as a dedicated scripting program, the development of a payment plan, automation and economization of registration duties, and an identification process for low-income/charity care patients, which helped make billing and subsequent collections more realistic.
In addition to the detailed, proven procedures you will takeaway from the PIH case study, healthcare consultant Sandra Wolfskill, FHFMA (Wolfskill & Associates, Inc.) ensures you recognize the difference between bad debt and charity care. She will help you understand how distinguishing between the two is even more crucial with high unemployment numbers across the country, and the OIG's continued scrutiny of Medicare bad debt payments.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE AGENDA:
- Bad debt versus charity care
- Key differences
- Why charity dollars are important
- What constitutes bad debt?
- Bad debt of the uninsured
- Bad debt of the insured
- Impact of high deductible health plans
- Impact of unemployment and COBRA benefits
- Case study of success
- Start at the front end
- Upfront collections lead to $4 million in 2008
- Train staff members using scripting for collections
- Technologies that help pricing transparency
- Change their mind set
- Education! Education! Education!
- Create a culture of staff members who believe they contribute to bottom line
- Use motivational speakers
- Staff member feedback: use it effectively
- A question and answer session follows the presentation
BONUS TOOLS
In addition to the expertise and advice presented during this audio conference, you'll also receive a slide presentation of the program materials and:
- Policy templates
- Draft financial policy
- Patient Access handbook tools
These materials are provided with PDF links.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this audio conference, you will be able to:
- Explain several strategies for preventing bad debt from the front-end operational perspective
- Implement processes to prevent bad debt
- Strategize improved communications between patient access and patient accounts
- Determine how to measure collection potential by service line
- Understand the importance of setting goals based on data
- Identify the importance of contracting in a manner that facilitates upfront identification of patient responsibility
- Implement tools to facilitate upfront collections
- Implement scripts to help front line staff collect patient liability
- Understand the importance of clinical buy-in and management support
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Sandra J. Wolfskill, FHFMA, president, Wolfskill & Associates, Inc. (Chardon, OH). Wolfskill leads a firm dedicated to quality healthcare receivables consulting. Prior to founding the firm in 1996, she spent 15 years in healthcare financial management and consulting, including holding positions of vice president, senior consultant, director of Patient Financial Services, director of Information Systems, and chief financial officer. Wolfskill is the author of Charity Care: Tools for Managing the Uninsured Population, and The Patient Access Director's Handbook, published by HCPro, Inc.
Sue Carlson, CPAM, administrative director of revenue cycle and managed care, Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital (Whittier, CA). Over her 26 years with PIH, Carlson has overseen patient registration, case management, contracting and patient accounting. She is past-president of the Southern California chapter of AAHAM and past legislative chair at the national level for AAHAM.
WHO SHOULD LISTEN?
- Patient financial service directors
- Revenue cycle managers
- CFOs
- Patient access managers
- Case management
AUDIO ON-DEMAND
In addition to the regular purchase options for HCPro audio conferences, we are pleased to offer another option, an audio on-demand. Audio on-demand allows you to download the program and play it back at your convenience through your computer or MP3 player. Purchase a CD or an audio on-demand of the program and listen when you can. It's also a perfect training tool for new staff or as a refresher for veteran staff.
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