{"id":7364,"date":"2013-06-04T18:00:01","date_gmt":"2013-06-04T22:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poweryourpractice.com\/?p=7364"},"modified":"2013-06-04T18:00:01","modified_gmt":"2013-06-04T22:00:01","slug":"applying-lean-rcm-concepts-to-your-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carecloud.com\/continuum\/applying-lean-rcm-concepts-to-your-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Applying Lean RCM Concepts To Your Practice"},"content":{"rendered":"

To keep bottom lines healthy, organizations are turning to a process called lean revenue cycle management.<\/p>\n

John Gallagher, account manager of Simpler Consulting, helps organizations utilize this efficient form of management<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur client base is quickly moving toward a majority immersion in revenue cycle management and we would be surprised if it wasn’t 100 percent in the next 12 to 18 months given the cost crisis in healthcare,\u201d said Gallagher.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here, Gallagher provides\u00a0six tips on lean revenue cycle management.<\/p>\n

1. Stay focused on the mission<\/strong>
\nAccording to Gallagher, any expert in the field of lean will tell you upfront that this is not a shortcut or the easy way out. In order to maximize the benefits of lean management, everyone involved in the improvement process must be aligned. \u201cWhile a part of the objective of revenue cycle management may be to increase revenue, the overall mission is to achieve a cultural transformation<\/a> within your organization by continuously reducing waste and improving patient care<\/strong>,\u201d he said. This takes time and a lot of hard work, but in the end, it is entirely worth it both financially and culturally, he added.<\/p>\n

2. Stay aware of legislation changes\u00a0<\/strong>
\n\u201cWith the Affordable Care Act and ICD-10 coming into full effect in 2014, it is more important now than ever to keep up to date<\/a> with latest legislative decisions,\u201d Gallagher said. Make this a regular discipline of your process to stay aware of any new statutes, guidelines, codes, and how they might affect your revenue cycle management.<\/p>\n

3. Understand payer contracts\u00a0<\/strong>
\nGallagher says it\u2019s crucial for those involved in the revenue cycle to fully understand payer contracts<\/a>. \u201cWhile eliminating non-value-added steps is critical to improvement, organizations do not want to unintentionally impact the various upstream and downstream processes,\u201d he said. Providers with multiple payer types need to understand that not all-payer needs are created equally.<\/p>\n

4. Scope your value stream correctly<\/strong>
\nIn lean management, a value stream defines all the activities \u2014 both value-added and non-value added \u2014 required within an organization to deliver a specific service. \u201cA value stream analysis is used to identify waste and create a plan<\/strong> of action to eliminate this waste and improve the service process,\u201d said Gallagher.<\/p>\n

Something he sees all too common in terms of revenue cycle improvements is care providers not scoping the entire process and, ultimately, not maximizing improvement. The revenue cycle from start to finish should be analyzed from the moment the patient walks into the door and registers to the point at which you have a zero balance for those services that are provided.<\/p>\n

5. Information technology is not a cure-all\u00a0<\/strong>
\nGoing out and purchasing what Gallagher calls a \u201cmagic\u201d software package is not going solve the problem, revenue cycle management or otherwise. \u201cIf organizations don\u2019t have the waste eliminated from your process prior to implementing a technology solution, the technology can actually have the opposite effect and prolong wasteful operations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

6. Internal transparency\u00a0<\/strong>
\nAccording to Gallagher, identifying gaps<\/a> in the financial system can be a bit worrisome to the administration in charge of those operations, however, he said, \u201cit is important to be transparent internally<\/strong> and to not point fingers or play the blame game, but rather to focus on what you can do to fix the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget to put your name on the Power Your Practice Email list for updates on the latest industry news and tips.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kevin Fuller is a New Media Producer at\u00a0MedTech Media, which provides business and technology intelligence to forward-thinking medical practices.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To keep bottom lines healthy, organizations are turning to a process called lean revenue cycle management. John Gallagher, account manager of Simpler Consulting, helps organizations utilize this efficient form of management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[38,39],"class_list":["post-7364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growth","category-revenue","tag-icd-10","tag-revenue"],"yoast_head":"\nApplying Lean RCM Concepts To Your Practice - Continuum<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"To keep bottom lines healthy, organizations are turning to a process called lean revenue cycle management. 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