Eyeworld

102 | EYEWORLD | MARCH 2020 I NSIDE THE PRACTICE Billing process u Use claim edit capabilities. Review your rejec- tion and denial reports. Make sure your billing service adds value by reducing your staff work- load. If they don't, bill in-house. Accounts receivable follow-up u Make sure you're the coach in this team sport. Use reporting that highlights the root cause for claims denials. Share the root cause issues with the team. This is the continuous improvement part of the lean management approach to your revenue cycle. Take the next step Evaluate each component of your revenue cycle to identify waste and use software capa- bilities effectively to reduce that waste. Staying current on your software application is critical to continuous process improvement. Ongoing education and training available through your software provider can enable you to maximize revenue and minimize wasted time and money. With the reduction in reimbursements we must reduce costs to increase our bottom line. The resounding takeaway is stay cur- rent on your software's capabilities. Pro- actively manage your software and opera- tionalize the use of that software to make your office run more efficiently. Lastly, find a software provider that offers a full suite of flexible and scalable services. systems can be a huge source of waste if we do not use them correctly. Some sources of waste in each step of the revenue cycle are: Call center tools u We waste staff time by having them perform functions that can be done by a computer. This is a waste of human talent. Review your appointment schedule templates to eliminate the need for any external tools. Use the capa- bility built into your software. Send automated reminder calls, emails, or texts. Generate no- show letters automatically. Do pre-visit registra- tion by gathering all patient information when you make the appointment so you can check eligibility before a patient shows up in your office. You waste patient, physician, and staff time when you must cancel a patient who shows up without a referral or with non-participating insurance. Registration/check-in tools u Use integrated credit card processing and elec- tronically sign HIPAA and financial responsi- bility forms. This reduces the total steps for the registration team. Technician tools u Technicians waste time data entering data that could be imported through interopera- tive EHRs. Use the patient portal for pre-visit forms. Use medication history imports. Accept CCD documents from referring doctors. Physician tools u Consider customizing EHR templates. Use favorite diagnoses and macros. Consider mobile applications to support doctors on call. Surgical scheduling: Build surgical templates with direct message or fax forms to facilities directly. continued from page 101

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