Achieving Cost Reduction and Increased Revenue in Healthcare through Innovative Technology in Revenue Cycle Management

Healthcare providers face special challenges with billing and payments. The revenue cycle includes many steps like patient registration, insurance checks, coding, claim submissions, dealing with denied claims, and following up on payments. This process is complicated because of payer rules and government laws, which often cause claim denials, payment delays, and higher administrative costs.

Efficient revenue cycle management (RCM) helps make sure payments are received on time and lowers the cost to collect payments. This cost shows how much it takes to get payments. Better RCM improves cash flow and profits for medical practices and healthcare places. When the revenue cycle works well, organizations can use extra funds to improve patient care, add more services, or buy better clinical equipment.

Technology-Driven Partnerships Enhancing RCM: HST Pathways and SYNERGEN Health

One recent example of new technology in RCM is the partnership between HST Pathways and SYNERGEN Health. They focus on ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) and offer a combined solution. HST provides cloud-based software made for ASCs, and SYNERGEN uses AI-driven revenue cycle services.

SYNERGEN Health uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotic process automation to simplify tasks like claim processing and handling denied claims. This reduces the cost to collect by about 30%, which lowers revenue fees for clients. ASCs using SYNERGEN’s technology have seen revenue go up by 15% to 25%.

Mel Gunawardena, Co-Founder of SYNERGEN Health, says better financial results make patient experiences better because smoother billing lowers patient stress about payments. David Thawley, CEO of HST Pathways, adds that real-time financial data helps medical managers better handle money and operations.

SYNERGEN handles over two million claims each month and works with ASCs in more than 45 states. Their system can scale well and fits many healthcare providers who want to improve their revenue cycles.

AI and Intelligent Automation Unlocking Revenue Cycle Efficiency

Artificial intelligence and automation play a big role in changing revenue cycle work for healthcare providers in the U.S. A survey shows nearly half of hospitals use AI for revenue cycle tasks. About 74% have some form of automation like robotic process automation or AI.

These automated tools take over dull and repetitive tasks, saving time. AI helps with coding and billing by understanding clinical notes using natural language processing (NLP). Predictive tools can guess which claims might be denied so staff can fix them early. Automated claim checking finds mistakes before claims are sent, reducing rejections.

Generative AI is now creating appeal letters automatically to handle denials faster. This means less manual work and staff can focus on important financial duties. AI chatbots also make personalized payment plans for patients, helping get payments on time and increasing patient involvement.

Here are some examples of results from using AI:

  • Auburn Community Hospital in New York cut discharged-not-final-billed cases by 50% and raised coder productivity by 40%.
  • Banner Health uses AI bots to quickly check insurance coverage and generate appeal letters, reducing denials and speeding payments.
  • Community Healthcare Network in Fresno lowered prior authorization denials by 22% and denials for non-covered services by 18% using AI claim reviews before submission.

These tools save staff 30 to 35 hours per week in some places without hiring more people.

AI tools also improve security by catching possible fraud and keeping up with coding and billing rules. Experts say human checks are still needed to avoid mistakes and bias in AI decisions.

Cloud-Based Integrated Solutions Supporting ASC Operations

Ambulatory Surgery Centers gain benefits from technology that supports both their operations and finances. HST Pathways’ cloud platform combined with AI-driven RCM speeds up billing and gives real-time financial views. This helps ASC managers track money flow, find hold-ups, and fix problems like claim denials quickly.

The HST Pathways and SYNERGEN Health partnership aims to lower costs and simplify revenue cycle management for ASCs. Over 1,600 ASCs use HST Pathways software, and SYNERGEN handles millions of claims monthly. This combined system fits today’s fast healthcare world.

Having accurate, real-time financial info helps manage cash flow and stop money losses. These systems automate many tasks in front and back offices, cutting errors from manual data entry. This lets ASC staff spend more time on patient care rather than paperwork.

AI Call Assistant Skips Data Entry

SimboConnect recieves images of insurance details on SMS, extracts them to auto-fills EHR fields.

Unlock Your Free Strategy Session

Case Studies of Success with Technology-Driven Revenue Cycle Improvements

MEDITECH’s Integrated Solution

MEDITECH offers a complete revenue cycle system for different healthcare settings like acute care, ambulatory, and long-term care. Their system improves patient access, clinical documentation, and financial back-office work. Some results include:

  • Phelps Memorial Health Center cut claim denial days from 9.4 to 0.2 and accounts receivable days from 55 to 30. They also increased clean claim rates to 90%, leading to faster payments and less work.
  • Howard County Medical Center lowered self-pay debt by 42% using MEDITECH tools and community programs.
  • Oswego Health keeps low accounts receivable days (30-35) by using automated revenue cycle methods and clear data workflows for strong financial results.

These improvements happen because of better patient financial communication combined with automated denial prevention and appeals systems.

AI Phone Agents for After-hours and Holidays

SimboConnect AI Phone Agent auto-switches to after-hours workflows during closures.

R1’s AI-Powered Revenue Cycle Solutions

R1 is a tech company that focuses on healthcare financial work. They use Palantir AI and years of healthcare knowledge to help providers cut costs and increase revenue. Their results include:

  • Up to 15% drop in cost-to-collect payments.
  • 1% to 3% revenue growth for providers they partner with.
  • A high patient satisfaction score up to 46, showing better experiences thanks to improved financial processes.

R1’s solutions work for hospitals and specialty clinics, showing that AI-powered revenue cycle tools can help many kinds of healthcare providers.

Conifer Health’s Nationwide RCM Outreach

With more than 35 years of experience, Conifer Health uses automation and expertise to improve financial and clinical outcomes in many healthcare places. Their achievements include:

  • Dartmouth Health shortened average accounts receivable days from 60 to 47 and exceeded cash collection goals.
  • Conifer manages over $32 billion in net patient revenue yearly and supports millions of patient interactions, showing a scalable financial model.
  • They focus on automating accounts receivable management, reducing denials, and handling financial risks.

Enhancing Patient Experience Through Financial Transparency and Automation

Money issues cause a lot of stress for patients during healthcare visits. Late bills, confusing statements, and denied claims hurt patient satisfaction and can cause lost revenue.

New revenue cycle technologies work not just on making operations efficient but also on helping patients understand bills better. Features like MEDITECH’s contactless check-in and real-time cost estimates give price information early to lower surprises and worry.

Automated reminders help reduce patient no-shows, which cost the healthcare industry about $150 billion every year. Platforms like DocResponse send payment reminders before visits, improving cash flow and cutting follow-up work.

The Growing Role of AI and Workflow Automation in Healthcare Financial Operations

Artificial intelligence and automation are changing revenue cycle management with faster and more accurate processing. Important AI uses include:

Automated Coding and Billing

AI uses natural language processing to read clinical notes and make correct medical codes. This lowers errors and denied claims by matching patient records with billing needs.

Predictive Denial Management

AI studies past claims to guess which claims might be denied. Staff can fix claims early, saving time and improving payments.

Optimized Prior Authorization

Getting prior approval from payers usually causes delays. AI tools check payer rules and patient eligibility automatically to speed up approvals.

Intelligent Appeals Processing

Generative AI writes appeal letters based on denial reasons. This cuts down manual work and speeds up appeals.

Patient Payment Plans and Engagement

Chatbots and AI portals offer patients custom payment plans and clear information about bills. This improves payment rates and patient satisfaction.

Real-Time Financial Analytics

Dashboards in the cloud give managers quick views of cash flow, denial trends, and staff work. This helps make better budget and staffing choices.

Staff Time Optimization

Automation lets revenue cycle teams focus on special cases and planning instead of repetitive tasks. Some systems show large time savings, which improve morale and output.

Specific Benefits for U.S. Medical Practices and Ambulatory Surgery Centers

In the U.S. healthcare system, many payers, different reimbursement rates, and rules make revenue management tough. Technology-driven RCM provides clear benefits:

  • Lowering the cost-to-collect by as much as 30%, helping small and medium practices save money.
  • Raising revenue by 15% to 25% through better claim accuracy and faster payments, keeping operations steady.
  • Cutting down on repetitive work so staff can focus more on patients and tricky billing.
  • Making patient financial experiences better with clear cost estimates and easy online payments.
  • Keeping compliance and security high with AI audits and fraud checks, lowering risks.
  • Allowing growth through cloud and AI tools that scale without much extra cost.

HIPAA-Compliant Voice AI Agents

SimboConnect AI Phone Agent encrypts every call end-to-end – zero compliance worries.

Let’s Make It Happen →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the partnership between HST Pathways and SYNERGEN Health about?

The partnership aims to enhance revenue cycle management services for ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) by combining HST Pathways’ ASC-specific software with SYNERGEN Health’s end-to-end revenue cycle management services.

How does SYNERGEN Health utilize technology in RCM?

SYNERGEN Health employs AI, machine learning, and automation to optimize workflows, reduce costs, and improve financial performance within revenue cycle management.

What benefits do ASCs gain from this partnership?

ASCs benefit from faster payments, increased cash collections, and reduced bad debt through a fully integrated revenue cycle solution.

What is SYNERGEN Health’s cost-to-collect reduction?

SYNERGEN Health achieves up to 30% lower cost-to-collect for its clients, passing savings through reduced revenue fees.

How does the partnership impact patient experience?

The collaboration aims to redesign standards for RCM, directly influencing financial outcomes and ultimately enhancing the overall patient experience.

What is the expected revenue increase for ASCs using SYNERGEN?

Clients using SYNERGEN can see an average revenue increase of 15 to 25% after transitioning to their services.

What operational improvements does the integrated solution provide?

The solution offers real-time financial data, error reduction, and a faster, more accurate billing process for ASCs.

How many claims does SYNERGEN Health process monthly?

SYNERGEN Health processes over 2 million claims per month, demonstrating its scalable model.

What is the main focus of HST Pathways?

HST Pathways focuses on providing cloud-based software that streamlines operations, improves efficiency, and enhances patient care for ASCs.

What is SYNERGEN Health’s mission in the healthcare industry?

SYNERGEN Health’s mission is to catalyze change by leveraging technology to lower collection costs and reimagining the revenue cycle management process.