With Emdeon ePayment, you can eliminate the hassle of paper-based claims payments – replacing checks with payments from Emdeon ePayment enrolled payers that are directly deposited into your bank account. There is no cost to you to use Emdeon ePayment and enrollment is free!
Did you know that on average, it can take up to 15 days to receive a check in the mail and wait for the funds to clear? Using Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT), Emdeon ePayment directly deposits your claims payments, usually making them available in less than five business days.
In addition to helping you get paid faster, Emdeon ePayment streamlines the enrollment process. Instead of enrolling separately for each payer, you can simply select each and every participating payer all at once. And with Emdeon ePayment, you can quickly locate Electronic Remittance Advices (ERAs) and Explanation of Payment (EOP) information with the click of a mouse instead of digging through mounds of paperwork. Using an online application which is FREE for Emdeon ePayment users, you can easily search, view, print and download the ERA.
You can also consolidate payment processing workflows with our other Emdeon solutions. Emdeon Payment Automation helps providers fill the gap while some payers continue to mail paper-based checks and remittance advice. By scanning and digitizing paper-based payments and remittance advice, providers can accept claims payments more easily and reconciliation is simplified. Using both Emdeon ePayment and Emdeon Payment Automation together, providers can collect virtually all claims payments electronically and receive virtually all Remittance Advice (RA) as a downloadable 835 file using Emdeon Payment Manager.
Enroll today with Emdeon ePayment to get your claims payments more quickly. Call 866.506.2830 or visit www.emdeon.com/epayment to enroll today. Emdeon’s customer service team can help you transition seamlessly and easily. Remember, there is no cost to you to use Emdeon ePayment and enrollment is free.
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14 Ağustos 2012 Salı
Cash flow important? Get paid TWO (even three) times as fast!
Is Your Hospital at Risk of PCI Compliance Violations?
If you accept credit card payments from patients at the point of service or online, you need to understand that all payment processors are not created equal. Your merchant processor can affect efficiency, profitability and overall security, so choose wisely.
Keep an Eye on PCI Compliance
Security is always top-of-mind in hospitals, from protecting patients’ health records to their billing information. Sometimes it is taken for granted or assumed that all companies selling merchant services are PCI (payment card industry) compliant. However, that’s a dangerous assumption; you’re only as secure as the partners you work with. You must be certain your payment processor adheres to data storage and security guidelines and that the appropriate firewalls are in place. Falling short in PCI compliance can be costly on many levels. According to pcicomplianceguide.org, “The payment brands may, at their discretion, fine an acquiring bank $5,000 to $100,000 per month for PCI compliance violations. The banks will most likely pass this fine on downstream until it eventually hits the merchant. Furthermore, the bank will also most likely either terminate your relationship or increase transaction fees.”
Aside from the costly fees associated with doing business with a merchant processor that isn’t PCI compliant, your hospital might also be at risk of exposing sensitive patient billing information too.
In addition to steering clear of merchant processors that aren’t PCI compliant, you should also be aware of other common pitfalls associated with fly-by-night merchant processors.
Watch Out for Bait-and-Switch Rates
There’s a reason they are called “teaser rates.” Some merchant processors use low introductory rates to lure you in, only to hike the rates soon after the relationship is established or add fees along the way. Seek out processors that offer full disclosure of rates and provide a lower overall cost and effective rate from the start.
Beware of Long-Term Obligations
If you are required to sign a long-term contract to initiate a working relationship, be on guard. Companies that demand lengthy agreements will likely levy heavy fees should you need to cancel before term. Some merchant processors are more flexible, working on short term or month-to-month agreements that never lock you into situations or lead you into costly fees.
Demand Clear Reporting & Support
As with any solid business relationship, set high standards for service. Amidst the array of potential partners you have to choose from, there are those that take a consultative approach, provide customizable reporting tools and offer support. You need access to clear reports and statements online, in addition to support services to promptly answer any issues that may arise.
Prioritize Implementation
Find a merchant processor that is sensitive to the fact that your organization is already entrenched in IT solutions and systems that run your business and is willing to work with you to ensure smooth implementation and integration. They should be with you each step of the way, integrating systems and determining the best solutions to help you collect more of what you are owed, while keeping costs low and efficiency within your hospital high.
If you’d like peace of mind knowing your merchant processor is not only PCI compliant, but also a trusted leader in the industry, Emdeon Merchant Services and Chase Paymentech are here to help. Emdeon is collaborating with Chase Paymentech, a global leader of payment processing, to simplify patient payment processing and integrate seamlessly with Emdeon solutions. Call 877.EMDEON.6 (877.363.3666) or visit us online to learn more today.
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What's the Big Deal About Payment Automation?
Would you consider the capability to get paid faster and more completely while also reducing manual processes and the need for full-time staff to be a big deal? Of course you would. The evolving healthcare landscape demands that providers of all sizes find solutions to not only collect more revenue, but be more efficient in doing so. Any alternative that results in greater reimbursement and staff efficiencies is, simply put, a big deal.
That’s where Emdeon Payment Automation comes in. Providers nationwide are reaping the benefits from automated solutions for processing paper Remittance Advice (RA) and Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) for one streamlined workflow. We’re empowering providers to eliminate burdensome, manual processes related to paper with automation to post commercial insurance payments promptly and accurately.
Rather than just tell you of Emdeon Payment Automation’s powerful impact from our vantage point, we’d prefer to show you its benefits through a recently-released case study featuring a prominent medium-sized organization’s surprisingly simple and quick journey to big time benefits.
Download this compelling case-in-point to discover:
• The shortcomings of a bank’s EOB processing system and lockbox services
• How long it took and how many people were needed to post payments and correct Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) errors for this provider organization
• The many, measurable ways Emdeon Payment Automation improved the situation
• An executive’s firsthand account of Emdeon’s implementation process and support
• How long it took for the provider organization to break even on its investment in Emdeon’s solution
While this Emdeon Customer Success Story is a relevant read for any organization seeking a practical, simple-to-implement payment automation solution, it’s particularly fitting for providers that are:
• Still using an inordinately large dedicated staff to handle manual commercial payer payment processes
• Currently tied to a bank for payment process and lockbox support
• Struggling with posting errors and subsequent revisiting of items posted
• In need of higher first-pass yield, reduction of denials and all-around better data accuracy
• Looking for a simple-to-integrate, automated solution that will enhance efficiencies and bring big deal results
With Emdeon, achieving those big deal results can be a relatively small feat. We cover all the details to get you up and running with automated payment solutions promptly and offer integration to make workflows as seamless as possible. Click here to download the case study and learn more!
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What to Expect When You're Expecting (...A Bill, That Is!)
Tips for Teaching Patients What to Expect Before the Statement Arrives
It’s human nature to fear the unknown. The quake of uncertainty arises during many of life’s big challenges. Leaving home for the first time, getting married, having a family… receiving a hospital billing statement.
Yes, holding a billing statement from a healthcare provider can be a white-knuckled experience when the Total Amount Due puts an unexpected strain on the household budget.
Many professionals in the business of Accounts Receivable and collections in the healthcare industry report that people generally want to pay their bills but are hindered in doing so promptly or in full if their billing statements are complex or hard to read. Add the innately daunting details of a healthcare encounter to a billing statement, and it’s simple to understand why patients are so fearful come payment time.
Today, many providers have taken steps to make statements more approachable and understandable. They’re using better designs organized for easier review, incorporating colors to call out key information and tailoring language with the recipient in mind. Nonetheless, fears and confusion associated with billing remain. What’s a provider to do?
Here are some practical ideas to help educate patients about the billing process.
Show & Tell at Registration
Begin educating patients about their bills at the point of registration by familiarizing them with the statement layout. Display a poster-size version of a statement in the patient registration area with visual callouts highlighting key aspects of the design. If your facility has different statement templates for subsequent notices, display the entire statement series so patients are acquainted with what to expect.
Interactive Explanation Online
Extend this “show & tell” approach to your website. Create an easily accessed page that shows interactive first, second and final notice statements. Create clickable highlighted information to engage patients as you explain how to find essential balance information, due dates, etc.
Continuous Improvement Based on Feedback
In the latest report issued by the PATIENT FRIENDLY BILLING® Project Report “Case Studies in Customer Service”, the case study of Sharp Grossmont Hospital’s approach to improving patient statements serves as a motivating template for providers. The Sharp Grossmont team met regularly to identify and address the portions of patient statements that generated the most calls and questions. Over time, the organization redesigned its statements to reduce calls and empower patients to better understand their payment requirements and options.
Pre-Statement Communication
Don’t blindside patients, especially those facing large out-of-pocket balances. Make it standard practice to pull reports identifying these patients, and send them pre-statement correspondence to prepare and guide them regarding what’s to come. Call them directly and proactively offer financial counsel to help ease the payment process. Starting the conversation early will make it easier to stay in touch during the payment process.
Want to learn more about helping your patients better understand their financial responsibilities? Call 877.EMDEON.6 (877.363.3666) to learn more or visit us online.
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It's 10 O'Clock. Do You Know Where Your Patient Data Is?
If nothing is more important to a healthcare provider than caring for the well-being of patients, protecting patients’ personal information runs a very close second. Patient care is guided by the Hippocratic Oath but it is also heavily regulated by HIPAA mandates requiring that provider organizations keep a watchful eye to safeguard patient data too.
If your organization uses email to transmit patient billing files, you are likely subjecting precious data to potential compromise. The causes of possible data leakage through email are vast including human error, system hacking and unauthorized access. All around, transmitting patient billing files using email is a high risk procedure that comes with enormous consequences should the method fail.
That’s why Emdeon ExpressBill Services is designed to protect patient billing information throughout statement printing and mailing and especially when files are initially uploaded from the provider’s patient billing system.
The key to our data protection? Emdeon leverages a password-protected File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site which allows customers to transfer files to this secure site ensuring only the provider and Emdeon can access the files. This method is like an armed guard escort leading the file directly from one locked safe to the next reducing the risk of misdirected, leaked or intercepted data. Our eye on file security doesn’t stop there. After the files are uploaded, they are automatically scanned to evaluate data integrity and file completeness. Another bonus? Data can be sent 24 hours a day, seven days a week and customers have the flexibility to select whether file processing should start in real time or on a pre-determined schedule.
Keeping sensitive data protected and secure is at the core of Emdeon’s business. Did you know that Emdeon powers the single largest financial, administrative and clinical information exchange in the U.S. healthcare system? Recently, Emdeon opened the second of two new data centers that serve as the central nervous system for the largest and most powerful network in healthcare. With a Tier 3 infrastructure, these centers allow us to provide a single, interactive and standards-based transaction processing and analytics platform.
Take a comprehensive look at your patient billing data processes. Do you see any potential leaks in the system? Call 877.EMDEON.6 (877.363.3666) to learn more about Emdeon ExpressBill Services!
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