Client Spotlight: Heart and Rhythm Specialists Cardiology Group Pumps Up Revenue
As a solo practitioner, Dr. Barney Beaver, founder of Heart and Rhythm Specialists, needed to streamline his operational workflow.
With Days in Accounts Receivable (DAR) on the rise and revenues less than predictable, the search began. In May 2004, the group chose athenahealth's centrally-hosted billing and practice management service, athenaCollectorSM, allowing the practice to gain new efficiencies through improved workflow and reporting capabilities.
“We had used traditional software solutions in the past, but now being a part of a national on-demand network like athenahealth, our administrative processes have been dramatically simplified for the entire staff. All payer-specific information and real-time reporting capabilities are built right into our workflow,” stated Georgia Beaver, Practice Manager for Heart and Rhythm Specialists.
Streamlining Efficiencies with On-Demand Results
athenaCollector gave the practice control over its financial health and the ability to look at new payer reimbursement trends by integrating web-based practice management software, continually updated payer knowledge, and back-office billing capabilities into a single service on a single platform – one which is shared by thousands of physicians nationwide. Heart and Rhythm Specialists saw immediate results – its DAR dropped approximately 45% from its previous average of 76 days.
“The transparency of the system was beneficial because it made the staff accountable for its work, ultimately improving our overall workflow, increasing collections and reducing DAR,” explains Georgia.
The office staff constantly utilizes athenahealth's payer rules engine, which is a real-time database of health insurance rules and regulations, with new rules being continuously added [see the Rule of the Month in this issue]. It is built into the practice’s workflow at key points, and alerts staff to any errors as information is entered. This enables the staff to catch and correct billing errors before the claims are submitted and ultimately denied.
Accessibility of the “Network”
“athenahealth came recommended from the Ohio State Medical Association. We experienced immediate results with consistent revenue collections. When we first opened the practice I was still learning about billing, but athenahealth's web-based system is user-friendly and accessible from any location with an internet connection. Also, if I ever have any questions, athenahealth staff is on call to answer my questions – it really is a partnership.”