A charge capture solution for rounding clinicians

How rounding clinicians can balance patient care and charge capture

Specialty practices whose clinicians round at hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, or other care settings need a billing workflow that extends beyond their home clinic. For clinicians, that means a practical mobile way to record their professional services during those offsite visits and get that information back to their practice’s billing team. When that handoff depends on notes or later entry, it can add work and leave room for delays or missing details.

The challenge begins when information about that visit must make its way back to the practice’s billing workflow.

Why charge capture gets complicated during offsite rounding

A cardiologist from an independent practice may visit a patient admitted to a hospital, then need to record the professional services provided during that visit. This sounds routine enough, but many clinicians are still using disconnected systems — at best — or paper slips — at worst — to document these out-of-office visits.

When details recorded offsite are entered hours or days later, clinicians and billing staff may have to clarify missing information or reconcile separate records. That follow-up adds work before a charge can move through billing and can delay the process further.

What an effective charge capture handoff requires

A better process must do more than let clinicians enter charges away from the office. It needs to capture details during rounds, get them to billing, and make gaps visible.

These three requirements can guide practices reviewing their current workflow and how it affects three main touchpoints – clinicians, billing staff, and practice leaders:

1. Capture information during rounding

• Clinicians: Record the service and relevant details while the encounter is fresh, rather than reconstructing them after rounds.
• Billing staff: Receive legible, complete charge details instead of having to interpret handwritten notes.
• Practice leaders: Reduce reliance on delayed entry and the corrections it may require.

2. Make visit information available to the billing team

• Clinicians: Have a clear way to submit charge information from the facility when their entry is complete.
• Billing staff: Access that information promptly so they can begin the next billing steps.
• Practice leaders: Understand how long the handoff takes between the visit and the billing workflow.

3. Give teams visibility into missing information

• Clinicians: Know when an entry needs clarification or completion.
• Billing staff: Identify incomplete submissions and follow up while visit details may be easier to confirm.
• Practice leaders: See which handoffs remain unresolved and where work is waiting.

Mobile charge capture connects rounding with the billing workflow

With athenaOne® Mobile Charge Capture, provided by HybridChart, a rounding clinician can enter a professional charge on a mobile device while the visit is still fresh. Designed by a practicing physician around clinicians’ rounding routines, the solution also includes tools to help select procedure and diagnosis codes.

Charge information entered during rounds can then move into the practice’s athenaOne billing workflow. The solution also brings related rounding tasks into one place, including secure messaging and patient census management — showing who is currently admitted, where they are, their status, and who is responsible for their care. Reporting can give practice leaders a view of charge submission delays, missing or incomplete information, and productivity, helping them identify where follow-up is needed.

A rounding workflow health check: Four questions for practices

Practice leaders can trace what happens with their charge information to find opportunities for improvement. Four questions can help uncover where information slows down or needs follow-up.
 

1. Where do clinicians first record services from facility visits?

   
   Consider whether charge information is entered during rounds or recorded on paper and entered later. Does the process change when clinicians visit multiple facilities or see patients in a different order than expected?

    

2. How and when does the billing team receive that information?

   
   Trace the handoff from the clinician to the billing workflow. Does the team receive charge details soon after the visit, or wait for notes to be delivered or entered at day’s end? Knowing when information becomes available can help leaders identify avoidable delays.

    

3. Who follows up when details are missing?  

   
   A clinician may need to clarify a service or complete an entry before billing can proceed. Identify which team notices incomplete information, who contacts the clinician, and how the team knows the issue has been resolved.

    

4. Can users see where work is waiting and in need of attention?

   
   Determine if a user can distinguish charges awaiting clinician entry, items needing clarification, and information ready for the next billing step. Are statuses and opportunities for intervention clear?

Closing the gap between clinician efficiency and financial visibility

A better rounding workflow starts where the clinician sees the patient – whether that’s in a hospital or any setting beyond the practice walls. Capturing charge details during the visit, passing them to the billing team, and identifying entries that need follow-up can help practices manage work that happens beyond the home clinic.  

Is there room to improve your rounding workflow? Visit the athenaConnect™ Marketplace to learn more about Mobile Charge Capture, powered by HybridChart.