Management tools and Data

Discussion 3 post :

The front office staff plays a crucial role in realizing organizational success at the physician’s office. These employees play various roles such as filing insurance claims, scheduling and checking in patients, updating pertinent demographics, and eligibility verification, among others. Their actions directly affect the bottom line of the organization. Therefore, when reviewing the processes that impact the revenue cycle, it is essential to commence with the front office staff. In this regard, an improvement that can be made to the front office staff to enhance the revenue cycle processes is to adopt the utilization of patient revenue cycle tools.

            Patient revenue cycle tools are vital in ensuring the process of bridging the gap between the clinical and business spheres of a healthcare institution is carried out easily and effectively. These tools aid the front office staff in carrying out tasks such as billing, collection, scheduling, registering, appointing, and processing of payments (Mayer, 2007). However, before the front office staff can buy into the idea of utilizing these tools, the office administrator has a crucial role of ensuring the employees understand the significance of the tools and learn how to effectively utilize them. Three major steps have to be taken during the adoption of patient revenue cycle tools.

First, the office administrator and the front office staff must hold a meeting where they discuss the problems of the current system. The administrator must create an environment where the front office staff is encouraged to carry out an open and honest discussion regarding the current practices surrounding the revenue cycle, the administrator then has to identify their top anxieties and complaints. This is crucial because the administrator will use the challenges identified by the employees as selling points for the patient revenue cycle tools. This step is essential in ensuring the front office staff play a role in discussing their challenges. They feel valued and see themselves as part of a team (Wells & Bravender, 2016). Consequently, the administrator will find it easier to make them buy into the idea of using new tools for their jobs.

            Second, the administrator has to introduce the new tools as a solution to the challenges identified by the front office staff. The administrator will ensure that the employees get thorough training on how to utilize these tools. Thereafter, he/she ensures that he/she addresses the employees' anxieties regarding the adoption of these tools. Often, employees are resistant to change, especially when the adoption of new technology appears challenging and intimidating (Trader, 2018). Therefore, the administrator must make the employees perceive the tools positively rather than see them as hurdles, which will disrupt their normal workflow. 

            Finally, the administrator has to offer incentives to the front office staff on the use of the new tools (Trader, 2018). After the employees and the administrators collaboratively agree on the adoption of the tools, the former must now play a big role in implementing the new technology. Although they already understand the significance of the tools to solving the challenges they face in implementing the processes of the revenue cycle, the administrator must ensure they get rewards on selling the new technology effectively to clients. These can be non-monetary items such as group outings or dinners. Overall, this three-step approach is vital in improving the revenue cycle processes through the adoption of patient revenue cycle tools.

 

 References

Mayer, M. (2007). Coping with connectivity: Scripting tools are helping hospitals tighten workflow and streamline processes without a huge investment--resulting in improved patient care and revenue cycle management. Healthcare Financial Management, 61(8), 84-89.

Trader, J. (2018). Encouraging front office staff to embrace patient revenue cycle tools: a three-step approach. Retrieved from https://healthipass.com/encouraging-front-office-staff-to-embrace-patient-revenue-cycle-tools-a-three-step-approach/

Wells, S. T., & Bravender, R. (2016). Improving employee engagement in the revenue cycle. Healthcare Financial Management, 70(10), 36-39.