Will You Be Bracing or Facing Increased Demands in Patient Access?

Tips for Being Prepared for Changes Coming in 2014. By Blair Baker, Emdeon

For hospitals and institutional healthcare providers, 2014 is a pivotal year. That’s when a range of requirements related to the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) kick in. From meaningful use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to major changes in third party reimbursement, providers are at the forefront of the quickly evolving business of healthcare, starting with growing demands for the patient access process.

Of course, this year—2013—is equally as pivotal as the year to follow. The time is now for hospitals to bring on and integrate updated technology to be ready when the 2014 deadlines come. If measures aren’t taken immediately, providers stand to miss out on vital opportunities to capture the fullest and most complete patient data and revenue possible.

With 2014 in the not-so-distant future, are you bracing for the coming changes or are you ready to face them confidently?

If you’re presently leaning toward the “brace” position, it’s not too late. There are solutions that can be implemented relatively quickly, efficiently—and affordably—to empower your organization to face 2014 with confidence. Simply put, the best route to preparedness is to outsource services and upgrade technologies.

As your internal costs increase and time starts to dwindle, it’s best to turn to a vendor with the expertise and integrated services you can leverage for aspects of patient access. Outsourcing reduces your costs of human capital and can offer a maximum financial investment because you benefit from the advanced, turnkey technology that someone else has developed.

Emdeon is typically able to accomplish core aspects of patient access more efficiently and at lower cost compared to the expenses incurred by customers who attempt to purchase and manage solutions without the assistance of a third-party vendor. The right solutions for patient access can help hospitals run more efficiently by enabling them to reduce patient wait time, manage staff and collect payments promptly, resulting in increased cash flow. And all this happens on a single, consolidated budget line that packages service and technology costs together.

Of course, patient access is just one piece of the puzzle. There are several other aspects of the business of healthcare for which outsourcing is the way to go. Look for more ideas to help propel your organization to 2014 and beyond in our next issue of Emdeon Compass.

About Blair Baker
Blair is Director of Product Management for Emdeon's Provider Services. He has over 11 years of Healthcare IT experience in developing payer connections and system integration as well as product management and business operations. For more than 10 years, Blair focused on Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management, leading teams through implementation and integration for large hospitals, health systems and physician practices nationwide. He’s a Certified Patient Accounts Manager (CPAM) and a graduate of Indiana University.


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