FROM OUR PARTNERS: ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, PERSONAL APPROACH STREAMLINE PATIENT STATEMENT PROCESSING

By Bob Murphy, Data Media Associates

It’s a simple fact of business life: The sooner you generate an accurate bill and place it in the “customer’s” hands, the sooner you can expect to be paid.

This premise clearly applies to payers – and, with its revenue cycle management solution, Navicure is committed to ensuring practices submit clean claims for speedy reimbursement. But it also pertains to patients: Until they receive statements about co-pays, deductibles and uncovered services, you can’t expect payments. That’s where Data Media Associates (DMA) comes in. As Navicure partner, we help practices collect outstanding balances from patients.

A printing and mailing company, DMA has developed software that works in conjunction with U.S. Postal Service applications. DMA receives electronic files directly from medical practices, and generates and mails HIPAA-compliant statements regarding amounts due. A postal employee is stationed right in our facility to certify that the mail goes out correctly.

But we do more than just process patient statements. Like Navicure, DMA is committed to customer support and has earned a national reputation for exceptional service in three specific areas:

• Timeliness and efficiency. We work two shifts a day – from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and guarantee that each client’s file is processed either the day we receive it or the following business day. Plus, we are located in Atlanta with access to one of the most efficient airports in the world for distributing mail. All this means we are able to get patient statements out faster, so that practices are likely to be paid sooner.
• Integrity. We ensure that all statements are compliant with HIPAA regulations. Three individual cameras built into our state-of-the-art equipment “read” statements and envelopes to ensure they are correctly matched.
• Quality. We have invested in the best equipment available and add color to all statements – proven to lift patient response in paying their bills.

In addition, DMA offers Web-based services to assist our clients. Practices are able to view individual statements online through a secure portal before they are mailed to patients. This provides the opportunity to edit statements, add a personal note – or stop them altogether. DMA clients can sort statements in a variety of ways – from highest to lowest balance, for instance. This gives practice staff the opportunity to make changes before mailing. Perhaps one patient is about to be billed $12,000. Staff can have that statement held until they have confirmed whether or not insurance has been billed. If, indeed, the patient owes such a large sum, the practice may elect to telephone the patient first to explain the reason for the balance. Clients can also view the patient statement on their monitors later if the patient should call with questions concerning the bill. Practice representatives are able to see exactly what the patient is seeing during their conversation.

With advanced Web-based technology and a deep commitment to customer service, DMA – like Navicure – works closely with practices to optimize revenue, while supporting the caring relationship they develop with their patients.

Bob Murphy is founder and president of Data Media Associates, based in Alpharetta, Ga., just outside of Atlanta (www.datamediainc.com).

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