This year’s TELCOR User Conference was filled with energy and solutions benefitting TELCOR customers with process optimization and cash collections. Major takeaways and action items focused on efficiency, functionality and analytics aligning workflow and business decisions with both current functionality and further enhancement with the general release of RCM version 19.1.

Efficiency

It’s easy to get locked into doing things the same way. Customers shared their tips and tricks for workqueue management and end-user navigation. Workflow best practices were shared as labs align their teams to use the RCM tools at their disposal to collect every dollar possible. Knowing how and when to use processing rules to their fullest potential automates workflow so teams can focus on data that needs human intervention. Aligning new and existing rules with industry compliance creates peace of mind and shorter time to collection.

Functionality

  • Claim appeals was a hot topic! As more labs find it necessary to appeal low-pay and no-pay claims, they are embracing the TELCOR RCM automation for claim appeal generation and delivery of the appeal package. Customers are enthusiastic about tools for retrieving medical records and prior authorization. Automation with easy oversight is a sure-fire way to assure you’re exploring every opportunity to collect on services rendered.
  • Integrated Document Management is a new TELCOR RCM feature integrating scanned documents and TELCOR RCM created documents into your team’s workflow from within the application. Whether viewing a requisition, correspondence or an EOB, having the information at your team’s fingertips streamlines workflow.
  • Customers using benefits eligibility are seeing significant improvements in claims being paid the first time. Benefits eligibility includes time-saving functionality such as automatic crossover processing for payers and recheck of benefits. The release of real-time eligibility checking was announced in v19.1 and is expected to further improve back-end denials processing.

Analytics

  • Monitoring KPIs to manage your laboratory is vital. Attendee’s picked up how other customers are using real-time analytics to monitor cash flow, contracted reimbursement, remittance trends, claim appeals success and staff/team productivity. These analytics drive daily decisions surrounding laboratories’ revenue cycle.
  • Customers gained knowledge of how the Operations and Finance Dashboards help identify trends in real-time allowing for timely action to be taken. Metrics are displayed with high and low threshold flags, dependent upon customer-defined ranges, providing quick visual cues. If any metric is in question, you can drill down to current details allowing for additional investigation.
  • Report automation for interim or month-end reporting processes was also a lesson learned. Scheduled generation and delivery streamlines workflow. Examples included:
  • Generating standard and custom requested reports for finance and accounting
  • Examining productivity results to track and trend information, and to realign workflow
  • Finding the root cause of outliers to implement rules to avoid future occurrences

These key takeaways scratch the surface of the opportunities TELCOR customers have. If you need information on process optimization and improving cash collections, please reach out to Customer Service or give us a call at 855-489-1207.

As we start planning for next year’s User Conference, our customers are equipped today to combat reimbursement reductions, denials and hard-to-collect patient balances.

Kurt Matthes
Vice President, Reengineering and Service

Kurt Matthes, vice president, RCM reengineering and service, has more than 25 years of experience in laboratory systems. Since joining TELCOR in 2007, he has performed various responsibilities including implementation, service and sales support working with TELCOR customers to help ensure success.