Revenue Cycle

Tip: Registration process makeover

Patient Financial Services Weekly Advisor, June 18, 2004

The University of Pennsylvania Health System, during a lengthy revenue-cycle improvement process launched in 1999, found registration to be a stumbling block.

Tom McCormick, associate vice president in charge of patient accounting, spearheaded the initiative-which also encompassed overhauling processes for medical records, charge capture, and accounts receivable management-to rectify the front-end problems.

McCormick shared his process improvements during the Healthcare Billing and Collections Summit in March in Las Vegas.

The health system's old registration environment

  • had not adapted to the changing payer environment
  • had poor data quality that required significant reworking
  • had data elements and processes that were not standardized among entities
  • had policies and procedures that were limited and not enforced
  • had an organizational structure that did not clearly align authority with accountability

    With the health system's new registration environment

  • data entry personnel are supported with a training and certification program and are monitored for quality
  • patients are registered in the core billing system prior to service being rendered
  • patients are fully registered only once with the data validated and updated before each nonemergent service is rendered
  • referrals or precertification are obtained before service is rendered, when required by the payer
  • patients are informed of their financial responsibility and a payment plan agreed upon before service is rendered
  • copayments, full payments (as required), or deposits are collected on or before the date of service

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