Further, a daily report previously done in the morning to identify returned claims that were missing information now runs in the evening, which means the practice management system is not being slowed down during business hours as the report is being churned out. Other time-intensive reports that now automatically run at night include a summary accounts-receivable-by-payer report and a breakdown of monthly revenue by physician and department.
Gummel and other staff view the new module-called the Background Business Processor and a free add-on to their practice management software from Horsham, Pa.-based NextGen Healthcare Information Systems-as a virtual employee.
In fact, the virtual employee has a name-Billy Bob. "It's like having an assistant-who I don't pay-running reports for me and making sure they're done," Gummel says. "Not everything in business can be automated, but where it can, it's so much faster to have the software do it, which gives me more time to work on other reports or processes that cannot be automated," such as a financial analysis of bringing a new specialty into the practice.
Practice management makeovers
Practice management systems, which automate administrative and financial processes at physician offices, have been around for decades.
But newer versions, or new modules, feature expanded functionality, making it easier for staff to do their jobs and bringing new conveniences and services to patients.
Practice management vendors, for instance, increasingly are offering Web-based portals enabling patients to request appointments and prescription refills online, or send secure messages to physicians or staff. Some vendors have introduced modules that can conduct an analysis of a practice's performance compared with its peers.
And some vendors are rolling out aggressive marketing campaigns. For example, one is allowing customers to use the technology for free until they reach a specific goal for increased revenue (see story, page 60).
Physician offices in growing numbers are buying combined, integrated practice management/electronic medical records systems. An integrated system brings several efficiencies to a practice. In particular, it speeds the coding of claims because diagnosis and treatment codes entered into the EMR automatically port over to the subsequent claim in the practice management system. That, in turn, results in a claim being completed quicker and submitted for payment quicker.
Today, two-thirds of practice management sales for San Francisco-based McKesson Corp. include other applications, particularly an EMR, integrated with the administrative and financial system, says Tom Leonard, vice president and general manager of ambulatory solutions.
Further, if a practice is just looking for an EMR, its request for proposals almost always require integration with the legacy practice management system, he adds. "The core functionality of practice management is evolutionary. But what's moving in the industry is improved connectivity."
Checking performance
One company offering new functionality is athenahealth Inc., Cambridge, Mass. It provides a free reporting service to its clients that enables them to measure certain business performance metrics in their office against those of other practices using the vendor's practice management system.
The company remotely hosts its practice management and electronic medical records software, so it has business data from its client practices in its data center.
Under the Live Benchmarking Program, practices now can run a daily report on three metrics: the average number of days between time of service and entry of charges into the system; the time period that claims wait in a staff member's "hold bucket" awaiting corrections before submission and the time period the claims then sit in an administrator's bucket awaiting approval; and the percentage of patient self-pay balances still unpaid after 90 days.
At Family Care Associates, a solo-physician practice in Wellesley, Mass., office manager Cora Schrader uses the service to gauge how the practice stacks up against others.
"As the practice grows, the service lets me see exactly the areas I need to work on," Schrader says. She's found that Family Care Associates, compared with more than 500 other practices, measures very well in having low charge entry and claims-holding lag times.
But there was room for improvement in its self-paid balance. New procedures have since been put in place, and such accounts with balances more than 90 days old have been cut in half. "Before, I wouldn't know if the practice was out of track because I didn't have anything to compare it with," Schrader adds. "This affords us the opportunity to identify any areas that need to be enhanced-areas that directly affect financial health."
Moving to the Web
Another area where practice management vendors are boosting functionality is the Internet. Web portals can help improve communication between patients and physician offices and cut down on all those phone calls staff handle on a daily basis.
In April, The Family Doctors in Shreveport, La., enhanced its Web site with portal software from Misys Healthcare Systems, Raleigh, N.C.
The 11-physician practice's previous site was rather basic, offering such static information as driving directions, physician bios and a list of insurance plans the group accepted.
The new Web site, built on the vendor's PatientLink portal software, offers educational videos on demand as well as online appointment scheduling and registration. The portal also enables patients to print, complete and fax authorization forms for the release of their medical records, saving a trip to the office. Online payment is an additional function the practice expects to add this year, says Lisa Britt, practice administrator.
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