Healthcare organizations seeking to improve their revenue cycle management process should ensure staff is educated on write-off codes, according to Theresa Brandon, managing director of Poway, Calif.-based national healthcare consulting firm Novia Strategies.
Ms. Brandon shared the following tip with Becker's Hospital Review.
"Write-off volumes and dollars are often symptoms of ineffective or non-existent processes and should be used as a signal and opportunity to improve operations. However, unless the codes are used accurately and consistently applied, staff may be deployed on lengthy investigations that do not resolve underlying issues. Limit access to write-off codes to well-trained team members. Engage them in discussions on recent examples of the use of various codes. These conversations will likely be enlightening to all involved. In addition, conduct reviews of write-offs and the underlying situations to determine if the codes are being used correctly by all team members. Some of the most commonly misused codes include untimely filing and contractual adjustments, which too frequently contain avoidable write-offs. Ensuring that your write-off data is accurate before using it to investigate potential process improvements will result in more effective use of staff resources."
Read more revenue cycle tips here.
If you would like to share your RCM best practices, please email Kelly Gooch at kgooch@beckershealthcare.com to be featured in the "RCM tip of the day" series.