The Answers Are in Your Data
By Pearl Shores , MBA, Shores Enterprises
Situation: Operational issues arise daily based upon the ever changing reimbursement arena in which Infusion Therapy operates. Management comes to the reimbursement department seeking quantitative analysis of a given payer in terms of volume billed in a given time period, cash received, and items billed with an NDC.
Problem: The reimbursement staff often cannot easily find this type of data. Reports are often not readily available from the standard reports which a software vendor supplies
in the report library. Staff that are well versed and comfortable with creating reports are not always available, and answers seem to be required without allowances for report
creation factored into the timeline.
Cause: The market has changed rapidly yet the available reporting was created in a different market environment. The previous reporting needs are not applicable today.
Solution: The use of Home Infusion Reports has greatly facilitated this process. The availability of information from a report already written and accessible in a Crystal Reports format has come to the rescue on many occasions and provided the necessary data to analyze and manage the infusion therapy revenue stream.
Developing a staff member who can use Crystal Reports and write reports is a useful addition. It offers position advancement possibilities while maintaining a qualified reimbursement person to continue contributing to the success of the accounts receivable performance. Without the basic Home Infusion Reports, the next generation of detail
would not have been possible given time constraints and the constant demand for improved information.
The answers to your operational questions are in your data. If you do not have the resources to find your data in a timely fashion and meet operational and financial needs,
consider using a tool readily available and easy to implement. The reimbursement department will look like a bright and shining star performer with this tool at hand.