From reconciling different administrative systems and practices to ensuring timely charge capture, hospital billing poses many challenges when medical professionals provide care across multiple facilities. With these complexities come some significant consequences: increased charge lag, an unnecessary drain on provider time, and its ripple effect on patient care.

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Inpatient Billing Challenges in a Multi-facility Landscape

When physicians round at multiple hospitals or inpatient facilities, the variation in billing procedures could create a logistical nightmare. Each facility can have its unique paperwork, electronic health record (EHR) systems, and billing procedures. The differences between hospital systems often lead to:

• Charge Lag: The delay between providing care and recording it for billing is known as charge lag. When providers cater to multiple facilities, the chances of forgetting to bill for a service or misplacing paperwork rise dramatically. This lag can delay reimbursements and affect the cash flow of a healthcare practice.
• Time Wastage: Physicians already operate on tight schedules. When they have to juggle multiple billing systems, the administrative burden can take up precious time, detracting them from their primary goal – patient care.
• Impact on Patient Care: When a significant chunk of a provider's time is consumed by administrative tasks, it can affect their availability, focus, and overall quality of care they can provide to their patients.

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Modern Charge Capture Streamlines Multi-facility Billing

Enter modern charge capture solutions such as pCharge™ by pMD. Designed to address the very challenges mentioned above, they play an instrumental role in simplifying inpatient billing, especially when providers operate across multiple facilities.

• Mobile Billing: One of the standout features of contemporary charge capture systems is mobile billing support. Providers can instantly record charges on-the-go, directly from their smartphones or tablets. The immediate transfer of charges to the billing team reduces charge lag and ensures that no billable service slips through the cracks.
• Unified Platform: Modern solutions provide a centralized platform where providers can view, manage, and analyze billing data from multiple facilities. This unification streamlines administrative processes, saving precious time and providing one source of truth.
• Enhanced Revenue Cycle: By ensuring timely and accurate charge capture, these platforms play a pivotal role in enhancing the overall revenue cycle. Practices witness fewer missed charges, reduced denials, and faster reimbursements.
• More Time for Patient Care: With a reduced administrative burden, providers can redirect their time and focus towards patient care, leading to better outcomes and higher patient satisfaction.

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While inpatient billing at multiple facilities presents its challenges, modern charge capture such as pCharge™ are offering a way forward. By minimizing charge lag, reducing the administrative load, and optimizing the revenue cycle, these solutions are ensuring that healthcare providers can maintain their focus on what truly matters: delivering exceptional patient care.

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How pMD^® Can Help

At pMD^®, our mission is to streamline and optimize the patient care episode and the revenue cycle. Through our advanced, end-to-end practice management and revenue cycle solutions, we can help practices consolidate vendors, reduce costs, streamline workflows, improve patient care and satisfaction, and collect their maximum reimbursement more quickly.

Not sure what a vendor could do to improve your behavioral health billing? Contact pMD^® for a no-commitment financial impact analysis by our team of healthcare RCM experts free of charge!

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