Modern problems require modern solutions. For healthcare practice management, workflows can be chaotic if you don’t have the right tools to integrate tasks in your daily operations. That’s why forward-looking clinics and hospitals use modern tools to make workflows efficient. Among the most problematic issues in healthcare management is billing home medical equipment (HME) and durable medical equipment (DME).
With the powerful features and tools of an HME/DME billing tool, physicians can plan their appointments, create integrated reminders for future visits, and reduce data loss and paper purchase costs. Through HME software, you can collect patient data, organize it and analyze it for medical record maintenance. You can also launch automated appointment scheduling in the web browser and design interactive reports to examine physician performance about various HME/DME guidelines.
Problems with Paper-Based Workflow
Paper-based systems make it difficult to maintain and track medical records causing delays when payers issue denials. It’s also daunting to sort through hardcopies piling up in the office. Issues of data privacy and data loss come into light when using paper-based systems to manage DME/HME equipment. Let’s look at the main pain points of a paper-based workflow management system in a healthcare practice operating in today’s digital environment.
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Time-Wastage
Paper-based systems involves doing the same thing repeatedly by many employees, thus increasing overhead costs and promoting time wastage. Time spent managing paper workflow may be more than 50% of an HME/DME staff working hours. It therefore makes sense to for a healthcare practice to use an electronic HME solution instead of hiring several employees to undertake similar and repetitive tasks.
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Data Loss
Keeping medical, invoice, and other HME/DME safe and backed up is critical for any practice. Paper-based workflow models do not have a way of backing up data securely. Also, many paper records can be misplaced as they’re shifted between departments.
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Paper Purchasing Costs
For every new data, you may need a new paper, something which increases the cost of paper for patient data and medical records. High costs are incurred in purchasing, sorting, organizing, and distributing paper files.
Adopting the Alternative (Electronic Workflow)
The only way to get rid of the issues caused by paper-based workflow system is adopting an electronic-based system. Because of technology integration, many firms embrace automation for efficiency and cost reduction. Adoption of automation technology will also create new employment opportunities by 34%. That’s why, around 80% of company leaders say they are speeding up process automation and broadening their use of remote work. These leaders are already launching up to 51% of automation initiatives to boost efficiency.
Workflow automation helps speed up the completion of repetitive tasks, saving valuable time and money that can be directed for other purposes. For healthcare practice management, business process automation can greatly help reduce human error. In tasks such as HME/DME automation tools can improve revenue cycle management, decrease labor costs, increase payer acceptance, and bolster patient experience.
Most business leaders in the healthcare industry agree that HME and DME billing need to be automated to increase cash flows and frees up time coders use to bill equipment. With an automated workflow, a practice can save money and time while increase efficiency in delivering medical equipment to patients.
Benefits of Technology Integration in DME/HME Billing
As more health administrators look for ways to increase efficiency in the process of billing HME and DME devices, it’s invaluable to highlight the advantages of integrating technology in the billing process. Here are some of the key benefits of automating HME/DME billing.
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Improved User Experience
A software solution assists health professionals to integrate patient data with existing EMR systems to support quality assurance, value-based care, and hospice care management. A DME billing software improve the user experience for patients and their physicians.
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Improved Data Quality
An HME/DME software improve data quality by reducing errors, adding functionality, and eliminating manual work. Using an EHR enables automated routing to reduce human error while presenting the inventory in a clean format at the point of interaction (POI).
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Increased Business Productivity
By automating and improving workflow, a software increases each employee’s productive hours, reducing their payroll costs. This gives healthcare admins and doctors free time to work on other projects, increasing a practice’s productivity and patients’ outcomes.
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Improved Revenue Cycle Management
Through technological integration, a practice can reduce denials and boost payments, which translates into more income for the clinic. An efficient RCM means medical devices reach patients at the right time and health facilities get paid on time.
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Improved Compliance and Security
Electronic workflow software, such as an HME billing system and EMR, improves patient training by speeding up assessments while improving data security through encryption.
Additionally, HME/DME software solutions help monitor a clinic’s compliance with patient rights laws; federal, state, and local regulations.
You must keep track of worldwide movements and rush in today’s business world to stay competitive. Using a DME/HME billing system will help you on your journey to being competitive in today’s economic environment. Modern HME solutions make it easier for your healthcare practice to have smooth daily operations as it brings hospital management straight into the hands of front-line staff.
