Generally speaking, when the competition is fierce, the consumer always wins and that extends to hospitals. From lower costs to a higher degree of care, patient outcomes are typically better when hospitals attempt to “one-up” each other, and that may also extend to reimbursement.
The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) is among the most well-known and respected surveys, measuring a patient’s perspective and what their care was like during their experience at the hospital. The survey can also be used as a way for a hospital to adopt methods to improve care quality which, in turn, can create a positive impact when it comes to reimbursement.
Let’s briefly use reimbursements involving Medicare as an example which is partially tied to the HCAHPS section regarding the patient’s satisfaction. Should the survey show poor results, a hospital may end up forfeiting some reimbursements.
A hospital that receives high marks on the survey and maintains sterling patient outcomes more than likely has a series of best practices in place, meaning fewer odds of having to be readmitted or using fewer healthcare services that are not required, for example. These best practices often extend to the financial obligations expected of the patient, which means everyone is on the same page and there are no issues or surprises once it’s time to begin issuing those statements regarding the billing.
This update is by Medical Accounts Systems, a full-service revenue cycle management company providing a number of services including insurance follow up and managed care disputes, physician reimbursement, extended business office services, and more. For additional information on our services or for any questions you may have on topics such as hospital bad debt, please call 877-759-6315.