nTelagent Presents Webinar on How Hospitals Can Change Bad Debt to Revenue

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–On October 19, Nashville’s nTelagent, Inc. will present a complimentary webinar titled “Change Bad Debt to Revenue in Five Simple Steps.” The Tuesday, October 19 webinar will begin at 9 a.m. Central. For those not available to attend the October 19 webinar, a second webinar will be held on Thursday, October 21 at 1 p.m. Central. 

Healthcare and hospital executives – including CFOs, business office directors, revenue cycle directors and others responsible for patient financial accounts – should attend this nTelagent webinar.

“In this webinar, we’ll be presenting hospitals with five simple but critically important steps to change bad debt to revenue. The effects of healthcare reform are looming, and the industry already has experienced an overall shift to a more retail-like revenue cycle. In today’s challenging environment, now is the ideal time for hospitals to take a step back and ensure the fundamentals of their revenue cycle are sound, efficient and effective,” said Irene Barron, nTelagent COO and product management officer.

A hospital business office veteran, Barron will lead the webinars. She has more than 25 years of experience in business office operations and revenue cycle management, with extensive knowledge of registration, insurance billing, collections and reimbursement, as well as overall monitoring and reporting of accounts receivable.

To register for the October 19 session at 9 a.m. Central, https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/594759473.

To register for the October 21 session at 1 p.m. Central, https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/600210656.

According to Barron, self-pay is predicted to increase 20 percent to 40 percent over the coming year with the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. “Hospitals must become more proactive in identifying what has caused bad debt, and embrace the simple steps that can change this constantly growing number. A hospital’s financial viability depends not only on having the right systems and policies in place, but more importantly on having the tools to enforce and monitor those systems. In order to remain financially viable, we have to update our processes to accommodate the changes that have been forced on us,” continued Barron.

The October webinars will explore best practices for changing bad debt to revenue, by reviewing important but basic elements of a hospital’s revenue cycle:

– Implementing appropriate policies for discounting, payment terms/plans and charity care

– Monitoring and enforcing the execution of these policies among patient access staff

– Ensuring front-end staff follows the same “rule book” as back-office staff

– Consistently and accurately verifying insurance on the front end

– Giving registrars the automated systems they need to correctly determine co-pays, deductibles and coinsurance upfront, per contracted rates

– Eliminating the practice of small balance write-offs by resolving accounts at point of service

– Ensuring point-of-service processes are adjusted to address the new PPACA regulations, such as identifying all patients who qualify for financial assistance on the front end and following the limitations on charges rules

A Q&A session will follow the presentation.

nTelagent provides hospital clients with the Retail Application for Healthcare, which allows them to consistently and accurately address point-of-service challenges: upfront determination of patient payment due, upfront collections, discounting of services, insurance verification, charity care, payment plans, price transparency, and medical financing assistance and enrollment.

About nTelagent, Inc.
nTelagent, Inc.’s Retail Application for Healthcare is the only point-of-service collection solution for the healthcare industry that settles all accounts on the front end – regardless of whether the patient is insured, uninsured or charity. Similar to applications used in the retail industry at the point of sale, the company’s Web-based system provides healthcare registrars and financial counselors with real-time scripts, telling them exactly what to do and what to say to each patient at the point of service regarding financial responsibilities. Visit www.ntelagent.com for more information.