Ellis Medicine: Going All-in-One with Revenue Cycle Management

Ziac: As far as revenue cycle in general, having the physician and hospital together on one system is fairly innovative. I can’t think of too many places across the country that have done this on a large scale. It will position us very well for some of the new payment models that are coming out, such as accountable care organizations (ACOs).

Snyder: We are positioning ourselves for bundled payments and ACOs, because that’s where the industry is going. Without the data aggregated, it’s really impossible for a business like ours to tell what the true expense and the true return on the care that you’re giving is. It’s been a real benefit there. While some of our practices are getting used to the different flow and the mixed data model, it provides such a great benefit to our customers to see everyone in one place, and it really limits the confusion.

What we’re seeing on the horizon are ACOs directing many of our customers towards plans that they will carry, which will mostly be under a bundled payment model. At the federal and state level, that’s where the guidance is towards. It’s only logical when you look at the percent of the federal and state budget. Economically, when you look at the consumption curve, it’s unsustainable going into the future. We have started a couple pilot tests asking the question, “If we are to bundle your customers into some type of collaborative, can we effectively manage care and reduce cost for both the customer and the insurer? We need to determine what we need to be proactive rather than reactive, and that’s where healthcare is going.

What advice can you offer other health systems when looking for an RCM partner?

Snyder: You need stability, as well as the ability to deliver within the marketplace that we deal with, but also to deal with the regulatory needs. There a number of rules and regulations that can be difficult to deal with. It is imperative to have someone who is working hand and hand with you to improve issues as they arise. Obviously, you need someone who knows the healthcare landscape as well. And you want someone who is truly dedicated to being a business partner to the organization on all levels, not just a vendor. We think Siemens fits that description pretty well.