Tackling your business challenges one problem at a time
Category: News
This article first appeared in the January 2016 edition of HME Business. To read the article on their website, click here.
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When optimizing provider efficiency, you have to look at entire workflows, not isolated problems. That’s the thought behind Medforce Technologies new Medforce Apps.
Instead of providing a massive collection of software tools, some of which some providers might not need, Medforce opted to take a modular approach by developing a series of software applications that address specific provider workflows by offering tools that address problems associated with those workflows, as well as ways to make those workflows more efficient.
“Until this point we’ve been selling CommandCenter, and we’ve had our FormsCenter, and using those two together, sometime with our ContentCenter, people have been using those to build what essentially are very similar to what these Apps are,” says Nathan Apter, chief technology officer for Medforce Technologies. “The Apps themselves are turnkey workflow solutions to common problems.
“What that means is that our clients would have a process that they would need to fix,” he continues. “They would build a workflow in the CommandCenter, and the forms necessary, put all that together and essentially use our software as a platform to build something that solved their problem. So rather than give them the tools to build these things on their own, they could buy them pre-built.”
Each workflow App is built on the Medforce business process management platform, CommandCenter (formerly WorkFLOW), and each of the Apps addresses a specific challenge that is common to providers in ways that improve productivity.
While built on CommandCenter, Medforce Apps operated in standalone fashion. The Apps are available to all providers whether or not they are current Medforce customers and can be configured to integrate with most business applications. For providers that are starting out by buying just one App, they can add more Apps over time as they need them.
“Generally, when clients come to us, they come to us with a whole menu of problems, but they are going to start with the problem at the top of that list,” Apter explains.
So far, Medforce has released six Apps that focus on specific areas of HME business management. They are:
Overpayments management. To help providers manage their overpayments process the App aims to automate time-consuming and costly processes such as confirming or appealing demand letters to verifying appropriate recoupment and properly coding in their billing systems. Through that automation, the Overpayments Management App ensures timeliness and accuracy, which is important, because some of those processes are on deadlines. Minimizing latency and human error helps providers retain the money they’ve earned.
The Fax Management App provides an enhance level of fax oversight compared to email systems, and ensures that faxes are routed to the right person and in a timely manner. The App gives provider staff oversight and control to ensure the work is completed fully and on time. It can be used with any third party or on-premises electronic fax solution.
As is clear from our most recent feature on audits, "Winning the Appeals Game," appealing Medicare claims audits requires providers to coordinate various people and documents, and usually within a tight deadline. The Appeal Management App features consistent process management and an automated tracking system. It assigns appeals to be worked, tracks their progress, and allows providers to automatically attach and disseminate associated paperwork. The workflow is automatically updated and alerts users when claims they are working are paid or denied through the import of 835 EDI files (electronic explanation of benefits files).
Many providers rely heavily on referrals to drive their patient volume, and that means cementing solid referral relationships through good communication and fast follow-up. Whether a providers receives referrals through fax, email or an online web form, the Referral Management App can trigger an automatic workflow that immediately notifies appropriate staff and sets up alerts and escalations to make sure the response is fast and complete.
Effectively managing accounts payable across multiple locations can pose a scenario that sometimes exceed the capabilities of their billing software. The Vendor Invoice Management App features a centralized resource for invoice approval and tracking, and includes tools for managing purchase orders and analyze spending by vendor or by location.
Providers with multiple locations and incoming documents in multiple formats, such as electronic and paper, can have difficulty in ensuring that the correct documents reach the right employees in a timely manner. The Document Distribution App allocates incoming documentation to available resources, and can integrate with any document management program. It also providers controls for tracking progress, reassigning work as needed, ensuring timeliness and guaranteeing that key documents or documentation steps don’t fall through the cracks.
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