An influx of new patients should excite leaders at any radiology and imaging center. When an organization is already struggling with an existing workload of prior authorization and claims administrative work, however, a crush of new patient files to properly label and sort can be daunting.
With over 160 accredited facilities in 11 states, our client is one of the largest outpatient medical imaging providers and physician radiology practices in the U.S. This group is home to over 200 trained professionals and conducts all aspects of radiology and imaging including musculoskeletal, pediatric, cardiovascular, and various other subspecialties. They prioritize innovative technology for more accurate diagnosis and affordable care.
Large Volumes Of Patient Documentation Pose A Challenge
This client struggled to stay on top of their current pre-imaging documentation tasks. At the same time, they were acquiring new locations.
Facing a large influx of incoming and existing patients needing medical records, they realized the only way to maximize scheduling and capture these opportunities was to bring in an outside partner. Their backlog created a turnaround time of three hours and triggered information-blocking provisions, both of which significantly slowed their scheduling process. Patients could not be scheduled until documentation steps are completed.
Scheduling inefficiencies posed a risk to the client’s significant patient volume. When patients can’t easily schedule a scan, they are likely to search for another imaging center or forego the service altogether.
Infinx’s Tech-Enabled Solution Chosen For High Volume Radiology Document Management
As they began the search for a documentation management partner, they sought a team that could effectively work with the proprietary tool they had created to sort and manage the faxes received from various sources. They preferred a vendor familiar with radiology and imaging services as well.
We demonstrated that we could handle comparable volumes, and had successfully done so for other large clients. Our well-reviewed work for a national imaging group established our track record. Further, our ability to leverage technology and work in their fax management tool and medical records system convinced them we would be a valuable addition to their operations.
We assigned several of our team members to process a portion of the incoming faxes. Deploying one team member per 200 documents daily kept volume management on track. As we ramp up to manage almost their entire volume of faxes, they will use around 100 to 110 of our employees, including auditors, supervisors, and trainers.
Robust Document Sorting And Labeling Tech-Enabled Support
Labeling is a niche but critical process in the pre-imaging and pre-billing process, as the entire revenue and subsequent processes depend entirely on this activity. Errors here can lead to significant and direct revenue impact. It is imperative to always maintain 99% accuracy.
Our labeling solution include sorting the faxes based on whether they are pre-order forms from referring doctors, medical records sent by referring doctors, or general physician newsletters. Our specialists ensure pre-orders and other types of files stored in the appropriate location in the client’s radiology information system, or RIS.
A Joint Effort For A Large Task
All faxes come into a common pool managed by both the clients’ labelers as well as Infinx labelers. Where initially we were handling 3,000 faxes per day, currently the client has expanded our responsibilities to handle 7,500 per day, or a total of 157,500 faxes per month.
Both the radiology group’s and Infinx’s labelers take a look at the queue and select records to work on. Records being worked on by one person cannot be accessed by another, a provision that prevents duplication of effort.
Personal Injury Case Image Requests Resolved Efficiently
We also alleviate the client’s staff burden by handling their personal injury service desk. Attorneys, their clients, and potential payers all depend on images to prove or disprove injuries and liability. All parties request these images from imaging centers like our client’s.
Where once staff had to respond to these requests, now our specialists send the medical records, reports, and invoices. As this time-consuming activity doesn’t render any revenue to the facility, getting these requests completed with minimal time and labor invested is in the client’s best interests.
MEDCHAT Scheduling And Documentation Managed
In addition, we handle their MEDCHAT, a HIPAA compliant, 2-way text communication scheduling tool that steps patients through self-scheduling or routes them to a live agent via a queue. Our team manages close to 4,000 MEDCHATs per month, assisting with scheduling appointments and capturing appointments in the client’s RIS for further processing.
We log all tickets for both personal injury and MEDCHAT tasks, a protocol that helps avoid additional time-consuming follow-up later on. Having our trained specialists process these tasks frees staff to focus on patient care and more complex administrative issues.
Turnaround Time Drops To 13 Minutes With 99.5% Accuracy
With this system in place, the client effectively decreased in-house staff workloads and dropped the three-hour fax turnaround time to 13 minutes per record with 99.5% accuracy. These efficiencies streamlined same-day appointments and increased workflows for these appointment services as well. Currently, we label an average of 66,000 faxes per month. We also process close to 12,000 medical records per month within a 72-hour turnaround time.
Our assistance with MEDCHAT scheduling also has ensured this large group’s significant patient volume can schedule appointments easily through an accessible online system.
Strong Results Prompt Imaging Center To Expand Partnerhip
Given the accuracy and speed our solution was able to achieve, this client has recently asked us to triple our volume of labelling, personal injury and MEDCHAT work. Our large workforce is able to absorb this increase by leveraging our expertise in technology and highly specialized services. We are on track to manage almost their entire volume of document management needs.
Since we started doing business with this client, they have added 30 to 40 new centers. While an influx of investment has been central to this growth, we are excited to help them during this growth phase. We appreciate that the client repeatedly gives us a 10 Net Promoter Score.
When you’re already behind on prior authorization and claims administrative work, the prospect of an influx of new patients with the documentation they’ll require can be daunting. Read how one imaging network managed to smoothly take on the documentation involved in the acquisition of new imaging locations while avoiding disruptions to patients.