Simione Healthcare Consultants Launches Partnership with HEALTHCAREfirst for Revenue Cycle Management

Two healthcare market leaders have created a complete solution for Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) designed to help home care and hospice providers improve their business performance. Premier Returns, an innovative RCM product developed by Simione Healthcare Consultants and HEALTHCAREfirst, offers agencies outsourced billing and coding operations and consulting, as well as consultation and support for OASIS review -- by the top consulting and top RCM service provider in the home care and hospice industry.

Bobby Robertson, CEO of HEALTHCAREfirst, a leading provider of web-based solutions for the industry, said, "We saw a need in the marketplace for comprehensive revenue cycle management, as many agencies struggle with timeliness, cash flow issues, regulatory requirements, and lost income, among the growing priorities of running a home care or hospice organization. Together, with Simione Healthcare Consultants, we have all of the resources and expertise to solve these issues, relieving some the pressure of RCM to help agencies concentrate on patient care."

According to Robert J. Simione, Managing Principal, Simione Healthcare Consultants, many home care and hospice agencies have concerns about securing and keeping revenue, given the regulation, time constraints and audits that can threaten income. "We are working with HEALTHCAREfirst to tackle the more complicated processes such as commercial billing, coding overflow, billing recovery and document review to optimize revenue cycle management and keep revenue flowing. We have a shared commitment to seeing home care and hospice agencies get what they have earned in a timely and affordable manner," Simione said.

Premier Returns combines powerful technology with expert knowledge and resources to create the most comprehensive RCM product available to home care and hospice providers. Services include:

Billing Services with initial assessment, revenue intelligence, benchmarking, billing recovery, interim staffing, training, eligibility reporting, contract review, and regular review with the agency
Coding Services with initial assessment, revenue intelligence, benchmarking, document review, training, and regular review with the agency
OASIS Review with initial assessment, quality checks, full chart review, training, and regular review with the agency

For more information, visit premier-returns.com or call 888-345-3947.

FERTILE GROUND FOR INTEGRATION: Palliative Care and Hospice Grow New Roots Together on the Healthcare Landscape

Today, home care and hospice are emerging as some of the most fertile ground on the healthcare landscape for accelerated integration to improve quality and reduce costs. According to Kimberly Skehan, RN, MSN, Senior Manager at Simione Healthcare Consultants, these mostly "out-of-hospital" care delivery models are gaining more attention from hospitals and health networks, who continue to forge ahead in developing systems of care that will accommodate every patient need and keep providers financially viable in the process.

A member of the Regulatory Committee of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization for 2014-15, Skehan suggests that further integration of palliative care and hospice with acute care systems will likely mean that patients get more support earlier in their disease process to facilitate a higher quality of life, and more timely and effective hospice care when it is needed. She recently presented on this topic at the May 2014 New England Home Care Conference and Trade Show in Boston.