nTelagent, Inc. today reports that its proprietary front-end business solution, the Self-Pay Management System, offers a comprehensive, streamlined solution for healthcare providers looking to improve the handling and documentation of their charity care accounts. nTelagent, a Nashville, Tenn.-based company, enables healthcare service providers to revolutionize the way they interact with uninsured and underinsured patients regarding patient responsibilities pre-registration and at the point of service.
Charity care is subsidized or free healthcare provided to uninsured and low-income patients. A lack of standards within healthcare organizations and across states often makes consistently defining and reporting charity care difficult. In addition, many healthcare providers do not have effective, integrated systems in place to deal with and accurately document charity care cases (and other “self-pay” patients who may be unwilling or unable to pay for care at the time of service).
In light of new Internal Revenue Service guidelines going into effect in 2008, providers need processes in place to account for charity care in a consistent, standardized way. This is especially critical for organizations that have a not-for-profit status, as government turns its attention to whether they provide enough community services to justify their tax-exempt status.
For more information about the current state of charity care, download the White Paper “Documenting Charity Care Using a Self-Pay Management System” at www.ntelagent.com.
According to Earl T. Winter, Chairman and CEO of nTelagent, “Determining and reporting charity care can be complicated and time consuming, and inconsistencies in charity care policies will continue to grow as the uninsured and underinsured populations rise. Without a comprehensive, integrated system in place to deal with charity care cases, it's impossible for providers to know at the point of service a patient's capacity to pay.”
After implementation of nTelagent’s Self-Pay Management System (SPMS), service providers can automate their charity documentation and discounting policies consistently, ensuring that patient financial accounting--for both insured and uninsured patients--is handled appropriately and in a non-discriminatory manner. Truly needy patients are identified, and standardized policies and procedures eliminate any guesswork in the handling of financial accounts and the reporting of charity care numbers.
“The Self-Pay Management System can automatically screen patients through an online interface at the point of service, requiring no additional staff to process cases,” says Winter. “Within a short amount of time, the provider learns whether or not a self-pay patient qualifies for eligibility programs. The system can also be set up to ensure appropriate documentation is obtained and completed by the patient.”
For healthcare providers looking to improve their handling and documentation of charity care cases, the SPMS will:
- Eliminate inconsistencies in choice of accounts to be reviewed for assistance
- Provide consistency in application of charity care for those who do not qualify for assistance
- Offer assistance to all patients meeting income guidelines
- Allow healthcare providers to offer community benefits on a consistent basis by assisting patients in understanding their choices
- Reduce turnaround time for approvals and notifications to healthcare providers
- Assist providers in meeting required application filing guidelines
- Reduce outstanding days in accounts receivable due to pending eligibility status
About nTelagent, Inc.
nTelagent, a Nashville, Tenn.-based company, enables healthcare service providers to revolutionize the way they interact with patients regarding patient responsibilities at the point of service, including offering price transparency and medical financing options. The company’s Self-Pay Management System increases upfront cash and overall collections by providing registrars and financial counselors with interactive scripts that integrate patient demographic information with each provider’s unique business policies and rules. The system automatically identifies discounting and charity care options when applicable, and helps to ensure that patient financial accounting--for both insured and uninsured patients--is handled appropriately and in a non-discriminatory manner. For healthcare providers, nTelagent’s system improves upfront and overall cash flow, receivables and profitability by reducing bad debt and improving the revenue cycle process for patients who must pay a portion of the bill through payment requirements, such as co-pays, co-insurance and deductibles. Visit nTelagent online at www.ntelagent.com to learn more.
Contacts:
Laura Campbell & Associates
Laura
Campbell, President & CEO, 615-579-6599
laura@laura-campbell.com
