Electronic Medical Billing Software for Integrated Pathology Lab Workflow - 7 Key Features

Chairing a Pathology Department at Centrastatedistribution of Accounts Receivable. A
Hospital in New Jersey and simultaneously runningwell-performing service will have half of the claims
two laboratories in two remote states (Oklahomapaid within 15 days, with over 90% of all claims
and New Jersey) require Dr. Michael McGinnis tobeing paid within 45 days. The narrower
match his medical expertise with savvy business"bell-curve" of Accounts Receivable means better
sense.cash flow predictability while its lower "tail" means
"A pathologist must track workflow of the entireadded revenue.
laboratory from receiving a sample and requisitionSoftware-as-a-Service (SaaS)
form, to accessioning, to patient demographics, to"Gone are the disk crashes and software
history, to gross, dictation, proof, distribution, andmaintenance. No more office staff moods and
billing," says Dr. McGinnis. "I need to knowconflicts to resolve or benefits to pay. I now pay
precisely what unfinished work is left at eachonly for performance, which makes perfect
stage in every lab. I need to track every stepbusiness sense," says Dr. McGinnis. "Finally, I can
and know exactly who has done what regardlessreplace my administrative assistants with medical
of their location. And I need this information in realspecialists that can take over some of my
time. For instance, I need the list of signed offworkload and add revenue."
reports arranged by requesting doctor, date,Mission-Critical System Features
patient, or payer, in real time."The following seven features are critical for
Information Systems Challenges in a Pathologyaccomplishing the benefits listed above:
Laboratory
Pathology billing is especially complicated because it1. Comprehensive integrated functionality covering
requires:entire laboratory workflow
2. Internet-based access to data entry and
1. Data flowing betweenreporting
2. Hospital system,3. An interface between hospital internal system
3. Multiple requesting doctors,and external billing service
4. Internal laboratory system,4. Arbitrary aggregation and comprehensive
5. External billing service, andanalysis of all laboratory and billing data
6. Multiple insurance companies5. Full and transparent access to each and every
A system of checks and balances toclaim, from accession number to coding to
1. Prevent losing a casepayment
2. Ensure full and timely payment6. 24x7 status reports about received payments,
Continuous Measurementsubmitted claims, rejections, follow-ups, and delays
Billing quality is best understood by observing the7. HIPAA compliance.