TruBridge Blogs

Trubridge Blog

How To Self-Audit Your Clinical Documentation Integrity

Aug 31st 23

Self-auditing practices can empower healthcare providers to navigate the complex landscape of clinical documentation, improving patient care and safeguarding financial stability. Discover the best ways to enhance documentation processes and achieve comprehensive, reliable clinical records that stand up to the most stringent scrutiny.

3 Ways to Better Remittance Management

Aug 28th 23

Struggling to manage remittances as part of your revenue cycle? Success is often the product of well-defined processes. Discover three strategies for better remittance management and the ways healthcare providers can bring more visibility, efficiency, and accuracy to the process.

Best Practices for Denial and Audit Management

Aug 24th 23

Claims submission requires meticulous attention to detail — and even then, denials can still emerge. Minimizing the number of denials and the problems associated with them starts by auditing denied claims and addressing their catalysts. Here are some best practices for auditing and reducing your denied claims.

What Is a Clean Claim and How Can You Achieve It?

Aug 17th 23

The medical billing and reimbursement process involves a complex interplay of patient care documentation, provider information, coding accuracy, and insurance adjudication. A clean claim signifies a well-structured and complete submission that meets the requirements for swift processing and reimbursement. Discover how you can achieve a clean claim and which benefits come with it.

How Much Are Denial Write-Off Adjustments Costing Your Practice?

Aug 10th 23

As medical providers strive to deliver quality patient care, understanding the cost of denied claims and their far-reaching effects on the bottom line is paramount. Denied claims don’t just cost a practice money. They’re evidence something is amiss in the revenue cycle. Discover the true cost of denial write-offs.

Revolutionizing Revenue Cycle Management: TruBridge's Strategy of Great Employee Talent and AI

Aug 9th 23

In a time of rapid technological advancement, healthcare practices are constantly seeking innovative solutions to enhance their day-to-day operations.

How To Gain Documentation Clarity for More Accurate Medical Coding

Jul 29th 23

Unlock the secrets to precise medical coding with documentation clarity. Discover how to overcome common challenges, implement effective strategies, and foster collaborative practices to revolutionize coding accuracy and elevate healthcare outcomes — as well as improve revenue cycle management.

Undercoding and Overcoding: Understanding the Impact on Healthcare Providers

Jul 22nd 23

Discover the hidden impact of undercoding and overcoding in medical billing. From reduced reimbursement and compromised data analytics to billing fraud and patient harm, understanding the far-reaching implications is essential for ensuring accurate and ethical coding practices.

How To Improve Cash Flow by Automating Eligibility Verification

Jul 15th 23

Automating eligibility verification can transform revenue cycle management, streamlining workflows and boosting cash flow. Say goodbye to manual processes and hello to real-time verification, increased accuracy, and reduced denials. Unlock the power of automation and improve your practice’s financial health from the earliest stages of the revenue cycle.

The Key Benefits of Patient Liability Estimates

Jul 8th 23

Patient liability estimates are revolutionizing the healthcare landscape, empowering patients with financial transparency and streamlining revenue cycle management for providers. From enhanced patient engagement to reduced bad debt, discover the key benefits that make patient liability estimates an essential tool for patients and healthcare organizations.

How To Simplify Your Contract Management Process and Improve RCM

Jul 1st 23

Simplifying contract management can boost revenue cycle management (RCM) efficiency, reduce errors, and enhance financial outcomes. From centralizing contracts and standardizing templates to integrating systems and ensuring regulatory compliance, discover actionable strategies for streamlining your contract management practices to support bottom-line results.

Accounts Receivable Aging: The Importance of 30-, 60-, and 90-Day Benchmarks

Jun 22nd 23

Establishing benchmarks in your accounts receivable management can help optimize your revenue cycle. From 30- to 90-day intervals, discover the best practices to enhance collection strategies, boost cash flow, and propel your practice to financial success.

How and Why You Should Be Identifying Medicaid-Eligible Patients

Jun 15th 23

Are you leaving money on the table? Discover the importance of identifying Medicaid-eligible patients for proper billing and reimbursement. Learn strategies to streamline the identification process and maximize financial stability while ensuring access to essential healthcare services.

Clinical Documentation Integrity: The Key to Reducing Claim Denials

Jun 8th 23

Clinical documentation integrity (CDI) is essential to improving revenue cycle management and patient care. Discover how prioritizing CDI can reduce claim denials and how CDI initiatives can optimize the reimbursement process.

The Impact of High-Deductible Health Plans on Patient Liability Estimates

Jun 1st 23

High-deductible health plans can have a significant impact on patients’ wallets. Explore the challenges of estimating financial responsibilities, the implications for providers and insurers, and the crucial strategies to enhance transparency in pricing.

How To Align Value-Based Care With RCM

May 30th 23

Aligning value-based care with revenue cycle management (RCM) can improve patient outcomes and reduce costs in the healthcare industry. Discover the challenges and benefits of this approach and the best practices for successfully navigating the transition.

How the Prior Authorization Process May Be Changing for the Better

May 29th 23

Prior authorization can be a frustrating step in revenue cycle management (RCM). Payers often aren’t forthcoming with critical information about coverage eligibility, which can obfuscate financial responsibility on the part of the patient. Thankfully, a new rule could change this. Discover how prior authorization may be changing for the better.

The Top Post-COVID RCM Challenges

May 28th 23

The COVID-19 pandemic created new and unprecedented RCM challenges for healthcare organizations. Now, after the public health emergency, healthcare leaders must navigate a complex landscape to ensure their long-term sustainability. Discover the top post-COVID RCM challenges and the best ways to address and overcome them.

Do Your Patients Have Confidence in Cost Transparency?

May 27th 23

When it comes to healthcare costs, patients deserve transparency and confidence. Discover what transparency means to patients and how providers can go above and beyond in giving it to them.

5 RCM Wastes You Can Automate Away

May 26th 23

Are outdated revenue cycle management (RCM) processes leading to waste and inefficiencies in your healthcare organization? Automation could be the solution you’ve been seeking. Discover the five RCM wastes automation can solve and the impact it can have on practices struggling with the burden of inefficient RCM.

5 Ways Healthcare Providers Can Improve Direct Billing

May 25th 23

Direct billing can be a minefield for healthcare providers as they try to get paid while maintaining a positive patient experience. Discover the strategies providers can use to improve their direct billing practices and help ease the financial burden for patients.

How Better RCM Can Reduce Medicare Fraud Audits

May 23rd 23

Medicare fraud audits have major ramifications, and inefficient revenue cycle management (RCM) practices only increase the risk. Discover how better RCM can help reduce the chances of an audit.

How To Leverage Telehealth Into Better Cash Flows

May 22nd 23

Telehealth services have become a valuable tool for healthcare providers looking to expand their scope of billable services, increase revenue streams, and improve patient access to care. Discover how providers can leverage technology to reach patients remotely and offer more flexible appointment options.

Symptom vs. Disease: How To Fix the Root Cause of Claim Rejections

May 19th 23

Don’t just treat the symptoms of claim rejections — tackle the underlying issues. Discover how healthcare providers can identify the root cause of claim rejections and implement effective solutions to improve their revenue cycle management.

The Case for Payment Plans: Incremental Revenue vs. Bad Debt

May 17th 23

Unpaid medical bills can lead to bad debt for healthcare providers. To reduce the potential for default and the subsequent lost revenue, providers must consider offering payment plans. Discover how to structure and present payment plans so they empower patients to take advantage of incremental payment opportunities.

Best Practices for Insurance Follow-Ups

May 15th 23

Following up with insurance companies regarding denied claims is almost an inevitability, but it can also be an opportunity. Learn some practical tips for making the most of insurance follow-ups and using them to your practice’s advantage.

5 RCM KPIs To Track and Monitor Monthly

May 11th 23

The more you know about your revenue cycle management (RCM) process, the more you can improve it. Learn five of the most telling RCM key performance indicators (KPIs) and the best ways to use these metrics to optimize your RCM processes for everything from better cash flow to an optimal patient experience.

How Outsourced RCM Can Pay for Itself

May 9th 23

Outsourcing is often the best decision a healthcare provider can make when it comes to revenue cycle management (RCM). From improved revenue capture to reduced claim denials, outsourced RCM can pay for itself — and provide a positive financial impact. Discover how an experienced RCM partner can turn this cumbersome responsibility into a lucrative process.

How Early-Out Practices Can Reduce Bad Debt

May 7th 23

Many healthcare providers struggle with cash flow as the result of bad debt — unpaid or long-overdue invoices unlikely to ever see fulfillment. The key to avoiding bad debt is to catch it before an account becomes delinquent. Discover how early-out practices can reduce bad debt and how you can best implement them.

How RCM Mistakes Cast Suspicions of Medicare Fraud

May 6th 23

Inaccurate revenue cycle management (RCM) practices can lead to Medicare fraud suspicions, which can have severe consequences for healthcare providers. Discover the connection between RCM mistakes and Medicare fraud suspicions, and learn the best ways to prevent RCM errors and avoid the potential for an audit.

Price Transparency: Why It’s Critical To Patient Experience

May 5th 23

Price transparency is a crucial aspect of patient experience in healthcare, but it’s often neglected. Learn why price transparency is so important and how it can benefit both patients and providers.

Revenue Leakage: What Is It and How Does It Impact RCM?

May 4th 23

Do you know what revenue leakage is and how it impacts your practice’s revenue cycle management (RCM)? Many healthcare providers don’t realize how much money they’re losing as a result of gaps in their administrative, claims, billing, and collection practices. Discover where common gaps exist and how providers can prevent critical revenue from slipping through the cracks as loss, bad debt, or incorrect reimbursements.

The 12 Essential Steps of Revenue Cycle Management

May 3rd 23

Revenue cycle management (RCM) is critical to the success of any healthcare organization, but it can be complex and overwhelming. Learn the 12 essential steps of RCM, from patient scheduling to billing and payments to claim denials and beyond, with tips for reducing denials and improving cash flow.

Understanding the True Scope of RCM

May 2nd 23

While revenue cycle management (RCM) usually refers to billing for services rendered and collecting associated revenue, it’s far more intertwined in total practice operations than many providers realize. Discover how much of a practice’s success depends on a well-managed RCM framework.

Why Claim Denials Are So Costly for Healthcare Providers

May 1st 23

Claim denials can be a costly issue for healthcare providers, impacting their revenue, administrative expenses, patient satisfaction, and reputation. Discover the reasons behind claim denials, the costs for healthcare providers, and strategies for reducing the frequency of denials.

Addressing RCM Staffing and Resource Constraints Among Hospital-Wide Shortages

Apr 26th 23

Is your healthcare facility struggling with revenue cycle management? Consider the tactics many organizations are using to reduce the burden on their staff and restore consistency to their revenue stream.

Addressing Social Determinants of Health To Achieve Better Health Equity

Apr 24th 23

Creating health equity means accounting for social determinants of health and making healthcare delivery inclusive of them. Learn how these social determinants of health can affect health equity and what healthcare providers can do to address the problem.

Meeting the Challenges of Medical Billing and Coding for Telehealth

Apr 22nd 23

The rise of telehealth has led to new codes and billing practices, along with new rules and regulations. Keeping up with all the changes can be challenging, which is why more healthcare providers are outsourcing coding to an experienced RCM company.

RCM and Cash Flow: 5 Considerations to Streamline Practice Operations

Apr 21st 23

Revenue cycle management can have a dramatic impact on a medical practice’s cash flow. To help streamline your cash flow operations, consider these five tips.

Prior Authorization: Pain Points and Remedies

Apr 19th 23

Prior authorization is an important part of delivering safe and superior patient care. Unfortunately, it’s often seen as a tedious and prohibitive step in revenue cycle management. Learn how to make the process more efficient to benefit both patients and healthcare professionals.

The Importance of Patient-Centered Touchpoints Along the Financial Journey

Apr 18th 23

How can healthcare providers improve patient satisfaction with financial and billing processes? Learn the key touchpoints for financial engagement during the patient journey and ways to ensure they positively impact the patient’s experience.

Understanding HIPAA Requirements for Telehealth

Apr 17th 23

With the rise of telehealth, healthcare providers must be proactive in addressing how they utilize telehealth services and whether those uses meet HIPAA standards. Learn how to identify potential gaps in a HIPAA-compliant telehealth system.

What Is Provider Credentialing and Why Is It Important?

Apr 14th 23

Provider credentialing is critical for patient health and safety, but it can be a lengthy process with many challenges along the way. Learn the necessary steps for credentialing and the best ways to make the process more efficient.

Healthcare Cybersecurity and the Legal Risks of a Data Breach

Apr 12th 23

In healthcare, a data breach has severe consequences, including reputational damage, loss of trust, monetary losses, and legal liabilities. Learn how healthcare organizations can better protect themselves from cyberthreats and their legal ramifications.

Improve Financial Performance and Payment Adherence by Partnering with an Experienced RCM Company

Apr 11th 23

Healthcare providers are discovering revenue cycle management is easier with help from the right partner. Learn the many benefits of partnering with a reliable RCM company.

Remittance Management: Why You’re Not Getting Paid and What You Can Do About It

Mar 14th 23

If reimbursement payments are taking a long time to show up in your bank account, you might need to improve your remittance management.

8 Revenue Cycle Management Trends To Watch in 2023

Mar 13th 23

Times are changing, and this new year has brought some changes to your RCM operations. Is your organization ready?

Healthcare Contract Management: Coming to Terms

Mar 12th 23

Payer contracts are confusing but vitally important to getting paid for your services. To avoid costly and frustrating challenges associated with contracts, you must first understand the purpose of the contract and the pitfalls to watch out for. To that end, we’ve outlined some of the most common challenges as well as proven tips to help you avoid them.

Impact of CMS Final Rule on Hospital Operating Payment Rates

Mar 11th 23

Are you feeling confident about the new CMS Medicare Physician Fee Schedule? This lengthy document highlights several key provisions your healthcare revenue cycle team should be aware of to remain in compliance. Here are some key points you’ll want to keep in mind.

Revenue Cycle Audits: What You Need To Know

Mar 10th 23

Recent studies report that 86% of claim denials are avoidable. Are you seeing a high number of claim denials or billing and coding errors? If so, it may be time for an audit of your revenue cycle.

Best Practices for Proactive Claims Denial Management

Jan 29th 23

Claim denials are frustrating and costly for providers, patients, and payers. Learn how to recognize the most common causes so you can reduce their occurrence.

Electronic Claims Management Can Help Reduce Claim Denials

Jan 22nd 23

Claims management is complex. But with the right electronic processing system, teams can manage claims much easier and even reduce the prevalence of claim denials.

No Surprises Act: What Providers Need to Know

Jan 15th 23

The No Surprises Act provides patient protection against surprise billing. And while that may sound simple enough, the legislation creates increased complexities and challenges for providers.

Risk-Based Payments in Healthcare: Key Benefits and Strategies for Success

Jan 8th 23

Many healthcare providers are reluctant to abandon their fee-for-service model for a risk-based model. Understanding the benefits can help ease the fears and ensure better cash flow.

Patient-First Billing: Key Challenges and Strategies

Jan 1st 23

Patient-first billing is becoming increasingly prevalent as more patients find themselves responsible for higher payments, due to either a lack of insurance or high-deductible plans. There are steps healthcare teams can take to simultaneously ease the burden on patients and collect more payments.

Revenue Cycle Management in a Post-Pandemic Era

Dec 20th 22

COVID-19 may have caused an upheaval in your RCM operations — but sometimes upheaval is a good thing.

Is Your Data Secure? Addressing Cybersecurity in Healthcare Facilities

Dec 13th 22

Healthcare facilities are a goldmine of data — and a tempting target for cyberattacks. As cybercrime continues to increase in sophistication and prevalence, it’s more important than ever for medical facilities and health systems to boost their security and review their processes.

Exploring Automation in Revenue Cycle Management

Dec 6th 22

Automating your revenue cycle management processes can improve not only your healthcare facility’s financial performance, but also the patient and staff experience.

Top Contributors to Claim Denials: Back Office Billing

Dec 3rd 22

What are the most common challenges with back office billing? And what can healthcare teams do about them?

Top Contributors to Claim Denials: Charging/Coding

Dec 2nd 22

How can charging and coding lead to potential claim denials? And what can healthcare teams do about it?

Billing and Coding: Benefits and Challenges of a Remote Workforce | TruBridge

Nov 16th 22

Offering your employees the opportunity to work remotely may be better for your bottom line.

Financial Engagement for Patient and Provider Well-Being | TruBridge

Nov 8th 22

Today’s patients want to be more involved in their care choices. Financial engagement gives them a measure of control and results in more positive outcomes and a better patient experience.

The Impact of Patient Satisfaction on a Healthcare Facility’s Revenue Cycle | TruBridge

Nov 4th 22

Investing time and effort in patient satisfaction can have long-term benefits for your healthcare facility’s revenue cycle, reputation, and patient well-being.

Dealing with Denials: Prevention and Management

Oct 26th 22

Do you know how much insurance claim denials are costing your medical practice in terms of money, time, and patient satisfaction?

Healthcare Data Breaches: A Growing Threat

Oct 14th 22

Is your facility at risk of a data breach? Learn what to look out for and how you can protect your facility, patients, and staff from malicious attacks.

Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring: The Value of Remote Care Options

Oct 7th 22

Telehealth and remote patient monitoring have risen in popularity and value over the last several years to become a must-have solution for patients and providers. Why are these approaches so valuable, and how can healthcare teams effectively manage them from a financial perspective?

Artificial Intelligence: The Good, the Bad, and Responsible Use in Healthcare

Sep 30th 22

Artificial intelligence is proving itself as a powerful tool in the healthcare industry. From supporting patient screening and monitoring to diagnosis and research functionality, AI has risen to support resource-constrained healthcare professionals. But it’s not just used in clinical activities. AI has shown tremendous value for healthcare financial services as well.

Patient Financial Services: Effects on the Patient Experience

Sep 23rd 22

Your patients’ financial experience is a critical part of their overall experience.

Value-Based Care: The Impacts on Providers and RCM

Sep 16th 22

Value-based care is important not only for patients, but for providers, too. What is it, and how does it compare to the traditional fee-for-service pricing model?

Your Healthcare Facility Needs a Medical Billing Audit

Sep 9th 22

When was the last time you conducted a medical billing audit? Many healthcare facilities conduct these audits infrequently, making it difficult to accurately assess, identify, and correct inefficiencies, compliance risks, and cash flow issues. Learn about the benefits of medical billing audits and ways to get the most out of them.

Insurance Verification and Your Practice

Sep 2nd 22

Medical billing and insurance eligibility can be difficult to understand, which means many patients and providers may feel lost while navigating patient needs and payment options. Insurance verification can provide important information and peace of mind for patients, providers, and payers.

Accurate Patient Matching Is Critical for Healthcare Organizations

Aug 31st 22

Matching patients with the correct record and medical history is vital, but accurate patient matching remains a significant challenge.

AI Is Changing Healthcare for Providers and Payers

Aug 30th 22

Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot offer a physician’s personal touch, but there are many tasks it performs better than any human can.

Holding Your Hospital Hostage: Ransomware and Other Cyberattacks on Your Health

Aug 29th 22

Every day we hear about another data breach or ransomware attack. Is your healthcare facility next?

Benefits of Healthcare Data Hubs for Patients, Providers, and Payers

Aug 28th 22

Healthcare data is everywhere, and therein lies the problem. Healthcare facilities and providers need a centralized data hub to store and access patient information.

Delivering Healthcare Services to Rural Residents

Aug 27th 22

Healthcare facilities are often the foundation of rural communities, but they also face numerous and growing challenges that threaten their existence.

Healthcare Fraud and Its Consequences

Aug 26th 22

Healthcare fraud is increasingly common. According to Mastercard Healthcare Solutions, “Up to 10 percent of U.S. healthcare claims are fraudulent.” And it costs payers billions of dollars a year.

Healthcare Loss Mitigation Strategies

Aug 25th 22

The pandemic has disrupted revenue cycles for providers and hospital systems across the country. Recouping those losses will take time, concerted effort, new operating strategies — and close collaboration with payers.

Held Hostage by Ransomware: Cybersecurity Risks to Healthcare

Aug 24th 22

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are prime targets for cybercriminal activity. Is your organization vulnerable?

Outsourcing Revenue Cycle Management

Aug 22nd 22

Revenue cycle management is key to healthcare profitability. For accurate, efficient, and cost-effective RCM, consider outsourcing to an experienced third-party expert.

Reducing Administrative Costs in Healthcare

Aug 21st 22

With so much of U.S. healthcare expense attributed to administrative tasks, admin is a good place to start checking skyrocketing healthcare costs.

Disparities in Access to Health Care in the United States

Aug 20th 22

Adequate healthcare can be hard to come by in the United States. We all deserve access, but there are significant challenges to overcome before universal access becomes a reality.

Enhancing Patient Experience: What Can Providers Do?

Aug 19th 22

Patient experience is a fundamental part of their health care journey.

Improve Patient Outcomes with AI and Predictive Analytics

Aug 17th 22

Technology is more integrated into healthcare every day. Is your facility making full use of the latest advances?

Improve your Patient Self-Pay Revenue

Aug 16th 22

As more patients are paying their medical bills themselves — or paying a higher share — healthcare providers must alter their approach to revenue collection. Collection processes are notoriously cold and impersonal. A humanized, patient centric approach is already proving beneficial to providers’ financial health — and patient loyalty.

Streamline Coding to Rev Up the Revenue Cycle

Aug 15th 22

Are your coding operations slowing down your revenue cycle? Streamline coding for better — and faster — results.

Streamlining the Medical Billing Process: What Can Payers and Providers Do?

Aug 14th 22

Everyone knows medical billing is a complex process, but with a few proactive strategies, both providers and payers can help make it run more efficiently.

Technology Is Changing Treatment Models to Preventive Care

Aug 13th 22

Technology has streamlined many aspects of healthcare and its revenue cycle, but it’s also making its mark on preventive care. Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data enable providers to focus on preventive care.

Telehealth’s Persistent Challenge: Provider Payment

Aug 12th 22

Telemedicine overcomes accessibility obstacles and makes health care services available to more patients. Understand the rules and regulations for providing and receiving payment for telehealth services.

The Payvider Model Is Taking Hold in Healthcare

Aug 10th 22

What do you get when you combine two opposing forces into a single entity? The payvider model is gaining traction in the healthcare industry, and it may be the right solution for many healthcare organizations — and payers.

Benefits of Positive Healthcare Payor Relationships

Aug 9th 22

Although the relationship between healthcare providers and payors is understandably a bit contentious, changing that dynamic can have positive effects for both sides.

Best Practices for Resolving Medical Billing Disputes: An Overview of the HFMA Report

Aug 8th 22

Billing disputes are never fun, but by adopting a fair and consistent approach, medical providers can resolve them in a way that is satisfactory for all parties.

Best Practices of a Coding and Documentation Audit

Aug 7th 22

Although the term “audit” often elicits dread in a company, for medical coding operations, auditing can ensure that your coding process is accurate and efficient — which is good news for revenue cycle management.

Building Patient Relationships Brings Long-Term Benefits for Payers

Aug 2nd 22

Plan members who have a satisfactory patient experience are more likely to pay their bills. Patient engagement is traditionally left up to providers, but there are steps payers can take to enhance the patient experience and increase their willingness to pay.

Humanizing Technology to Enhance Patient Engagement and Satisfaction

Jul 31st 22

Technology is often frustrating, and we sometimes yearn for the good old days — before technology became a constant part of our lives. But technology’s benefits in healthcare and improving patient outcomes are a tremendous boon to patients, providers, and even payers.