Project Submission: White Paper

I. Reimbursement and the Revenue Cycle

A. Describe what reimbursement means to this specific healthcare organization. What would happen if services were provided to patients but no payments were received for these services? What specific data would you review in the reimbursement area to know whether changes were necessary?

B. Illustrate the revenue cycle using a flowchart tool. Take the patient through the cycle from the initial point of contact through the care and ending at the point where the payment is collected.

C. Prioritize the departments at this specific healthcare organization in order of their importance to the revenue cycle. Support your ordering of the departments with evidence.

II. Departmental Impact on Reimbursement

A. Describe the impact of the departments at this healthcare organization that utilize reimbursement data. What type of audit would be necessary to determine whether the reimbursement impact is reached fully by these departments? How could the impact of these departments on pay-forperformance incentives be measured?

B. Assess the activities within each department at this healthcare organization for how they may impact reimbursement.

C. Identify the responsible department for ensuring compliance with billing and coding policies. How does this affect the department's impact on reimbursement at this healthcare organization?

III. Billing and Reimbursement

A. Analyze the collection of data by patient access personnel and its importance to the billing and collection process. Be sure to address the importance of exceptional customer service.

B. Analyze how third-party policies would be used when developing billing guidelines for patient financial services (PFS) personnel and administration when determining the payer mix for maximum reimbursement.

C. Organize the key areas of review in order of importance for timeliness and maximization of reimbursement from third-party payers. Explain your rationale on the order.

D. Describe a way to structure your follow-up staff in terms of effectiveness. How can you ensure that this structure will be effective?

E. Develop a plan for periodic review of procedures to ensure compliance. Include explicit steps for this plan and the feasibility of enacting this plan within this organization.

IV. Marketing and Reimbursement

A. Analyze the strategies used to negotiate new managed care contracts. Support your analysis with research.

B. Communicate the important role that each individual within this healthcare organization plays with regard to managed care contracts. Be sure to include the different individuals within the healthcare organization.

C. Explain how new managed care contracts impact reimbursement for the healthcare organization. Support your explanation with concrete evidence or research.

D. Discuss the resources needed to ensure billing and coding compliance with regulations and ethical standards. What would happen if these resources were not obtained? Describe the consequences of noncompliance with regulations and ethical standards.