Money inflow is very important for medical practices. Without a constant source of revenue, medical practices cannot pay bills, pay employees or take care of patients. It is no different for Federally Qualified Health Centers.
What are FQHCs and how do they operate?
FQHCs are community-based primary care medical practices. They provide comprehensive health care services for people of all ages, regardless of their ability to pay or health insurance status. They form a critical component of the health care safety-net as they provide
- Primary care
- Preventive care (oral health and mental health/substance abuse) services
FQHCs are also called Community Health Centers, Migrant or Homeless Health Centers, and 330-Funded Clinics.
The mission of FQHCs is to enhance primary care services to the underserved in both urban and rural communities. They operate as nonprofit entities under the guidance of a board of directors selected from the community where they operate. In return for providing care to the underserved and uninsured, FQHCs receive Federal government cash grants, cost-based reimbursements for their Medicaid patients, and malpractice coverage. These practices not only maximize the effect of the federal investment going to local patient care but also expands the impact of the Medicaid and Medicare programs.
Why should FQHCs concentrate on improving operational efficiency and increasing revenue?
FQHCs play an important role in supporting their community and providing care services to the underserved. Due to this, they may experience financial issues at uncertain times. When budgetary resources are strained, it is critical for an FQHC to
- operate with maximum operational efficiency
- preserve financial security
- maintain staffing levels to continue operations
Inefficient and improper business processes will lead to patient dissatisfaction which will result in patients leaving the practice. FQHCs must concentrate on
- Maximizing their business and staff efficiency
- Minimizing financial risks
How can FQHCs improve operational efficiency and increase revenue?
FQHCs can improve business effectiveness and operational efficiency by making sure they follow these essentials steps.
1. Web portal for patients
It is important for FQHCs to take good care of their patients. Factors such as waiting time, improper schedules, referring to the wrong provider, etc create patient dissatisfaction. In order to prevent these, FQHCs should implement a web portal for their patients. Using the web portal, patients can access their health records, appointment schedules and choose providers based on their interests and preferences. When patients have the liberty to choose providers whom they can be referred to and also the appointment slot, they will show up for the appointments. Through this way, FQHCs can reduce patient-show rates, decrease referral leakage and also improve patient satisfaction.
2. Using technology
FQHCs prefer working with EMR/EHR systems because they are comfortable with it. So they do not wish to move out their EHR/EMR system. An EHR/EMR system has many advantages but when it is complemented with a Referral Management software practices can experience many more benefits.
How great it would be if a Patient Referral Management software could integrate seamlessly with an EMR/EHR system? It can help in ensuring end-to-end Patient Referral Management without disturbing the existing system.
HealthViewX Patient Referral Management solution provides easy steps to integrate with a practice’s EMR/EHR system. The patient demographics, diagnostic reports, test results or any sensitive information can be transferred safely. The solution is HIPAA-compliant with complete data security.
3. Improving staff behaviour
FQHCs must make sure that the people operating their front desk are friendly enough to deal with customers irrespective of their class status or bank balance. The more welcoming they are, the more the patients will feel comfortable and at ease.
Moreover, operational efficiency is the key to success. The more efficient the front desk operations team is at an FQHC, the more practice revenue the FQHC can generate. It can also help them facilitate additional patient visits; which mean that if more patients are adjusted and facilitated, the FQHC has the potential to make more money.
HealthViewX Referral Management Solution to aid FQHCs
HealthViewX Patient Referral Management Solution has the following features that aid FQHCs in improving their operational efficiency and referral workflow.
- Outbound Referrals – HealthViewX Referral Management Solution can integrate with both the receiving and referring end. For inbound referrals, it helps in channelizing various sources into one single queue. In case of outbound referrals, it facilitates integration with the existing system to read the patient data and send out referrals.
- Referral Timeline – In HealthViewX Referral Management System, any referral has a timeline, to capture and notify the progress of the referral to all the stakeholders. A referral will be mapped to a status which helps in tracking it better. With this, the providers can always be aware of how the referral is progressing.
- Workflow and Task Management – A workflow can be defined on how the referral flow must be(business rules). Tasks can be created to manage referrals by assigning it to the respective person.
- Improved communication – HealthViewX Referral Management Solution supports messaging and calling features for the referring and the receiving providers to stay connected.
- Data Management – The solution is HIPAA compliant and enables secure data exchange of all patient-related documents.
- Seamless Integration – The solution can seamlessly integrate with any EMR/EHR/RIS or Third Party application thus providing minimal disruption in the existing referral flow.
- Referral History Consolidation – The consolidated data regarding the referrals and the referral history of any patient can be printed as a hard copy at any time in pdf/excel.
- Smart Search – HealthViewX Referral Management solution has a smart search facility that helps in finding the right provider for the treatment required.
- Referral Data Analytics – Referral data-centric dashboard gives complete data regarding the number of referrals flowing out, the number of referrals in various status, patient follow-ups, etc.
Having Trouble Maximizing And Managing Revenue?
Are you an FQHC facing difficulties in managing your business operations and workflow? Then you may have a revenue cycle problem. HealthViewX Patient Referral Management Software is custom-made to solve the challenges faced by FQHCs. Schedule a demo to know more about our solution!
