A Collaborative Partner
Impact Advisors assessed underperforming clinics, using industry benchmarks, peer comparisons, and root cause analysis to target, quantify, and capture high-value opportunities for improvement across four key operational areas:
Patient Access and Provider Productivity
Impact Advisors went beyond the typical approach of looking at work relative value units (wRVUs) and shifted the focus to the patient. Organizations undergoing significant growth often experience issues centered around patient access. We looked at the barriers preventing patients from receiving care and root causes of patient access challenges. We identified opportunities in managing patient no show rates, improving template variation and management, and standardizing clinical documentation.
Revenue Cycle
Our team worked to uncover the key revenue cycle challenges impacting the patient experience and financial viability of the organization. Our focused review looked at patient balance collections at time of service, identifying the key barriers preventing patients from paying their balances. We also identified opportunities to improve the chargemaster and superbill, uncovered visit type coding and billing errors, and found opportunities to reduce avoidable denials.
Support Staffing
Similar to organizations across the country, our client experienced significant support staffing shortages. Our team reviewed clinic staffing models, conducted site visits and observations, and looked at how clinics were staffed relative to patient demand. We uncovered challenges stemming from variabilities in the use of a scribe-intensive staffing model and lack of availability of real-time, usable demand data. We also identified inconsistencies in support staffing and responsibilities both at the front desk and in clinic support roles.
Non-Labor
A review of non-labor spending revealed cost improvement opportunities in purchased services, information technology, and general & administrative areas. We uncovered future spend savings in these areas and opportunities to better align spending with best practice.
Our Client Impact
Impact Advisors delivered $9.8M in savings against a $9.3M identified target over a 12-month engagement using a collaborative and hands-on approach.
Patient Access and Provider Productivity Improvements
- Improved patient access and provider productivity by $4.6M against a $3.9M target. Increased the number of patients seen by more than 10%
- Standardized provider templates and appointment slots, implemented revised patient access standards, and improved manager accountability in meeting patient access targets
- Aligned provider availability to organization standards and contractual obligations to better meet patient demand
- Optimized scheduling processes, including increasing double-booking of appointments for providers with no-show rates above industry best practice
Revenue Cycle Improvements
- Increased revenue by $3.8M by improving patient balance collections and optimizing the chargemaster
- Launched comprehensive point-of-service collections training for front desk staff, including detailed scripting highlighting best practices
- Improved point-of-service collections from 20% to 74% and improved patient experience by better supporting patients throughout the collection process
- Developed detailed performance and key performance indicator dashboards to improve accountability and empower the team to achieve performance standards
- Implemented chargemaster updates, resolving missing charges and issues to charge categories
Support Staffing Improvements
- Improved support staffing by $1.2M against a $.5M target through role alignment and staffing to demand
- Implemented a rigid position control process methodology to realign support staffing to industry best practice
- Developed a dynamic supply and demand staffing model to allow more flexibility and align staffing plans to provider productivity targets
Non-Labor Improvements
- Achieved $.1M in savings through purchased service and general & administrative expense reduction
- Renegotiated office supply and print contracts and established an updated furniture formulary
- Reduced bank credit costs
- Reduced duplication of technology