title: Automated charge capture at the point of care increases revenue.
abstract: Group practices can reduce lost charges, denied claims, and time-to-billing rates by using automated charge capture at the point of service. One orthopedic department had been experiencing many process-related problems associated with physician charge capture. To improve revenues, the physicians began using hand-held devices to input data during patients' office visits. A 12-month analysis of charge data from the orthopedic physicians' outpatient visits using a paper-based charge process showed that 824 outpatient charges had been missed or lost, representing 6 percent of the department's annual outpatient activity and more than $54,000 in projected additional revenue. Another analysis conducted after the automated charge-capture process at the point of care was implemented showed that the orthopedic department had not missed any charges.
authors.affiliation: Beacon Partners, Inc., Norwell, Massachusetts, USA. cgarrity@beaconpartners.com
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Garrity
mesh_terms: D000067:Accounts Payable and Receivable; D016287:Computer Peripherals; D005251:Fees, Medical; D006123:Group Practice / Q000191:economics*; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009819:Office Visits / Q000191:economics; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000191:economics; D010350:Patient Credit and Collection / Q000379:methods*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000191:economics*; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States