Joint ZirMed/MedInformatix Revenue Solution Diagnoses Payment Bottlenecks For Large Colorado Imaging Practice

LOUISVILLE, KY and LOS ANGELES, CA – July 14, 2009 – Advanced Medical Imaging (AMI) is a major part of the medical community in the metro Denver area, performing over 5,000 imaging exams each month.  With such a high volume of patients, operational efficiency is critical—which is why the four-office practice uses the comprehensive MedInformatix Radiology Information System (RIS) software package to oversee its many functions.    

“We began using the MedInformatix RIS software in 2003,” said Jyl Nieto, Advanced Medical Imaging’s Billing Manager.  “MedInformatix handles virtually every aspect of our practice, from scheduling to billing and collections.”

The paperless, hands-free MedInformatix RIS (Radiology Information System) is one of healthcare’s leading EPM products.  The Los Angeles company’s platform, built on a Microsoft SQL database, spans all major business and clinical workflows and departmental functions; as a standards-based package, it can also be integrated with third-party systems as needed.

While the use of the RIS has improved efficiency and productivity in many areas of AMI’s operations, particular benefits have come to the area of revenue management.  Using the RIS billing and collections module, for example, Nieto and her staff of five can quickly run claim status reports and check on individual claims with the click of the mouse.  Electronic rem ittances are also posted automatically, eliminating tedious and routine manual effort.   

Things got even better in 2007, when AMI replaced the local claims clearinghouse it had been using with revenue cycle management company ZirMed.  “ZirMed’s service was recommended to us as one that is tightly integrated with the MedInformatix RIS, and therefore could extend our hands-free environment,” Nieto recalled.   

ZirMed, a Healthcare Informatics Top 100 company, is a leader in reducing cost and improving performance throughout the payment process.  The company’s Internet-based services cover the spectrum from eligibility to online bill payment, check processing and even payment plans, saving staff time and

Joint ZirMed®/MedInformatix Revenue Solution Diagnoses Payment Bottlenecks For Large Colorado Imaging Practice—Page 2
money.  The company’s services have also been shown to shorten accounts receivable days, speed payments, and significantly reduce the amount of time lost to insurance claim errors.
    
“As soon as we began with ZirMed, we discovered instances where our claims processing had been lacking,” Nieto stated.  “A number of rejected claims suddenly became visible.  The prior clearinghouse had no error correction capability or acknowledgments, so we didn’t know the claims weren’t going through.  In the past we had to call the insurance company if we thought a claim was late.”
    
In addition to instant claim scrubbing and up-to-date status reports on submitted claims, ZirMed’s link to the MedInformatix RIS billing module gives Nieto’s staff the ability to receive instant explanation of benefits for individual claims.  “We can highlight a line item in our status reports, click on the “EOB from ZirMed” button, and we’re taken to the relevant screen.  It certainly helps us in analyzing and resolving problems,” she commented.
    
Since signing on with ZirMed, AMI has added the company’s Z-Pay service to manage all of AMI’s front desk and auto-payment functions.  With Z-Pay, Nieto’s department can receive daily reports from all locations on cash and check payments.
    
“We have the Auto Clearing House that allows the front desk person to scan and receive payments for personal checks.  That, plus credit and debit cards and the direct payment option, gives our patients a number of ways to pay for services,” she noted.
    
As a joint solution, MedInformatix and ZirMed have given Advanced Medical Imaging far better control over its full range of payment methods.  Nieto states that the practice has realized a 25-30% decrease in accounts receivable days over the past two years.
    
“We like to run a very tight ship in our billing department.  We’re very particular about submitting clean claims, so ZirMed/MedInformatix has been great for identifying errors and reducing the number of claim rejections,” she said.  “When you add in our better front desk options, plus the reporting and productivity features in MedInformatix, we feel we’re pretty much state of the art.”

About ZirMed:
Founded in 1999, ZirMed is a nationally recognized leader in delivering revenue cycle management solutions to healthcare providers.  ZirMed enables healthcare providers to leverage the power of
technology to cure administrative burdens and increase cash flow.  ZirMed solutions include eligibility verification, credit/debit card processing, check processing, claims management, coding compliancy and reimbursement management, electronic remittance advice, patient statements, patient e-commerce solutions, provider credentialing, and lock box services.  ZirMed solutions are designed to complement provider workflow and to provide innovative, creative and flexible solutions for healthcare’s most pressing administrative challenges.  For more information about ZirMed, visit www.zirmed.com/pr.

Joint ZirMed®/MedInformatix Revenue Solution Diagnoses Payment Bottlenecks For Large Colorado Imaging Practice—Page 3

About MedInformatix:
MedInformatix, Inc. (www.medinformatix.com) is a leading national provider of fully integrated Electronic Health Records.  The products have been built around MedInformatix 25 years of workflow expertise.  The product suite is designed on a single database using Microsoft SQL.  Whether the installation is a single physician who went live in 1994, a national cardiology practice, the busiest radiology practice in Manhattan, or one of 15 other specialties they service, they accommodate their needs.  See why so many practices from various specialties choose to use their award winning products: 13 Microsoft nominations in 8 years.  MedInformatix can turn the dream of a paperless, integrated practice into a reality.