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Healthcare Company News 
McKesson Corp. RelayHealth's Hospital Online Pre-registration Service Offers Round-the-Clock Convenience for Patients
McKesson Corp. RelayHealth's Hospital Online Pre-registration Service Offers Round-the-Clock Convenience for Patients
RelayHealth's Hospital Online Pre-registration Service Offers Round-the-Clock Convenience for Patients
Saturday, 11 April 2009 05:14 | 
| Company News - McKesson Corp. |
RelayHealth, the leading provider of healthcare connectivity services, is helping hospitals elevate patient convenience while accelerating their revenue cycle with the introduction of its new Web-based pre-registration service.
The consumer services solution is in use at leading healthcare institutions such as Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and Spartanburg Regional Medical Center in Spartanburg, S.C.
When patients use the self-service module to pre-register, providers can begin to reduce the administrative burdens of registration. With connectivity to other RelayHealth consumer modules available for patients to access pre-service, providers can give patients information about the estimated payment due for the current service and present online balances due from previous visits. They also can offer the option to make payments electronically and discontinue receiving paper statements. These services help providers to financially engage the patient earlier in the revenue cycle, helping to improve collections and reduce costs overall.
“The online pre-registration service lessens the anxiety when patients walk into the hospital, because they know that the information they would normally give to a registrar has already been entered into the system,” said Ray Shingler, vice president of support services and chief information officer at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, which has been using RelayHealth’s online pre-registration system since October 2008. The hospital has experienced less call center staff time on the phone, improved throughput, and finds it easier for outpatient departments to stay on schedule when patients aren’t filling out forms on-site.
The connectivity service begins after a physician orders tests or a patient makes an appointment. The patient securely logs onto the RelayHealth service branded under the hospital’s name. The patient then enters or updates demographic and insurance information that otherwise would be provided to registrar personnel by phone or in person. With this information, the hospital can reconcile patient-provided information with data in its financial systems and proceed with financial clearance verification of third-party eligibility or assess the need for financial assistance. This process helps jump start the hospital revenue cycle before the patient walks in the door and reduces patients’ normal waiting times when they arrive.
Shingler cites the most important service benefit is strengthening patient relationships. “This is a concept that will make conducting business with Spartanburg Regional easier,” he emphasized. “Patient satisfaction has definitely increased among those who access our hospital web site to pre-register for their appointments online.”
David Perez, chief information officer at Eisenhower Medical Center, has similar high expectations for the new pre-registration service, which the hospital recently introduced in the Eisenhower Smilow Heart Center. “We project the improved operational efficiencies will eventually eliminate the need to update insurance information for some patients after the service has already occurred and expedite both registration and billing,” Perez said.
Online pre-registration fits strategically into Eisenhower’s vision for using technology to provide the highest-quality care and the best patient experience. “It’s our continuing vision of utilizing RelayHealth as our method of connecting the patient, the hospital and the physician,” Perez said. “We believe improving three-way communication will ultimately improve patient care and patient safety.”
“Providers benefit tremendously when they streamline how they interact with consumers and get a head start on their revenue cycle,” said Jim Bodenbender, senior vice president and general manager, RelayHealth. “Patients who pre-register better understand the portion of the healthcare bill for which they are responsible and are more likely to pay promptly, rewarding the provider with improved cash flow.”
About RelayHealth
RelayHealth, McKesson’s connectivity business, operates as a neutral partner in an open network environment, offering connectivity services and integration among all organizations, systems, and solutions. Its intelligent network is designed to streamline clinical, financial and administrative communication between patients, providers, payors, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and financial institutions. RelayHealth works to accelerate the delivery of high-quality care and improve financial performance through solutions such as online consultation of physicians by patients, electronic prescribing, point-of-service pharmacy claims resolution by payors, pre-visit patient financial clearance by providers, and post-visit provider bill settlement by payors and patients. RelayHealth securely processes more than 12 billion financial and clinical transactions annually. For more information, call 800-778-6711, or visit Web site at www.relayhealth.com .
Source: McKesson Corporation
When patients use the self-service module to pre-register, providers can begin to reduce the administrative burdens of registration. With connectivity to other RelayHealth consumer modules available for patients to access pre-service, providers can give patients information about the estimated payment due for the current service and present online balances due from previous visits. They also can offer the option to make payments electronically and discontinue receiving paper statements. These services help providers to financially engage the patient earlier in the revenue cycle, helping to improve collections and reduce costs overall.
“The online pre-registration service lessens the anxiety when patients walk into the hospital, because they know that the information they would normally give to a registrar has already been entered into the system,” said Ray Shingler, vice president of support services and chief information officer at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, which has been using RelayHealth’s online pre-registration system since October 2008. The hospital has experienced less call center staff time on the phone, improved throughput, and finds it easier for outpatient departments to stay on schedule when patients aren’t filling out forms on-site.
The connectivity service begins after a physician orders tests or a patient makes an appointment. The patient securely logs onto the RelayHealth service branded under the hospital’s name. The patient then enters or updates demographic and insurance information that otherwise would be provided to registrar personnel by phone or in person. With this information, the hospital can reconcile patient-provided information with data in its financial systems and proceed with financial clearance verification of third-party eligibility or assess the need for financial assistance. This process helps jump start the hospital revenue cycle before the patient walks in the door and reduces patients’ normal waiting times when they arrive.
Shingler cites the most important service benefit is strengthening patient relationships. “This is a concept that will make conducting business with Spartanburg Regional easier,” he emphasized. “Patient satisfaction has definitely increased among those who access our hospital web site to pre-register for their appointments online.”
David Perez, chief information officer at Eisenhower Medical Center, has similar high expectations for the new pre-registration service, which the hospital recently introduced in the Eisenhower Smilow Heart Center. “We project the improved operational efficiencies will eventually eliminate the need to update insurance information for some patients after the service has already occurred and expedite both registration and billing,” Perez said.
Online pre-registration fits strategically into Eisenhower’s vision for using technology to provide the highest-quality care and the best patient experience. “It’s our continuing vision of utilizing RelayHealth as our method of connecting the patient, the hospital and the physician,” Perez said. “We believe improving three-way communication will ultimately improve patient care and patient safety.”
“Providers benefit tremendously when they streamline how they interact with consumers and get a head start on their revenue cycle,” said Jim Bodenbender, senior vice president and general manager, RelayHealth. “Patients who pre-register better understand the portion of the healthcare bill for which they are responsible and are more likely to pay promptly, rewarding the provider with improved cash flow.”
About RelayHealth
RelayHealth, McKesson’s connectivity business, operates as a neutral partner in an open network environment, offering connectivity services and integration among all organizations, systems, and solutions. Its intelligent network is designed to streamline clinical, financial and administrative communication between patients, providers, payors, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and financial institutions. RelayHealth works to accelerate the delivery of high-quality care and improve financial performance through solutions such as online consultation of physicians by patients, electronic prescribing, point-of-service pharmacy claims resolution by payors, pre-visit patient financial clearance by providers, and post-visit provider bill settlement by payors and patients. RelayHealth securely processes more than 12 billion financial and clinical transactions annually. For more information, call 800-778-6711, or visit Web site at www.relayhealth.com .
Source: McKesson Corporation
