Note from the editor: Preliminary survey results reveal impact of COVID-19 on revenue integrity staffing and salary

by Nicole Votta

As the country battles the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, hospitals and other healthcare organizations continue to bear the brunt of the impact. With already scarce resources shifted to focus on surges of COVID-19 patients and most revenue generating nonemergent procedures on hold, some organizations have been forced to take drastic measures to reduce expenses, such as implementing salary reductions.

To learn how the revenue integrity profession as a whole is affected, NAHRI’s 2020 Revenue Integrity Salary Survey asks respondents how staffing, duties, and worksites are being affected by COVID-19. The survey is still open, and we’d like to hear from you.

According to preliminary results, 72% respondents report that their organizations have taken measures that affect staffing and overall compensation. The following are some of the most common ways staffing and salary have been affected:

• Staff were furloughed/laid off (36%)
• A hiring freeze was put in place (36%)
• Planned salary increases were delayed/canceled (29%)
• Retirement plan match was suspended/terminated (19%)

Although most survey respondents so far report staffing and compensation have been negatively impacted, revenue integrity professionals play a vital role in protecting revenue now and will be critical in organizations’ recovery efforts.

In these uncertain times, revenue integrity professionals need to know where the industry stands. With this knowledge, revenue integrity professionals can set realistic goals and expectations for themselves and their departments. As organizations begin to look ahead and set staffing, compensation, and education budgets, the 2020 Revenue Integrity Salary Survey will provide an invaluable benchmark.

There’s still time to take the 2020 Revenue Integrity Salary Survey—but not for much longer. The survey will close in early August. Take the survey now to weigh in with your experiences and contribute to the industry’s body of knowledge. Survey respondents may choose to enter their contact information to be entered into a drawing for a free webinar and to receive a complimentary copy of the survey report. The full survey report will be published in October. In the meantime, the 2018 and 2019 reports are available for reference.

Editor’s note: Votta is an editor for NAHRI.