Symposium Spotlight: Efficient and effective charge capture processes

Editor’s note: William Malm, ND, RN, CRCR, CMAS, CHIAP, vice president of Health Catalyst, will present “Best Practice Charge Capture Methods for Your Emergency Department” on Day Two of the Revenue Integrity Symposium: A NAHRI Virtual Event, which takes place August 17‒18. Malm is a nationally known author and speaker with more than 25 years of experience in clinical and financial healthcare.

Q: What’s one of the most important pieces of information you would like people to take away from your session?

Malm: Charge capture continues to be one of the single most concerning tasks facing all facilities. As we move from charge to cost, the inability to capture charges completely will make the data required for the move to cost more challenging.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge in revenue integrity right now? How does your session help tackle this?
Malm: Emergency departments (ED) continue to be the gateway for services to a facility. With high-volume acuity, intense service procedures are frequently missed charges. We will review some of the instances where ED continues to be a lost charge concern. 

Q: In what ways does your session challenge revenue integrity professionals to think outside the box? 
Malm: It is less about thinking outside the box and more about maintaining a sustainable process that ensures charges are accurate and supported by documentation. The timeliness of the charges and the accuracy with more sophisticated systems are a source of ongoing concern. We are taking you back inside the box and back to basics. We will cover a critical review of your processes.