Q&A: Solving charge reconciliation challenges

Q: What are some major charge reconciliation challenges, and how do you address them?

Kay Larsen, CHRI, revenue integrity senior charge assurance associate, Adventist Health Glendale, Glendale, California: I think the most challenging thing for charge reconciliation is staff time. We’re quite a large hospital, but we only have five people [on the revenue integrity team]; one’s per diem and one is part time. It’s a challenge to get through the work. The clinical departments also affect that. Sometimes it’s just a matter of understanding. When I work with clinical departments, I often get the response, “Well, this isn’t our responsibility; we deal with the patient’s health.” Yes, that is your primary responsibility. However, in this world, if you’re not looking at the finance side or the charging side of it, then maybe it’s time to rethink things because it’s a whole different world and we’re all responsible for this.

LeAnn Luczek, CRCP, revenue integrity director, St. Joseph’s/Chandler, Savannah, Georgia: Resources and time to complete charge reconciliation is a huge challenge. I think an important thing is for the clinical team to understand the impact of charge accuracy and timeliness of charge submission on their patients. We talk about patient care from a medical standpoint, but the overall well-being of the patient also includes whether their bill is accurate. Are they going to have questions and be upset because there’s a delay in getting their bill? How delays or charge errors impact the patient and our community members resonated with the clinical leaders.

Editor's note: This Q&A was excerpted from the 2025 State of the Revenue Integrity Industry Report. Interested in more analysis of revenue integrity trends? Register for our free webinar on June 4, 1-2 p.m. Eastern.