Case Study

MedServ Patient Accounts
Client: New Britain (CT) EMS

 

“We haven’t had a single billing-related customer complaint since switching to MedServ. I’m sleeping much better at night … and so is my CFO.”
- Bruce Baxter, CEO, New Britain EMS

Background
New Britain EMS is a not-for-profit ambulance service providing advanced life support and transport to an urban population of 72,000 that swells to 225,000 during the day. It averages 12,000 responses a year with 9,500 billable transports. Medicaid is the primary payer, closely followed by Medicare. Because the service receives no subsidy from the city, operating revenues are critical to its financial viability.

The Challenge
A financial audit revealed that NBEMS was missing out on substantial potential revenue through ineffective processes and technology, as well as a lack of expertise in state and federal reimbursement policies. These shortcomings led to significant underbilling for services and low collection rates, especially when compared to national benchmarks. Outsourcing the billing operation to a local company without specific expertise in ambulance service accounts made the situation even worse, with cash flow declining further even as customer complaints increased.

The Solution
MedServ assumed responsibility for billing, working with NBEMS to improve revenue and deliver top-notch customer service. Top priorities included:

  • A quick and seamless transition invisible to customers
  • Pursuit of new opportunities for revenue based on the level of care identified via emergency medical dispatch, with additional verification via electronic patient care reports (ePCR)
  • Timely invoicing, with bills generated within 48 hours of a billable event
  • Extraordinary customer service, verified through independent audits
  • Policies and processes to guarantee reimbursement of all customer overpayments

 

The Results
By switching to MedServ, NBEMS increased its annual net revenue by $1 million per year, an amount equivalent to one-third of its entire annual budget. Furthermore, MedServ’s expertise in complex reimbursement issues means every billable event is now pursued. Just as important, customer service has improved dramatically, as measured by independent surveys and auditors posing as irate “crank callers” to see how MedServ personnel handle such situations.