When your health system chose the electronic health record (EHR) system you use, there was a lot of thought put into the selection process. If you are looking to engage with a revenue cycle management (RCM) vendor, it would make sense that they would be happy to work within your EHR system also, right?
While some RCM vendors are perfectly fine working within your EHR, if you want better performance, enhanced automation, and the ability to scale quickly, it may be time to make sure the control you believe comes from working inside your EHR isn’t impacting the performance you need.
The simplest answer is EHR integration is the process of connecting an EHR system with other software to exchange patient data.
If you take a deeper look at it, integration is connecting tools not found in most EHR systems, creating a two-way connection to improve both the patient experience and your bottom line. Integrating with an RCM vendor allows you to utilize tools such as patient access, eligibility and enrollment, insurance resolution, self-pay billing, and more, to positively impact your health system.
A commonly held belief is that by integrating with a vendor’s software, you lose oversight and compliance, but that is rapidly changing. Vendors that have validated their systems with third-party certifications like HITRUST show that they take security and compliance seriously.
Oversight is important to ensure that your RCM vendor is living up to their promise, but the reality is that reporting tools within EHR systems often do not have the ability to drill into the information you really need. The good RCM vendors have robust reporting tools that give you an even better look at the data that is being exchanged.
Technology is constantly changing and improving, but investing in that technology is not where most healthcare systems are focused, but most RCM vendors are on the front line if integrating new technology. From automated claim status and telephony platforms to AI agents and outbound dialing, this technology allows RCM vendors to work better without the constraints of your EHR system.
Plus, with a two-way interface and the standard extracts, there are minimal IT resources needed on your end and the back-and-forth communication between systems means near real-time updates within your EHR.
When RCM vendors are able to integrate their software with your EHR, they are able to automate processes that cannot happen inside your system. AI agents and outbound dialing, automated notes on every interaction that are quickly sent to your EHR, and the telephony advantages may bring would be gone if everything has to take place inside of your EHR, severely hampering their processes.
The ebb and flow of healthcare means agility can be the factor between safely in the black or severely in the red. When RCM providers are required to work within your EHR, the ability to quickly add or remove resources can be harder to do. Integration allows RCM providers to do what they do best and adapt to your needs.
If you’re looking to utilize an RCM vendor, be sure to take the time to understand their abilities. Some will be comfortable working within your EHR, but you have to ask if that’s what you really want. If you want better performance, enhanced automation, and the ability to scale quickly, you may want to look at RCM vendors that can take your information and turn it into the success your healthcare system deserves.