Tag: Medicare

Key takeaways: Healthcare organizations are facing growing levels of bad debt and a sharp decline in collections. Propensity-to-pay models that utilize machine learning and robust data offer insight into a patient's likelihood to pay and allow staff to focus their collections efforts where they matter most. In 2024, Experian Health clients that implemented Collections Optimization Manager saw a 10:1 ROI. Some clients, like Weill Cornell Medicine, have seen up to $15 million in recoveries. Healthcare organizations are facing a sharp decline in collections and an increase in bad ​​debt. Rising self-pay costs and more patients struggling to afford their medical bills are contributing factors. Inefficient collections practices, reliance on third-party agencies that don't utilize propensity to-pay scores and manual processes are also key contributors to this growing market problem. Providers who adopt propensity-to-pay models that use data and automation to forecast the likelihood of payment often see both improved revenue recovery and patient satisfaction. Here's what to know about propensity-to-pay collections strategies in healthcare. Why propensity to pay matters in healthcare collections "Propensity to pay" is a data-driven model that identifies patient populations with the greatest likelihood of paying, to enhance existing collection strategies. When billing teams better understand a patient's propensity to pay, they can easily prioritize outreach and allocate collections resources effectively. This eases their workload, as they can focus their efforts where they'll have the greatest impact, and on accounts with the highest probability of payment. Keeping more collections in-house also reduces the reliance on expensive third-party agencies, while eliminating wasted effort on low-yield tasks – like repeated phone calls or mailed statements to accounts unlikely to pay. The need to adopt propensity-to-pay models has grown in recent years as patient volumes and the cost of care continue to grow. In the last 20 years, U.S. hospitals have absorbed nearly $745 billion in uncompensated care, according to American Hospital Association data.American Hospital Association Rising healthcare costs and the newly enacted "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" are expected to shift even more financial responsibility to both hospitals and ​​patients. Unfortunately, many organizations still rely on inefficient collections processes, third-party agencies and medical billing practices that lack propensity-to-pay insights. The result? Disruptions to the entire revenue cycle, including lost patient revenue, wasted resource hours, increased costs to collect, and high vendor costs. Using outdated collections strategies also contributes to patient dissatisfaction and churn, causing even more revenue leaks. Why healthcare providers need propensity-to-pay analytics Limited staff capacity and high volumes of self-pay accounts further compound collections challenges for organizations that have yet to adopt propensity-to-pay analytics. As collections timelines drag out, providers can be left with cash flow issues, revenue losses and bad debt. This ultimately disrupts the revenue cycle and affects the quality of patient care – and the entire patient experience. By leveraging propensity-to-pay analytics, revenue cycle leaders can boost revenue cycle predictability and streamline collections efforts. Listen in as Weill Cornell Medicine and Experian Health discuss how a smarter collections strategy delivered $15M in recoveries – and how you can do the same. This on-demand webinar shows how to move faster, work smarter and collect more, without adding headcount. Watch now > How propensity-to-pay models work in practice Propensity-to-pay models screen and segment patient accounts based on the likelihood of payment. Segmented accounts receive a propensity-to-pay score – from 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest likelihood to pay — and are then transferred to appropriate reconciliation channels. Experian Health's solution, Collections Optimization Manager, leverages machine learning, predictive analytics and data sources – like credit, behaviour and demographics – to identify which patient accounts have the highest likelihood to pay. It also automatically screens patient data for deceased, bankruptcy, Medicaid and ​​charity. Patient accounts are then sorted into pay groups through data-driven segmentation. This allows busy collections staff to quickly clean up accounts receivable and put their focus where it matters most – patient accounts with the strongest chance of paying their bill. With a clear picture of a patient's financial situation, healthcare organizations can improve patient communication and further boost collections efforts to maximize revenue. High-propensity accounts may receive light-touch reminders, like less frequent bill reminders. At the same time, alternative financial assistance, such as charity care or payment plans, can be made available automatically to low-propensity patients. Benefits of using propensity-to-pay models Propensity-to-pay models, like Experian Health's Collections Optimization Manager solution, offer numerous benefits to organizations that strengthen the revenue cycle. Higher collections rates: Using a propensity-to-pay model makes AR more manageable, especially for high-patient-volume organizations. Complimentary tools, like Experian Health's PatientDial and PatientText, easily send self-pay options via voice or text message, boosting patient engagement and building trust. Reduced bad debt: Propensity-to-pay models help identify patients with a low likelihood of paying their medical bills. Lower collections costs: Chasing payments on accounts that are deceased, bankrupt, or eligible for Medicaid or charity wastes valuable resources. With propensity-to-pay models, busy staff can efficiently work on high-yield accounts in-house, reducing the number of accounts that need to go to third-party vendors. Faster cash flow: Prioritize likely-to-pay patients early and shorten payment cycles, which can improve revenue cycle predictability.  On-demand webinar: Boost self-pay collections – Novant Health & Cone Health’s 7:1 ROI & $14M patient collections success Hear how Novant Health and Cone Health achieved 7:1 ROI and $14 million in patient collections with Collections Optimization Manager.  Case study: How Wooster Community Hospital collected $3.8M in patient balances with Collections Optimization Manager Read more about how automated collections strategies helped Wooster Community Hospital achieve a $3.8 million increase in patient payments. Implementing propensity-to-pay analytics: Best practices Healthcare organizations that implement propensity-to-pay analytics should consider the following best practices:  Choose the right partner. Look for a technology partner, like Experian Health, with extensive data assets and healthcare expertise. Automate patient communication. Reduce overhead and increase collections efforts with automated patient communication strategies. Ensure alignment with legacy technology. For real-time accuracy, choose a solution that integrates seamlessly with existing EHR and billing systems. Train billing staff. Provide comprehensive training to billing and collections teams on propensity-to-pay scores and how to communicate payment options with empathy. Automate the agency management. Reduce the manual workload of auditing agency remittances by automating the reconciliation process. Monitoring patient accounts. Look for a solution that regularly scans for changes or updates in a patient's ability to pay or contact information. Track performance. Monitor key performance indicators to fine-tune the collections process over time and improve forecasting. How Experian Health's solutions support better collections Changing longstanding collections practices is often a significant investment. Yet, the cost of inaction is often greater. Experian Health's Collections Optimization Manager uses propensity-to-pay models, driven by machine learning, and data-driven workflows to help healthcare providers improve patient collections. Our comprehensive industry-leading solution offers a smarter and faster way to collect patient payments, and Experian Health's experienced consultants are there every step of the way, as collections needs shift. Learn more about how Experian Health's data-driven patient collections optimization solution helps revenue cycle management staff collect more patient balances. Learn more Contact us

Over the past two decades, U.S. hospitals have absorbed nearly $745 billion in uncompensated care, according to the American Hospital Association. This burden continues to grow as hospitals struggle to verify active insurance. The task is made harder by patients frequently changing jobs, relocating and moving through a fragmented payer system that providers must track and interpret. The result? Missed billing opportunities, delayed payments and unnecessary write-offs threaten not only the hospital's financial stability, but also their ability to provide care to their communities.  Now, the newly enacted "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" adds even more pressure. With sweeping Medicaid cuts and stricter eligibility rules, millions of Americans could lose coverage — and hospitals may face a sharp rise in uncompensated care. Key provisions include:  More frequent eligibility reviews (every six months instead of annually) Higher out-of-pocket costs (up to $35 per doctor visit) New limits on state Medicaid funding (including bans on provider taxes) According to the Congressional Budget Office, an estimated 11.8 million people could lose Medicaid coverage by 2034.  These changes shift more financial responsibility to hospitals and patients.   But the impact isn't just financial. For patients, undetected coverage can lead to surprise bills, postponed treatment, or even collections, all of which erode trust in the healthcare system. Vulnerable populations, particularly those affected by the latest Medicaid changes, are at the greatest risk of falling through the cracks.   Hospitals are committed to serving their communities, including those who may not be able to afford to pay. To do this, they must recover every dollar they're entitled to. That means identifying coverage wherever it exists, even when it’s hidden, forgotten or misclassified.   That’s where Coverage Discovery comes in. Experian Health's solution uses proprietary data and advanced machine learning to identify unknown or forgotten insurance coverage across the entire revenue cycle — before, during, and after care. Unlike traditional eligibility checks, Coverage Discovery goes deeper. It scans commercial, government and third-party payers in real time; it uncovers primary, secondary and even tertiary coverage that might otherwise go unnoticed. This proactive approach helps providers bill the right payer the first time, which reduces denials, accelerates reimbursements, and minimizes bad debt.  Coverage Discovery identified over $60 billion in insurance coverage across 45+ million unique patient cases in 2024 alone, turning missed opportunities into paid claims. In a time of uncertainty, clarity is essential. Coverage Discovery empowers providers to take control of the coverage gap — not just react to it. By surfacing hidden coverage early and often, hospitals can protect their financial health while improving the patient experience.  Here's how it all comes together:  Learn more Contact us

Key takeaways: Changes to Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act provisions in H.R. 1 are expected to increase financial pressure across the healthcare system. Hospitals could face higher uncompensated care costs and a growing administrative burden as millions lose coverage and payer rules grow more complex. Revenue cycle leaders should focus on strengthening eligibility checks, improving claims accuracy, and automating operations to remain financially resilient. On July 4, the budget reconciliation bill known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” was signed into law, introducing sweeping changes to Medicaid, Medicare and Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans. At almost 900 pages, H.R. 1 sets out new eligibility, coverage and funding rules that will reshape how hospitals are reimbursed. This article explains what revenue cycle leaders need to know about the reforms and offers practical strategies for maintaining financial stability. Understanding the healthcare implications of H.R. 1 The healthcare provisions in H.R. 1 reflect a broader push by lawmakers to contain federal spending and return more control to states. While the reforms are framed as efforts to improve fiscal sustainability, they also introduce new financial risks for hospitals, particularly those serving low-income and high-utilization populations. How does the Act affect Medicaid? Enrollment H.R. 1 makes major changes to Medicaid enrollment, with direct implications for hospital revenue and patient coverage. Starting in 2027, states will be required to run automated eligibility checks every six months for Medicaid expansion adults, and cross-check against federal databases to remove ineligible or deceased enrollees. The Act pauses implementation of a federal rule related to streamlining enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Eligibility Eligibility rules are also changing. A new community engagement requirement will require some enrollees to demonstrate that they work, volunteer, or are in education for at least 80 hours a month, unless exempted. While aimed at reducing fraud, waste and misuse, changes to eligibility and enrollment could result in more patients losing coverage and increase churn and care gaps – particularly among vulnerable populations. Uncertainty around citizenship status could deter patients from seeking care, and even affect staffing in hospitals that serve immigrant communities. Cost-sharing and funding To ensure beneficiaries have a financial stake in their care, the law introduces cost-sharing requirements for some enrollees. Providers will need to be ready to help patients understand their costs and adjust collections workflows accordingly. There are also new financial penalties for states that fail to recover overpayments, and limits on how provider taxes and supplemental payments can be used to boost federal matching funds. Over time, these provisions could constrain how hospitals are reimbursed for Medicaid services, especially in non-expansion states. How does the Act affect Medicare? For Medicare, the Act offers some short-term financial relief along with longer-term reductions. Outpatient providers will see a 2.5% increase to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule in 2026, partially offsetting inflation and COVID-related losses. However, spending cuts of 4% per year are projected to reduce Medicare funding by more than $500 billion over eight years, beginning in 2026. In addition, the law brings Medicare eligibility in closer alignment to Medicaid, by restricting access for individuals without verified lawful status or sufficient residency history. It also delays until 2035 a rule that would have made it easier for low-income beneficiaries to enroll in Medicare Savings Programs. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that this means 1.38 million fewer beneficiaries  will be covered by MSPs. How does the Act affect the ACA? One of the most immediate concerns for hospitals involves the end of enhanced premium subsidies for low-income ACA marketplace plan enrollees. Unless Congress steps in, these will expire at the end of 2025, making coverage less affordable for many. This comes as insurers prepare to increase premiums by an average of 15% in 2026, the most significant rise since 2018. H.R. 1 also modifies eligibility and repayment rules around subsidies. Subsidies will no longer be available to individuals disenrolled from Medicaid due to immigration status. Starting in 2027, most enrollees in marketplace plans will need to verify their eligibility for premium tax credits each year, effectively ending automatic re-enrollment. Without these subsidies, over 4 million people are likely to be uninsured in 2034. For hospitals, this means more self-pay patients, delayed collections and higher uncompensated care, especially in areas with large working-age populations. Financial risks: Medicaid cuts and rising uncompensated care The CBO projects that over 10 million people could lose health coverage by 2034 due to combined Medicaid and ACA reforms. This is a major financial risk for hospitals, particularly safety-net and rural providers. The Center for American Progress suggests that uncompensated care costs could increase by at least $36 billion by 2034 – a figure that will be especially painful in the context of reduced federal funding. Some newly uninsured patients may not seek alternative coverage, potentially leading to higher emergency department use. Those with ongoing health needs are more likely to find new coverage, but hospitals could still see a smaller insured population overall, and it could well be one that is older, sicker and more expensive to treat. Revenue cycle teams should prepare for an increase in self-pay volumes and greater demand for charity care and financial assistance. Organizations in high-Medicaid regions may need to reassess cost estimation tools, financial assistance screening and collections workflows to manage the effects. Strengthening front-end access and eligibility workflows Jason Considine, President at Experian Health, says that providers can be proactive in ensuring their revenue cycle operations are ready to adapt and scale, if and when the time comes: “It’s an uncertain time. However, as we wait to see how the changes to coverage and reimbursement play out in practice, providers aren’t just looking for predictions. They need actionable strategies. Strengthening front-end eligibility and financial clearance processes is one of the most immediate ways to reduce risk and support patients through coverage transitions. Experian Health helps organizations do that by offering automated tools that uncover hidden coverage, verify eligibility in real time, and provide clear, accurate patient estimates.” Here are a few examples: Getting eligibility right. Patient Access Curator uses artificial intelligence to run multiple data checks at once, covering eligibility verification, coordination of benefits, Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers, demographics and coverage discovery. Minimizing the risk of uncompensated care. Patient Financial Clearance uses real-time data to identify patients who may qualify for charity care and recommends suitable payment plan options, while minimizing manual work for staff. Helping patients figure out their financial obligations. Patient Payment Estimates draws on real-time data, including insurance coverage, payer contract terms and provider pricing, to give patients an accurate breakdown of their treatment costs. This improves transparency and reduces the risk of missed payments. Case study: Experian Health and Exact Sciences See how Exact Sciences added $100 million to their bottom line in just two quarters with Patient Access Curator. Optimizing claims and collections in a tighter reimbursement environment In addition to strengthening front-end processes, providers need to ensure their back-end operations are ready to handle the ups and downs. Denied claims are already a major challenge for providers: in Experian Health’s 2024 State of Claims survey, 73% said denials are increasing and 77% report more frequent payer policy changes. More than half have seen a rise in claims errors, highlighting an opportunity for improvement. As automation and AI continue to advance, healthcare providers have a chance to improve claims management and reduce denials. Embracing these solutions can reduce the costly burden of reworking claim denials and improve cash flow. If claims workflows are already struggling, providers can’t afford any extra friction. However, the H.R. 1 reforms will likely increase the administrative burden and make timely reimbursement even harder to secure. This makes digital transformation increasingly urgent. Some priorities to tackle with automation and analytics include: Improving first-pass claim accuracy.  AI Advantage™– Predictive Denials  uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive analytics to scan claims before they are submitted to root out errors and flag high-risk submissions so they can be corrected. It analyzes historical payment data and real-time payer behavior to determine whether a claim is likely to be rejected, so staff can work faster and more efficiently to increase clean claim rates. Streamlining claims management. ClaimSource® helps providers manage the entire claim cycle from a single application. Voted Best in KLAS for Claims Management and Clearinghouse for the last two years, the platform automates claim submission to reduce manual work and support cleaner submissions. It performs customizable edits, formats and submits claims, and allows staff to create custom work queues for greater efficiency. Using data to optimize collections. Collections Optimization Manager uses data-driven insights to help revenue cycle management (RCM) teams focus on the right accounts and collect more, faster. By segmenting patients based on their propensity to pay and screening out accounts unlikely to yield returns (such as deceased, bankrupt or charity accounts) the tool helps reduce the cost to collect and saves valuable staff time. Case study: Experian Health and Weill Cornell See how Weill Cornell increased collections by $15 million with Collections Optimization Manager. Preparing for volatility with scalable technology Revenue cycle teams can’t control policy changes or budget decisions, but they can control the systems that keep their operations running. Experian Health’s end-to-end revenue cycle solutions are designed to support this kind of operational resilience. From coverage discovery to claims analytics, scalable platforms give providers the flexibility to respond quickly to financial disruptions using consistent and familiar technology. “When so much is out of your hands, the smartest move is to focus on what you can control. Scalable tech gives RCM leaders that control, so when payer rules shift or self-pay volumes spike, they’re ready to respond without slowing down,” says Considine. “It also helps them stay ready for compliance shifts and respond faster to regulatory changes without overhauling their workflows.” Blog: Revenue cycle management checklist - improve experience and profits Get a practical checklist to optimize patient access, collections and claims management, while building a resilient and patient-centered revenue cycle. Readiness today protects financial resilience tomorrow The H.R. 1 bill has introduced significant changes across Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. New eligibility requirements, adjustments to reimbursement formulas, reduced subsidies and greater administrative complexity are all expected to influence how patients access coverage and how care is financed moving forward. While the long-term impact will vary by market and patient population, disruption is coming. Hospitals and health systems that rely on outdated workflows or fragmented technology will face growing challenges in managing changing coverage patterns and rising uncompensated care. As the specific effects of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” become clearer, revenue cycle leaders will be tasked with making fast choices under pressure. How will coverage changes affect patient behavior? What happens to reimbursement if eligibility gaps widen? The focus won’t just be on protecting revenue, but also on supporting patients who may be confused or anxious about what the new rules mean for them. The ability to track changes and adapt accordingly will be a competitive advantage for providers looking to stay ahead. Find out how Experian Health can help hospitals prepare for reforms by modernizing revenue cycle operations and reducing exposure to revenue loss. Learn more Contact us

Tracking down missing health coverage has always been challenging for providers, but proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid could make it even tougher. If the reforms take effect, as many as 13.7 million Americans could lose health insurance over the next decade. With more patients cycling in and out of coverage, many will turn up for care without knowing their coverage status, leaving them at risk for bills they can't afford and exposing providers to denials and revenue loss. Insurance verification has traditionally relied on Social Security Numbers (SSN). As the industry moves away from this approach, providers need faster, more reliable ways to confirm health insurance without SSNs. Health insurance without an SSN? The challenge of missing SSNs in patient records For decades, the SSN was a go-to data point for verifying insurance coverage. In the absence of a national patient identifier, it served as a consistent way to match individuals to their insurance records across health systems and payers. However, many patients do not have SSNs, and concerns about data privacy, duplication and identity theft led providers and payers to phase out SSNs. Although SSNs may still be collected during enrollment for administrative use, industry best practice now discourages using SSNs unless absolutely necessary. Recognizing the need for more secure and trustworthy identifiers, many payers have moved away from SSNs. For instance, in 2018, Medicare replaced SSN-based Health Insurance Claim Numbers with Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs). These are now the primary means of checking a person's identity for Medicare transactions like billing, eligibility status and claim status. Commercial health plans have followed suit, relying more heavily on member IDs and internal identifiers for billing and eligibility and avoiding SSNs in patient records in line with privacy rules set out in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. As a result, SSNs are disappearing from patient records and payer databases. The question for providers is how to accurately verify insurance without SSN access. The impact of unidentified insurance on claims and reimbursement When active insurance coverage is overlooked, providers lose the opportunity to bill for care. Some patients will be incorrectly assigned self-pay status, triggering unnecessary billing cycles or charity write-offs. Others get care without providing their coverage information at the time of care, especially in fast-moving outpatient and emergency departments. Either way, the revenue is at risk in situations like these. Providers lose time and revenue. Teams are forced to reprocess claims, track down retroactive coverage, and appeal denials that could have been avoided. Missed coverage also takes a toll on patients, who now owe more than $220 billion in medical debt. And with cost concerns prompting four in ten patients to consider skipping care when they don't receive a price estimate, missing coverage is more than a paperwork problem – it's a clear threat to health and well-being. Case study: How UCHealth saved over $3.5 million by reducing accounts sent to collections with billable insurance. Strategies to identify health insurance without an SSN As the use of the SSN in medical billing declines, providers are looking for new and better tools to find insurance coverage. Digital technology and data integration make it possible to verify insurance without SSN use. Here are a few of the most effective strategies: 1. Using probabilistic matching and third-party data Advanced coverage discovery platforms now use probabilistic matching to connect patients to payers. These tools analyze data points like name, address, date of birth and phone number to identify likely matches. Instead of needing a patient's exact identifiers, they calculate match confidence based on data quality and historical payer data. 2. Leveraging health information exchanges (HIEs) Another option is to connect to regional or statewide HIEs to check insurance details shared across health systems, payers and public programs. This is especially valuable for transient or underserved populations who often move between providers and may not always carry updated insurance cards. 3. Patient self-service portals with identity validation At the front end, patient self-service tools offer opportunities to collect insurance information before a visit. Identity validation technology helps confirm the person's identity without requiring an SSN. Patients can scan an insurance card, update coverage details or answer verification questions within the portal. This reduces the workload for front desk staff and ensures better data before the patient arrives. Automated tools to streamline insurance discovery While patient access tools help patients confirm their coverage details, automated back-end solutions are essential for identifying insurance when information is incomplete or missing. Intelligent coverage discovery platforms can predict and verify active coverage without relying on SSNs, using demographic inputs like name, address and date of birth. These platforms run real-time or batch searches across multiple proprietary databases, combining search best practices, historical claims data and payer response patterns to flag likely matches. At the point of scheduling or registration, automated eligibility checks help identify billable coverage early, reducing errors, manual work and missed reimbursement opportunities. Experian Health's Coverage Discovery® exemplifies this approach, uncovering commercial, Medicare and Medicaid coverage that may have been unknown or forgotten. By identifying primary, secondary and tertiary coverage, it flags accounts that might otherwise be written off or sent to charity. Not only does this help maximize reimbursement revenue, but it also automates the self-pay scrubbing process and reduces the number of accounts sent to bad-debt collections. In 2023 alone, the platform identified billable coverage in more than 30% of self-pay accounts, resulting in over $25 million in found coverage. This level of automation is especially critical as policy changes continue to disrupt coverage stability. Proactive alerts can flag patients previously marked as self-pay but now linked to valid insurance, helping providers course-correct before claims go unpaid. Better patient matching, better outcomes As insurance coverage becomes more complex, providers need smarter and more efficient ways to verify it. Automated platforms like Coverage Discovery identify active insurance using minimal patient data, improving accuracy and reducing dependence on SSNs. When active coverage isn't found, Patient Financial Clearance helps fill the gap, screening for Medicaid eligibility or identifying patients who may qualify for charity care. Together, these tools give providers a more complete financial picture and ensure patients are connected to the coverage or support they need. The result is not just cleaner claims and faster payments, but better patient and provider outcomes. With more than a fifth of patients experiencing delays in healthcare because of issues verifying insurance information, improving coverage accuracy is a win for everyone. Find out more about how Coverage Discovery can help healthcare providers reduce bad debt by verifying patients' health insurance coverage without SSNs. Learn more Contact us

In July this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported that a data breach in a contractor's network may have compromised the data of more than 600,000 current Medicare beneficiaries. The breach, which occurred in May 2023, involved a vulnerability in file transfer software that enabled an unauthorized party to access beneficiaries' personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI). Some patients were issued with new Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) following the incident. The contractor also offered two years of Experian credit monitoring at no cost to those affected. However, providers may see an increase in patients who are confused or concerned about using their MBI card. Experian Health's MBI Lookup service can help providers ensure that Medicare eligibility verification remains as efficient as possible. Thousands of beneficiaries issued new MBI numbers In response to the breach, CMS announced that 47,000 individuals would be mailed new MBI cards with new MBI numbers. However, as 612,000 patients were affected by the breach, there may be a significant number of people whose MBIs may change without notice. Since these individuals will not be able to use their old MBIs when trying to find Medicare coverage and benefits, there could be confusion among patients and providers who rely on MBIs to confirm a patient's eligibility for Medicare coverage. It could also affect billing processes and claim status inquiries. Experian Health reached out to CMS for clarification and received the following guidance: If a Medicare beneficiary's MBI number has changed, then their old (now inactive) MBI will return an AAA72 error when attempts are made to confirm coverage using the HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (HETS). The HETS 270/271 platform will accept historical 270 requests that use the patient's new MBI. Old MBI numbers will only be accepted if that number was active during the Date(s) of Service noted on the request. Providers should note that some patients may inadvertently use invalid MBI numbers and review processes for verifying Medicare eligibility accordingly. Verifying Medicare eligibility with Experian Health's MBI Lookup tool Verifying active coverage can be a painstaking process, but it's a vital step to confirm that planned services will be covered by the patient's insurance provider. If a patient is unaware or cannot demonstrate eligibility for Medicare, then the provider cannot make a claim for reimbursement, and the patient may be left to pay a bill they cannot afford. Finding active coverage helps providers reduce the risk of bad debt. Experian Health's Insurance Eligibility Verification speeds up this process by accurately confirming coverage at the time of service. The process comes with an optional MBI Lookup feature, which checks transactions against MBI databases to see if the patient may be eligible for Medicare. If the patient has forgotten their MBI card, the tool will check to see if they're included in the database, using their name, date of birth, and Social Security Number (SSN) or Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN). The MBI Lookup service triggers on 270/271 transactions in the following cases: Where the transaction fails because the subscriber is not found or their MBI number or other identification is missing or invalid (a “Traditional Medicare Failure”) Where a commercial 270 inquiry returns a “Medicare Advantage Plan” or “Managed Care Plan” indication on the “Other Payer” or “Other Coverage” section of the 271 response Where a commercial 270 transaction returns a failed response and the patient is aged 65 or older. If the provider's system attempts to use a patient's old number, and the patient does not realize that they have a new number or card, MBI Lookup will find and verify their new MBI. When the tool is triggered, it finds active and verified MBI numbers in 60% of cases on average. Find coverage faster with automated discovery tools Kate Ankumah, Principal Product Manager of Eligibility Verification and Alerts at Experian Health, says the automated MBI Lookup service has proven especially useful during times of change: “Providers relied on this service to verify Medicare coverage quickly when the pandemic hit, just as the industry was adjusting to the use of MBIs instead of their legacy HICN. Now, MBI Lookup can help providers smooth out the impact of data breaches involving Medicare beneficiaries with minimal fuss. It's a reliable way to give patients clarity without placing any undue burden on staff.” Insurance Eligibility Verification can be used alongside other automated coverage identification tools, such as Coverage Discovery®. Coverage Discovery scans government and commercial payer databases throughout the patient journey to find any previously unknown or forgotten coverage, eliminating the need for manual inquiries. Using multiple sources of data and tried-and-tested algorithms, these tools work together to locate coverage for patients, giving patients peace of mind and helping providers avoid uncompensated care. Both tools can be accessed via the eCareNext® platform, so staff can view eligibility responses and manage work queues through a single interface. And of course, this recent breach is a stark reminder of the need to protect patient data. Using a single vendor with integrated software and data solutions can help reduce the risk of data getting into the wrong hands. Find out more about how Experian Health's Eligibility Verification solution and MBI Lookup tool can help providers verify active coverage and give patients peace of mind following a data breach.

On July 28, the US House of Representatives voted in favor of extending Medicare telehealth flexibilities after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. If enacted, the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act will allow beneficiaries to continue to access telehealth services at any site, including their home, until December 31, 2024. Coverage for a wider list of telehealth practitioners, delivery at specific clinics, audio-only telehealth, and remote behavioral health and hospice care would also continue. After a quick implementation period at the start of the pandemic, providers spent the last two years refining telehealth delivery. However, a question mark remained about telehealth’s post-pandemic prospects. The new legislation offers welcome certainty around reimbursement, at least until December 2024. More significantly, it’s further confirmation that telehealth is likely to become a permanent fixture in modern healthcare delivery. What does that mean for providers? Telehealth is here to stay Throughout the pandemic, remote and virtual care proved an effective way for providers to maintain relatively stable service delivery and limit gaps in care. It even helped to tackle inequitable access to care by making it easier for rural and underserved communities to speak to their doctor. Now, patients and providers alike are familiar with the benefits of telehealth. It’s an expected component of the overall healthcare experience. For the American Telehealth Association, the vote is “a significant step forward in providing much-needed stability in access to care for millions of Americans… We cannot allow patients to lose access to telehealth post-pandemic, and this bill will provide stability through 2024, while giving Congress time to address how to make the policies permanent.” As telehealth is gradually stitched into the fabric of the US healthcare system, providers should consider the following three actions to maximize the opportunities that come with delivering virtual and remote care: 1) Review the digital patient journey and increase telehealth access Telehealth is more than just a video visit – a truly virtual patient care experience starts from the moment the patient books their appointment all the way through to patient billing. Recent data from Experian Health and PYMNTS found that a third of patients chose to fill out registration forms for their most recent healthcare visit using digital methods, while 61% of patients said they’d consider changing healthcare providers to one that offers a patient portal. Prioritizing the use of digital channels could therefore boost patient attraction and retention, as well as efficiency and productivity. Integrating telehealth platforms with online scheduling software means patients can choose how and when to book their appointment, and appointment options are synced with physician calendars for maximum efficiency. Similarly, providers can ease friction when patients are registering for a telehealth visit by offering digital, automated and mobile-friendly registration. 2) Prioritize personalized patient outreach and engagement While many patients are now familiar with telehealth services, many may not be aware that it’s an option or may be unsure of how it works. Patient engagement strategies are essential in communicating to patients that telehealth services are available. By providing clear information about how the visit will work, how to use the technology and how to prepare, providers can help patients understand the process more clearly so they get the most out of their visit. This is especially important for patients who may be unable to attend in-person visits (e.g., due to location, disability, or lack of transportation or childcare). Telemedicine helps these patients take a more active role in their health and healthcare journey, in turn closing gaps in care. It also creates opportunities for remote patients to access experts that they’d otherwise be unable to see. Consumer data helps providers build patient engagement and outreach strategies based on reliable demographic, behavioral, psychographic and financial information. As telehealth services grow, a tool like ConsumerView enables providers to segment, identify and communicate with different audiences so that patients receive the most relevant message at the most useful time. 3) Explore automation for efficient telehealth billing Keeping track of telehealth reimbursement regulations has been one of the key challenges for providers as telehealth services have expanded. Flexibility reduced some of the barriers to scaling telehealth services, but did leave the door open to variation in payer requirements, coding changes and geographical coverage. The new legislation would maintain the status quo for a while longer. But looking ahead, any further changes to telehealth reimbursement rules, combined with greater telehealth utilization, could leave providers with an administrative mess to clear up if they don’t have robust processes in place. Those that utilize claims management and billing tools now will be best placed to manage what may follow. Automation can ease the burden in several ways. For example, with Coverage Discovery and eligibility verification solutions, providers and patients can confirm coverage eligibility early, which will speed up collections further down the line. Another option is to use automated healthcare claims management software to ensure every telehealth claim is submitted correctly the first time. With Experian Health’s customization function, telehealth alerts can be automatically checked so providers know whether the patient is covered for virtual care. As telehealth services gain a permanent place in the healthcare ecosystem, providers should act now to optimize patient-facing services and back-end processes. Failure to do so could cause patients to look elsewhere for the healthcare experience they desire and lead to lost revenue opportunities. Contact Experian Health today to discover how data-driven insights and automation can help providers bolster their telehealth offerings to maximize reimbursements.

“Experian Health’s speed and ability to speak our business language definitely impressed us,” said ACS president, Tim Anderson. “Some of the claims were valid for only a few more weeks, and we were able to submit them in plenty of time. This is the best, fastest platform we’ve seen to reconcile duplicate and data-deficient records. It really helped us achieve the best possible resolution for our clients and our company.” Acadiana Computer Systems, Inc. (ACS) was contracted with numerous labs in Louisiana to submit billing claims, primarily to Medicare, for testing that occurred in the first months of the pandemic. Unfortunately, in the chaos and scramble to offer testing services as quickly as possible in nursing homes and testing sites, the labs struggled to collect needed information to submit valid claims – in particular the Medicare beneficiary’s MBI number, or even a Social Security number. As the pandemic response progressed, a similar challenge developed around the administration of vaccines, particularly in mass vaccination sites and other off-site vaccination centers. Providers struggled to get more than a name and maybe a birthdate, address, or phone number. This left a gap in ACS’ efforts to submit private insurance and Medicare reimbursement claims on behalf of their clients. ACS worked with Experian Health and our Universal Identity Manager (UIM) platform, delivering the Experian Single Best Record (ESBR) – the matching of records through aggregation of disparate information and delivering a single record that accurately identifies separate records that belong to one person. The platform uses multiple data sources to verify, match and consolidate disparate records into one “best record.” ACS assembled the records requiring more identifying data and prepared them for secure transfer to Experian Health. Experian Health securely accepted more than 75,000 patient records and ran them through the UIM platform in 24 hours. It was critical to assign an SSN to as many individual records as possible, and to confirm an associated MBI number for Medicare billing, if applicable. Results included: 69% assigned unique records 12% identified as duplicate records With the information delivered back from the matched records, ACS had all the necessary data needed to continue the billing process. Within a week claims were submitted, expected to exceed $20 million in collections when the process is completed. The ACS group was experienced, savvy and data ready. Their expertise enabled an elegant and efficient exchange and complemented Experian Health’s capabilities. ACS expects to continue to use Experian Health’s UIM platform throughout the pandemic and also for mitigating duplicate records and preparing claims for submission. Learn more about how our Universal Identity Manager (UIM) platform can help your organization eliminate duplicate patient records.

Product featured in this article: Coverage Discovery As of the end of March 2021, more than 53 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, allowing for cautious optimism as we prepare for the next phase of the COVID-19 journey. Unfortunately for pharmacists, the vaccination program has compounded many of the challenges of the last 12 months. Shots may be free to patients, but someone has to pay for them – and getting reimbursed is proving to be a major pain. Complicated billing processes, extra billing audits and mountains of extra paperwork, rejected claims and slow payments are not exclusive to pharmacies helping vaccinate America. With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to muddy the insurance landscape, getting hold of missing dollars is challenging. Healthcare reimbursements haven’t been straightforward for other providers either: widespread coverage loss and uncompensated care is putting extra strain on hospital revenue cycles. With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to muddy the insurance landscape, getting hold of missing dollars is challenging. Providers must find ways to quickly and accurately determine each patient’s coverage status to minimize bad debt. Navigating the complex world of post-COVID healthcare coverage What does the reimbursement landscape look like, one year on? After a long wait, elective procedures are back. But the surge in patient volumes means providers must be on their toes to keep track of coverage. The process for doing so must be streamlined and precise. Ramping up capacity to verify and check coverage without burdensome paperwork is a must. Patient intake is under pressure. More patients are coming through the doors as a result of elective services and vaccination programs (though not always to their usual facility). COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, and with pockets of infection spikes, safety remains a top priority. Capturing adequate insurance information in this context is no mean feat. Running automated coverage checks as soon as the patient arrives will minimize face-to-face contact during admissions and avoid delays. Patient access and collections staff are overburdened. Manual checks are difficult when staff are operating remotely or in a socially distanced environment, and patient information might be incomplete. Automated self-pay scrubbing can help handle the volume. A tool with built-in reporting can also offer insights on workflow and productivity, to help spot opportunities for quicker claims processing. New digital healthcare technologies aren’t always covered by insurers. Telehealth, a life raft during COVID-19, tends to be covered less often by private insurers, compared to Medicare and Medicaid. Coverage checks must factor this in to avoid errors and wasted time. Providers should opt for tools that sweep for payer updates to telehealth coverage to avoid unnecessary delays or denials. Employment levels may be inching upwards again, but tracking coverage remains a challenge as patients start new jobs with new health plans. In addition, checking for Medicare coverage in the midst of changing codes and protocols is time consuming and confusing. A third-party resource such as Coverage Discovery can look for all coverage options and make sure the right bill goes to the right payer. Find missing dollars with Coverage Discovery Hospitals, pharmacists and other healthcare providers can’t afford to continue losing money at a time when every dollar is needed to prepare for “after COVID-19.” Experian Health’s Coverage Discovery is a proven system for tracking down missing coverage quickly and easily, to avoid unnecessary revenue loss. Using billions of data assets and intelligent confidence scoring, it combs through multiple government and commercial payer accounts to maximize actionable coverage. Staff can trust the outputs and focus their attention where it’s really needed. By making coverage identification more efficient and accurate, it’s a shot in the arm for providers in need of faster reimbursements. Contact us to see how Coverage Discovery can be easily integrated into your revenue cycle, so you can maximize reimbursements over the coming weeks and months.

At the beginning of the year, the healthcare industry moved away from Medicare identifiers based on Social Security Numbers (SSNs), in favor of more secure Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs). As with any large-scale change program, the shift was unlikely to be completely clear sailing. But with the coronavirus pandemic landing shortly after the 21-month transition period was due to conclude, the switchover has been rougher than expected. Impacted Care Care providers are discovering newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries who haven’t yet received their card, while existing beneficiaries have misplaced theirs. Without a valid MBI number, patients risk delayed access to care, while the admin process to sort it out can be stressful, especially for already-vulnerable senior populations. For providers, the extra work and delayed reimbursements are particularly unwelcome when COVID-19 is already putting pressure on services and squeezing revenue. Unprecedented intake conditions where staff and patients are trying to limit face-to-face contact makes it difficult to complete the usual coverage checks. As a result, providers are missing revenue opportunities they cannot afford, while incurring additional downstream costs when collections are delayed. Experian Health clients are optimizing Coverage Discovery to speed things up. Case study: how one healthcare provider is finding missing Medicare coverage faster For example, the southeast division of a national health care system, with 1700+ beds and $1.6B in revenue, needed better ways to find MBIs when Health Insurance Claim Numbers (HICNs) were phased out. Assisting Medicare patients with tracking down their MBIs was time-consuming and error-prone. They came to Experian Health to find a more efficient way to check Medicare coverage. Jason Considine, Experian Health’s Senior Vice President for Patient Collections and Engagement, says: “We knew we could help because we already had Medicare coverage history through our historical repository. As a test, we were given a control set of known Medicare patients without MBIs, and were charged with finding those patients’ MBIs and Medicare coverage.” Experian Health’s Coverage Discovery tool was used to batch-process the control set. This took less than a day, as the tool scans more than one million accounts daily, using historical and demographic data, synthesized with multiple proprietary data sources, to find unknown or forgotten coverage. In this case, the resulting data was collated via batch files, but could be integrated with other coverage and collections tools, such as eCareNext, which automates the more repetitive and hands-on pre-registration tasks. Coverage Discovery found 60% of the Medicare coverages with MBIs, plus additional coverages. This enabled the provider to file claims that would otherwise have been nearly impossible and very time consuming. The provider’s next steps will be to integrate Coverage Discovery with eCareNext, and roll it out to more of sites in the system. Could Coverage Discovery help your organization find missing MBIs? Capturing better insights into productivity, financial results, and staff workflows is always valuable. But in the current crisis, tool that maximize reimbursement and automating the tasks that take up staff time is essential. Through our historical data repository, Experian Health’s Coverage Discovery already contains many patient MBIs – and it’s continually updated. We can help you search for Medicare coverage and make sure your clients find their MBIs, easing pressure off your revenue cycle management teams during this extremely challenging time. Request a review of Coverage Discovery and improve your coverage and collections processes.