Articles
RSSEfficient Back-Office Processes: Optimizing Patient Care
March 1, 2010
Click Here To Download:•Guest Column: Efficient Back-Office Processes: Optimizing Patient Care
By James Thumma, VP of Sales and Marketing, Optical Image Technology
In order to function at peak efficiency, every healthy organism has to have an intricate network of interrelated systems operating in tandem. The relationship between some systems is readily apparent. Without a working cardiovascular system, for example, human neurological functions would quickly break down. The same interdependence holds true for other systems to which most people give little thought. The endocrine system, the lymphatic system, and the integumentary system seldom capture our attention unless our health is somehow compromised. Frequently, if something goes wrong with one system, a domino effect is initiated through which other systems can be jeopardized. Even if it works behind the scenes, no singular system is expendable—if one system is weakened or damaged, disease can eventually overtake the entire organism.
These covert metabolic systems serve as a metaphor for administrative offices within healthcare organizations. When patients interact with hospitals, practices, and clinics, they have the expectation that they will receive the best care possible. They rarely give any thought to the processes that have to happen behind the scenes in order to make this expectation a reality. Accounting, compliance, registration, human resources, and credentialing have little to do directly with improving health or saving lives. Yet without optimized efficiency in back-office healthcare processes, patient service can be put at risk.
Click Here To Download:•Guest Column: Efficient Back-Office Processes: Optimizing Patient Care
