Healthcare cost-containment pressures are creating new opportunities and new challenges for ambulatory care facilities simultaneously. Whether they are independent facilities or affiliated with larger hospital based institutions, ambulatory-care centers must strive to maintain clinical excellence while cutting costs and handling increased demand.
Cardiology, orthopedics, internal medicine, ophthalmology, infusion therapy, obstetrics, hematology . . . the
number of outpatient care centers is growing as hospitals continue to find
lower-cost settings in which to treat patients. Regardless of their clinical
specialty or operational affiliations, they all share common concerns. To
succeed in today's managed-care environment, the ambulatory care center must
be distinguished in both cost and quality from the patients, payors' and providers'
perspectives. This has created new demands on the medical staff and administration
from the strategic planning level to the most detailed operational levels.
On the strategic level, accurate, efficient and timely documentation allows
your facility to enhance revenue, control resources and match case mix to
the population treated. On the operational level, the efficient flow of patients
through the facility as well as the availability of appropriate documentation
and clinical data allow administration and providers to improve communication,
reduce costs and, perhaps most importantly, provide the highest level of care.
We at Health Systems Management Network believe that documentation and data
management provide the foundation for success in the new era of managed care.
We have developed a broad menu of proven methodologies to assist ambulatory-care
centers in obtaining their cost and quality goals. From a limited engagement
for a review of coding procedures to a complete documentation management plan
with electronic support, we tailor our recommendations to the specific needs,
culture and practices of your organization.
