Blog Posts

De-risking Springfield Clinic’s revenue cycle management transformation with a trusted partner

The healthcare industry is an enigma. On the one hand, the pace of advancements in research, diagnosis and treatment continues to accelerate exponentially. On the other hand, many healthcare organizations still rely on outdated and disjointed workflows, particularly for core “back office” revenue cycle management (RCM) functions.

Modernizing RCM improves not only practice operations but also financials: Providers could save an average of $29.84 per patient transaction by conducting prior authorization, claims payments and other processes fully electronically rather than manually. However, great rewards often come from great risks, and changing RCM systems is not without risk—including potential disruption to revenue.

Overhauling RCM processes at a physician-owned practice

This was the challenge facing Springfield Clinic, the second-largest independent multi-structure practice group in Illinois. It had utilized an old practice management platform that included many manual processes and spreadsheets. This grew to be unsustainable, as Springfield Clinic serves more than one million patients at 54 facilities across Central Illinois. Additionally, hiring qualified talent in its financial services department became increasingly difficult.

Looking at the existing technology stack, practice leaders saw an opportunity to improve the business by evolving a longstanding partnership. As an Allscripts Touchworks® EHR client for more than a decade, Springfield Clinic determined that expanding its collaboration with Allscripts would benefit the business and its staff as well as patients.

The addition of Allscripts® Revenue Cycle Management Services (Allscripts RCMS) gave Springfield Clinic a scalable platform to address RCM challenges and enabled access to advanced analytics in real time. Staffing issues greatly improved as Springfield Clinic gained a “virtual back office” in the form of quality RCM account management and access to supplemental RCM resources.

Continuity for a “community of caring”

With Allscripts RCMS, Springfield Clinic transformed its central business office and optimized its financial operations—without a disruption to cash flow. As a result, the practice continues delivering quality patient care without a hitch.

To learn more about the business impact of Allscripts RCMS at Springfield Clinic, download the full client story here.