Posted by Amber Welch on Thu, Jul 29, 2010 @ 01:16 PM
This is the first in a series of blogs by our technical team. While it is most relevant for current users of eBridge Solutions' document management system, any potential eBridge user (especially medical billers) should benefit from this post.
Document Management Systems are getting a lot of attention as safe and secure storage for documents, but if used properly they can also assist medical billing companies in the routing and tracking of documents from one department to another.
Creating work flow for your company in eBridge can be simply done by setting up Index Fields (the fields for identifying the files) for the information that is important to YOUR process.
Examples of work flow in eBridge
In eBridge Solutions web-based document management system, companies can define up to seven (7) index fields to identify their documents. For medical billing companies, sample indexes typically include:
- Provider
- Post Date
- Batch Type
- Carrier
- Coder
- Biller
- Status.
Each of the fields can then have drop-down lists created so common index values are readily available to all Users. If using Workflow, Status will be a key index. Examples of Statuses include:
- Pending
- Coding Completed
- Billed
- Completed
- Pending Additional Info
- Returned to Provider
As the file is received and uploaded into eBridge, users assign values to the chosen index fields. So, for example, if an EOB for Dr. John Smith's practice was received on 07/25/2010 from United Healthcare anduploaded into eBridge, the screen would look like this:
(The Coder & Biller can be assigned after the file is uploaded by the Department Manager)
Once the file has been indexed and uploaded, the Department Manager can retrieve the file by the Status - Pending, (which shows all Pending files) and then assign those Pending files to the appropriate user.
The file can then be selected by clicking on it and to assign it to a Coder/Biller, the Status just needs to be adjusted using the Edit feature. Once assigned to the appropriate User, the user can then retrieve the documents assigned to them using the Retrieve feature and focusing on the indexes for Coder/Biller and Status: Pending (for files they have not yet completed).
The user then completes the work on the file and once completed, changes the Status again using the Edit option to move the file to the next step.
For instance, if a Coder has completed a file and it is now ready for Billing, they will Edit the Status. As each step of the process is completed, the Status will be changed to reflect where the document is and what is left to do until it has reached Status: Completed.
If you are interested in learning more about work flow in eBridge Solutions, please contact one of our National Account Managers at sales@ebridgesolutions.com or 813-849-6067 option 1.