Jordan Physician Associates implements MedAptus Inpatient Edition for charge capture automation

MedAptus(R), the market leader for charge capture technologies, today announced that providers across multiple specialties at Jordan Physician Associates, located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, are using the MedAptus Inpatient Edition to capture and submit professional charges while on service at Jordan Hospital.

Inpatient Edition, part of the Professional Intelligent Charge Capture suite, was designed specifically with the needs of acute setting specialists in mind. Functionality such as a powerful Rounding List, integrated Messaging and Sign-out support, and embedded Pay-for-Performance logic ensure optimal reimbursement and productivity for on-the-go inpatient physicians. As a complementary tool, MedAptus' Reconciliation, Coding & Administration dashboard, RCA Engine, provides for real-time charge reconciliation, rounding list maintenance options and exception-based charge management.

Established in 1901, Jordan Hospital is a full service, 155-bed, acute care community hospital serving 12 towns in Plymouth and Barnstable counties. Jordan Physician Associates is the hospital's affiliated physician group, with approximately 65 providers delivering care across numerous clinical areas.

Jordan Physician Associates first engaged with MedAptus when seeking a web-based technology solution to automate charge capture processes for its hospitalist and medical moonlighter staff. Prior to the implementation of Inpatient Edition, these caregivers relied on note cards to document charge information. This manual process was subject to error and also drove an elongated billing cycle. With MedAptus in place, charge lag has been greatly reduced due to electronic charge submission. In addition, overall accuracy of submitted charges has improved since physician-users now have access to entire coding libraries, eradicating the need for support staff to interpret handwritten notes or seek out clinicians for clarification.

"Inpatient physicians in particular face unique challenges when it comes to charge capture, which is why a comprehensive solution such as MedAptus is so integral to effective practice operations within the confines of a busy hospital," said Carrie Paskowski, practice administrator at Jordan Physician Associates, Inc. "We are experiencing a number of benefits as a result of deploying Inpatient Edition.  The tool helps providers more easily locate patients, assists with better RVU measurement and has largely eliminated late and lost charges, reducing our days in A/R."

Given the success of MedAptus adoption by hospitalists at Jordan Physician Associates, Inpatient Edition was subsequently rolled-out to users in the areas of surgery, oncology and neurology. Patient census information is provided to the MedAptus solution from Jordan Hospital's MEDITECH health information system; completed charges are sent to the medical group's athenahealth system for billing.

"MedAptus' Inpatient Edition addresses the two key challenges of inpatient professional revenue capture: intuitive management of a highly dynamic patient population and clear visualization of charge opportunities derived from the care of these patients," said David Delaney, MD, MedAptus' chief medical officer. "Added functionality in the form of Messaging and Sign-out goes far beyond billing facilitation. By empowering physician end-users to more easily communicate with one another, our tool helps enable the safe and coordinated delivery of care."

Interest in Inpatient Edition from hospitalist groups has recently intensified, as evidenced by Kentucky-based Louisville Hospitalist Associates, another new MedAptus customer. Upon joining the practice, Paula L. Bruggensmith, MD, strongly urged the investigation of charge capture technology for stemming potential revenue loss. MedAptus emerged from the review process as the chosen vendor, something Dr. Bruggensmith attributes to both functionality and customer track record: "On the surface, many charge capture tools appear to be similar. It is only when you start to peel back the layers, and most importantly, talk to existing customers, that true differences arise. We are confident that MedAptus is the right vendor with the right solution to help our group improve practice operations and derive maximum payment."

SOURCE MedAptus