Avera Health's billing services officer details the system's pain points and what's ahead for 2023.
Economic hardships have been increasing each year for hospitals. Even worse, 2022 was the worst year financially for hospitals and health systems since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and revenue cycle leaders are not off the hook.
Declining operating revenue for health systems, payers squeezing even harder on denials, and a fundamental shift in the workforce have been creating trying times for our revenue cycle leaders.
These hardships are pushing leaders to consider changes in 2023 and as Amanda Schutz, billing services officer at Avera Health says, remedying staffing challenges and implementing automation will be a priority for the health system this year.
Staffing has been a primary challenge for Avera Health’s revenue cycle in the last few years, Schutz says. To stay competitive, Avera has had to allow for more flexibility during working hours and grant staff the ability to work from home.
To remedy further staffing challenges, Schutz plans to advocate for the revenue cycle to make greater financial investments in automation for 2023. “That could be through AI, bot technology, or any technology that allows us to be more efficient in our day-to-day work,” she says. “With the cost of staff, we have to get more creative when it comes to automation.”
Pictured: Amanda Schutz. Photo courtesy of LinkedIn.
“I’m excited to be part of our automation/technology discussion and decisions at Avera. This is an area that we need to continue to dig into and decide what technology will allow our revenue cycle to run more efficiently,” Schutz says.
Schutz will be joining us at this month’s Revenue Cycle Exchange to talk through these pain points and more.
The HealthLeaders Exchange is an executive community for sharing ideas, solutions, and insights. Please join the community at our LinkedIn page.
The 2023 HealthLeaders Revenue Cycle Exchange is February 15-17 in Carlsbad, CA. To inquire about attending a HealthLeaders Exchange event, email us at exchange@healthleadersmedia.com.
“With the cost of staff, we have to get more creative when it comes to automation.”
Amanda Norris is the Director of Content for HealthLeaders.