Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals to Re-Tool Self-Pay Collections

Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals selected Ontario Systems? Artiva Healthcare receivables management product to assist in its self-pay collections process. The collections department will use the system to assist patients resolve outstanding balances, increase cash collections, better identify those eligible for governmental programs or charity care and focus staff on the most productive tasks.

?We are looking forward to the positive impact the Artiva Healthcare system will have on self-pay collections and patient account resolution,? said John Clarkin, vice president of business services, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals. ?I believe the system will allow our staff to focus on the tasks that are most likely to benefit the entire organization while providing our patients with increased service.?

The new technology will include a fully integrated self-pay dialer, known as Guaranteed Contacts, and an interactive voice response system. The system will be set up to allow electronic payments and payment arrangements through the IVR, enabling patients to access account information 24-hours a day. Patients will have the option of speaking to a live account representative at any time during office hours. The system also will launch automated outbound calls allowing the Hospital increased penetration of accounts while increasing staff efficiency.

Using automated business rules, the system also will allow staff to better identify those eligible for governmental programs or charity care thereby increasing customer service and reducing bad debt.

?Increasing cash collections will positively impact the entire organization?s bottom line, allowing it to continue to provide quality care,? said Tom Yoder, Ontario Systems? healthcare product director. ?Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals is joining a growing list of healthcare organizations who recognize the importance of strengthening their financial position to better focus on clinical areas.?

About Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals was founded in 1825 and has 957 licensed acute care beds, with major programs in a wide range of clinical specialties. Services are delivered among Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience, Methodist Hospital, and at various outpatient satellite locations throughout the region.

As an academic medical center, Jefferson believes in the importance of an excellent clinical setting for our patients and as a foundation for the learning experience of students and residents. It is within our various clinical settings that scientists, residents and attending physicians, medical students, nursing and allied health students, and technologists learn their profession and learn to work together as a team and help define the future of clinical care.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals is a member of the Jefferson Health System located in Radnor, Pennsylvania.