In this episode of Iodine Intelligence, Fran Jurcak, Chief Clinical Strategist at Iodine Software and Kati Beisel, Director of Health Information for Integris Health, which is Oklahoma's largest state-owned not-for-profit health care system and ranked one of the top 25 health care systems in the US, discuss the difficulties associated with solving the challenges presented by mid-revenue cycle leakage.

There are many costs associated with mid-revenue cycle leakage both immediate and long-term. Not only that, but the negative impact can also be felt throughout an organization. Everything from day-to-day operations, budget planning, resource allocation, patient outcomes, and staffing initiatives suffer from ineffective processes and systems.

Fran Jurcak took a moment to speak to the significant issue of quantifying costs, noting that it is not a perfect process. “There continues to be anywhere from 4 ½ to half a million dollars lost in revenue in the average 250 bed hospital. So, fairly significant loss based upon workflows even after investments in areas to try and diminish that leakage,” stated Jurak.

Beisel concurred, adding that Integris Health has “been scrutinized in the mid-revenue cycle quite a bit in recent years and I think that’s for good reason because there is so many places for revenue to leak in the process.” She goes on to mention common areas of loss including physician documentation, staffing shortages, coding requirements, and reporting methods.

Despite the significant challenges associated with implementing processes and software to improve CDI and reduce mid-revenue cycle leakage, both women agreed that the work is important. Noting that every dollar and dime counts, Beisel spoke of the need to reinvest in talent to better serve patients and communities while improving quality of patient care.

Additional points of conversation included potential solutions, Iodine’s various software solutions, and Integris Health systems journey to date.