Despite the fact that technology has proven to greatly improve operational efficiencies and ROI, some organizations push back on change for various reasons. Let’s take a look at some of those reasons, and what can be done to overcome these challenges.
1. The People
Whether self-imposed or enforced, all change is hard. Not everyone within the organization will be willing to uproot their typical workday to adopt something new. And this is the first barrier many organizations face when looking at new billing compliance software.
The billing compliance and revenue cycle professionals at 40% of healthcare systems are used to working with spreadsheets, so getting them to embrace a whole new way of working might initially seem daunting.
However, once you show them how easy their daily operations will become with automation, insightful data, and simple reporting capabilities, they will soon warm up to it and eventually love it. The right company will have plenty of proof to show just how simple life can be with a little help from technology. Spreadsheets and manual work will no longer be an issue; data will be at their fingertips, and reporting capabilities will be at the ready to impress leadership with all the operational efficiencies and increased audit volume.
2. Training
A crucial factor in the success of billing compliance software implementation is a solid training program. The right vendor will have thorough training and implementation to ease departments into a new, more effective working approach.
Be sure the software company you choose has various methods of teaching, such as in-person, video, live classroom sessions, webinars, and more, to cater to each way of learning and adoption. This is a vital step in the process of successful implementation and avoids employee frustration. And it doesn’t end there. Do your research, and make sure they regularly improve the platform and add new features and updates. They should have a program instilled to continue training and adoption of these new tools to maintain that high level of trust and utilization and ensure that its customers are getting the most out of the software.
3. Data Integrity
Healthcare organizations continuously face scrutiny as they manage the private data of patient populations protected by HIPAA policies. These national standards for protecting health information are of particular concern for healthcare organizations looking to integrate billing compliance software. It is for this reason that your software of choice must be committed to providing a platform with the utmost network and physical security.
Additional measures such as multi-factor authentication to help prevent security breaches will not only protect patient information, but will also ensure that employees are not harmed and that the organization’s reputation remains intact. Another security measure some software companies employ is single-sign-on authentication, which provides a high level of user authentication, and is an additional layer of safety on top of others.
4. Data Migration
Some organizations are reluctant to implement new software simply because their IT department is backed up and can’t spare additional resources for data migration. This is a pain point that can be addressed by a savvy vendor that will go above and beyond to ensure a smooth process and minimize the time IT needs to dedicate to the migration.
Once the migration is complete and if the software is cloud-based, the requirements of the IT department will be less than minimal, as the vendor itself handles all updates on its end.
5. Cost
Just like any new integrations to an organization, billing compliance software costs money, and some organizations push back on the change due to cashflow concerns. As in any business decision, the return on investment must be proven prior to approval of such an undertaking. It has to be worth the risk.
Always ask for plenty of examples where their customers have seen a high return – not just on financial investment – but in its investment of time and of its people. You see, software implementation, when done right, will be seamless, and will prove itself almost immediately. Within 6 months, you should start to see results. If not, then perhaps its time to question the vendor. Cost will no longer be an issue because the money earned and retained with the right software will grow beyond its initial investment.
To see some superior software in action, watch this short video demonstrating efficiencies in workflows, analytics, reporting, and more.
