What Is Healthcare Revenue Cycle Management?

Updated on June 30, 2022

Revenue cycle management is a method used by healthcare organizations in the US to track revenue from patients from the time they make their first appointment or encounter with the organization until they settle their debt. 

Relative value units in healthcare tips

RVU or relative value units in healthcare are currently utilized by Medicare to calculate provider compensation. RVUs are a method of comparing and standardizing service quantities across all continuums. 

What is Revenue Cycle Management?

RCM, or Revenue Cycle Management, is a method that manages the financial cycle. Whether it’s a tiny medical office or a huge hospital, RCM is at the functional heart of the industry. Each institution is required by law to follow particular rules to remain profitable, therefore the process of providing care continues apace. In light of the present debate, it’s important to recognize the essential players in this process: physicians, patients, and payers.

Physicians and patients are actively involved in the care delivery process, but payers play an important role as an engine. Both the doctors and the patients are motivated by the money. The healthcare industry’s skyscraper is made up of numerous basic building blocks that work together to complete an end-to-end revenue cycle management process.

Loopholes and/or outstanding accounts receivables have a direct impact on a practitioner’s income. Physicians may face considerable backlogs in outstanding claims as a result of a sluggish revenue cycle.

Medical Billing Services in the US Play an Anchor Role

Most medical practices aspire for an efficient revenue cycle management approach in medical billing. Third-party medical billing and coding companies are primarily to blame, provided they have the necessary experience and skillset. It’s amusing to compare medical billing services in the US to an anchor. They link providers and payers in the same way as an anchor links a ship to the beach.

It is critical to employ an experienced billing agency to manage a successful healthcare RCM process. Whether you prefer to outsource medical billing or hire an in-house specialist, even a minor deviation from a specific degree of attention might result in the entire process failing. When claims are filed on time, reimbursements are processed more quickly. It necessitates certain abilities and a mix of new and experienced billers.

What’s the Purpose of Revenue Cycle Management in Healthcare?

What makes revenue cycle management so crucial in the healthcare industry? RCM’s overarching goal in healthcare is multi-faceted, and it involves enhancing:

  • Patients and health insurance providers should be kept in touch.
  • Billing for medical services 
  • Collection and reconciliation of revenue

The most basic explanation of RCM’s role in healthcare is that it brings together the business and clinical sides of the sector. RCM integrates administrative and healthcare data to verify that each patient is cared for and that the facility is paid properly.

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