Maybe you think of customer statements as a necessary evil: without them, you don’t get paid. In addition, postage and paper costs continue to rise, costing more money each year to send your statements and invoices. Then there’s the administrative headaches that inevitably arise with disputed charges and even clarifying questions.

Apex is participating in the NC Medical Group Management Association’s Spring Conference, where this year the theme is “Facing the Future Together.” We’re honored to be part of the conference—both sharing ideas with and learning from NC MGMA members, which include single and multi-specialty groups, medical school clinics, management service organizations, independent practice associations, and physician-hospital organizations.

Most healthcare providers are seeing a rise in the fraction of their revenue paid directly by patients rather than through insurance claims. As a result, common revenue-cycle challenges include higher levels of accounts receivable and average days outstanding.

HFMA, the Healthcare Financial Management Association, has developed a useful framework for patient-friendly billing in its Patient-Friendly Billing philosophy. We fully endorse HFMA’s emphasis on billing communications being clear, concise, and correct in order to meet patients’ needs. These attributes can also promote positive results for providers, such as improvements in revenue-cycle metrics like average days outstanding.

We are excited to announce that Apex Information Technologies’ Founder and CEO, Brian W. Kueppers, has been named a finalist in the 2013 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year program in the Upper Midwest.

At Apex, part of our mission is to support billing experts adapt their knowledge for the specific purpose of clear communication to patients. Coding is critical but not sufficient to help self-pay patients understand their statements. After all, patients don’t hold coding credentials! Our design center helps hospitals and clinics find the ideal presentation of data to answer patient questions before they’re even asked. The result is faster payments, since patients are less likely to set aside bills they fully understand. In addition, clear communication can result in lower billing-related incoming call volume to your administrative staff.