Summary of Work:
Warbird deployed a team consisting of a CFO and Revenue Cycle Director to assist our client with its operational and performance improvements to help HMC “realize its top priority: to maintain and enhance the long-term financial viability of the hospital, while recruiting and retaining providers and experienced nursing staff, stemming the out migration of patients, and preserving local employment opportunities.”
Background:
Our Client is an award-winning medical facility serving the residents of Northeast Georgia. Conveniently located in Demorest, GA, Habersham Medical Center is a 53-bed not-for-profit acute care facility providing healthcare to more than 80,000 residents of Habersham and adjoining counties. At the heart of Habersham Medical Center is the desire to offer access to a broad range of quality services along with the goal of not only meeting patient expectations, but exceeding them every day.
The Company is committed to improving the hospital’s operational improvements and has reorganized management since the addition of new Chief Executive Officer Lynn Boggs in October 2017. Stacy W. Hall, Ph.D., chairman of the Hospital Authority of Habersham County, issued a letter in January 2018 in which she stated, “As you know, there has been a great deal of discussion regarding affiliation over the past year and a half. But for the moment, our primary objective now must become improving overall performance in every area within HMC.”
Areas of Focus:
Warbird’s engagement began with the creation of an accurate current-state Baseline and Documentation. Based on our experience and on healthcare comparison stats, a credible baseline, agreement on action, and disciplined project management throughout the project are critical to success. This baseline included both revenue and cost initiatives. Included in those initiatives was a focus on:
Revenue Initiatives included, but were not limited to:
– System Revenue Cycle Improvements and Redesign
– Chargemaster Review & Managed Care Contracting
– Point of Service Collection Improvement, including focus on Bad Debt
– Coding Performance and Clinical Documentation Improvement, including focus on Denials
Cost Initiatives may include, but not be limited to:
– Supply Chain/Materials Management
– Physician Compensation and Overall Labor Productivity
Conclusion:
While our activity is ongoing, Warbird’s ability to quickly assemble the exact mix of expertise and performance improvement initiatives has enabled Habersham to realize immediate improvement in all of the “Areas of Focus.” As performance improvement integration continues with Habersham all efforts contemplate that this may be part of an “Affiliation Process.”