Maryland Hospital Association to improve revenue cycle management in state hospitals
The Maryland Hospital Association has completed the competitive bidding process for an electronic data interchange provider for the state's hospitals.
The MHA hopes to advance the development of HIPAA administrative transactions between hospitals and the major payers in the state.
Association officials said the establishment of a Transaction Data Interchange, focused on the unique needs of the Maryland hospital community, would result in improved electronic efficiencies.
The MHA has tapped Emdeon, a Nashville, Tenn.-based provider of revenue and payment cycle management software, through a bidding process conducted by the MHA's HIPAA Transaction Project working through sub-committees of the MHA's Council on Financial Policy.
"Emdeon will help our MHA members connect with payers to increase EDI utilization and improve revenue cycle management," said Carmela Coyle, the MHA's president and CEO. "The adoption of electronic data transmission is essential to reduce costs and optimize efficiencies."
Coyle cited Emdeon's payer network, technical ability to process patient eligibility and benefits verifications and claim status inquiries and its ability to integrate with "virtually any hospital's system" as deciding factors in the selection process.
Philip Hardin, executive vice president of Emdeon Provider Services, said the relationship between MHA and Emdeon would help streamline the multiple processes that flow between healthcare providers and payers to promote full implementation of EDI in the state.
The MHA represents 47 hospitals and health systems in Maryland.
