RCM Keeps Cash Flowing For Surgery Center

By Katie Wike, Contributing Writer

When the staff at Carolina Center for Specialty Surgery found themselves at the mercy of their revenue cycle management (RCM) software, they decided it was time for an upgrade — this time to a technology with the speed and support they needed.

Opened in 2006, Carolina Center for Specialty Surgery is an ambulatory surgery center that predominantly performs neurosurgical spine procedures and also offers pain management procedures. Approximately 20 to 30 credentialed physicians (e.g., orthopedic physicians, podiatrists, urologists, and OB/GYNs) regularly practice at the Charlotte, NC, facility.

With that many physicians practicing under one roof, billing was difficult enough without the staff wrestling with the technology needed to pay the bills. Claims are submitted electronically to a clearinghouse, where they are “scrubbed” or checked for errors before the clearinghouse is able to forward the claim to the specified payor through HIPAA-secure lines. Having a technology that easily connects the facility to the clearinghouse and then the payor is essential for keeping out of the red.