In Downtrodden Economy, Outsourcing Made the Difference for One Anesthesia Group.

Great Lakes Anesthesia, P.C.

In 2009, the stakes could not have been raised any higher for Great Lakes Anesthesia, P.C. (GLA). Headquartered in Elkhart, Indiana – what many consider ground zero of the economic recession – GLA found itself contending with one of the worst business climates since the Depression.

In February 2009, Elkhart’s unemployment rate reached a crippling 15.3 percent – the highest in the nation. Meanwhile, Medicaid enrollment rose by more than 17,000 between January and April; up about 9 percent from the previous year. As the unemployment rate and Medicaid enrollment rose, so too did the number of hospitals and medical groups that suffered from low reimbursements and complicated, time-consuming paperwork. In the economic downturn, collecting payments from patients had reached an incredible level of difficulty.

However, as many healthcare providers and practices succumbed to the weight of

the recession, discontinuing Medicaid or closing their doors entirely, Great Lakes

Anesthesia was able to sustain growth without sacrificing the quality of patient

care. Comprised of 42 providers operating in 13 different facilities, GLA found that

outsourcing their billing, collections and insurance claims processing to Zotec

Partners provided a cost-effective solution that alleviated a great deal of strain

imposed upon them by the staggering economy.

Zotec Partners is a revenue cycle management solutions company with a proven

track record of solving real world, bottom-line challenges for the nation’s leading

anesthesia groups.

The switch to Zotec Partners was made in May 2008 in swift response to a series

of mishaps and a pattern of poor performance from their previous billing service

provider. Among other problems, a lack of effective communication and the difficulty

of receiving usable information led GLA to seek a new billing solution.

Although the availability of data is critical in running a successful practice, it is

important to note that the value of data should be measured in terms of its quality

rather than its quantity. While this might seem like a no-brainer to most healthcare

professionals, many still fall victim to outsourced specialists that provide reams of

tightly bound reports in the guise of useful, actionable data.

“While information is important, it is far more important to understand that data and use it in a meaningful way for your practice,” said Linda Anderson, practice manager for GLA. “With Zotec Partners, we always have the right information made readily available to us whenever we need it.”

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“Our previous outsourced billing group provided us with large volumes of data,” said Anderson. “The problem was that the layout of information was not usable! They would send countless reports and we would say, ‘Great! Now what do we do with this?’ Zotec gives us the right information and helps us to interpret it on a regular basis.”

A lack of adequate practice information made it difficult for GLA to provide a tangible and quantitative comparative analysis between their former service and their current service with Zotec Partners.

“We never would have even attempted to drill down into our past data and pull out numbers reflective of our success on a quantitative basis,” said Anderson. “We simply couldn’t follow our tracks and end up in the same location. With Zotec, we don’t have to waste time drilling down into the data – they put the numbers right there in front of us. And if for some reason the information we’re looking for isn’t there, all we have to do is ask for it and they’ll make sure we get it.”

Anderson also points out that Zotec Partners has played a huge role in helping GLA with insurance credentialing, which was a huge issue when working with their prior company.

“Our experience with Zotec has truly been a partnership, and that’s what we have been looking for all along,” said Anderson. “Every company claims to support its customers. But, at Zotec, it’s a way of life. Gone are the days of feeling like I am constantly hitting my head against a wall.”

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Zotec Partners utilizes its Decision Support data mining and analysis software to drill down into any data deemed important to the practice.

“At times, we find ourselves not knowing the right questions to ask or needing information that we don’t know how to find,” said Anderson. “We’re not experts in billing, reimbursement or insurance processing. We’re experts in healthcare and in making sure that our patients receive the best treatment with the utmost care. The support from Zotec Partner is hi-tech with the very latest analytical tools, backed by knowledgeable industry experts.”

Every anesthesia practice has databases full of information, but this information is only valuable if it can be accessed and presented in a meaningful way. The Decision Support system allows Zotec Partners to quickly identify shifts in such areas as cases, carriers and volumes for GLA.

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