Missouri/Kansas REC Clients

Solutions and Services – Regional Extension Center Providers

HEI Consulting is a local company based in the heartland and focused on vendor-neutral consulting services and technologies. Our objectives and our reputation are based, first and foremost, on your success.

As a select service provider collaborating closely with your Regional Extension Center, HEI Consulting and its partner organizations, are pleased to offer value-add, "One-Stop Shopping" services that focus on not only meeting Meaningful Use criteria, but help maximize your incentive payments.

Leverage our vast experience in healthcare information technology to increase efficiencies in your organization related to workflow optimization and revenue cycle.  We also assist in managing other competing priorities like ICD-10 migration and supporting 5010 compliance.  Utilize our technical expertise to help meet your custom needs related to implementing a new or recently upgraded healthcare information technology system.

These are the services we provide:

• Meet Meaningful Use
• Maximize Your Incentive Payments
• Optimize Workflows and Provide Decision Support
• Manage Competing Priorities – HIPAA 5010, ICD-10
• Meet your hardware, technology and infrastructure needs

Highlights of our comprehensive suite of services and solutions include:

Meaningful Use Related Services

• Education – Understand ARRA, HITECH Act and Meaningful Use criteria, requirements and timelines
• Meaningful Use – Strategic Planning- Create a plan to meet meaningful use criteria in the context of your specific setting/needs
• EHR Vendor Evaluation and Selection – Find the right vendor for your needs
• Implementation and Project Management – Our experienced staff can provide support to you in your efforts to meet aggressive implementation timelines.
• Interoperability – Meeting Meaningful Use criteria requires exchanging data outside of the four walls of your institution that support a secure, HIPAA-compliant mechanism for referrals, etc. We can provide the technology and services to help you accomplish those goals.
• Privacy and Security Best Practices – Let us help you create the methods and standard operating procedures for ensuring your clinical data is securely protected
• Reporting Meaningful Use Metrics – When the time comes to report your metrics for a particular stage of meaningful use, let us help you generate those metrics and provide a mechanism for self-attestation where required.

Workflow Optimization and Decision Support

The most critical step in meeting meaningful use has little relationship to technology: you need meaningful USERS! Successful adoption of new technology is highly dependent on having efficient and effective processes and workflows BEFORE implementing technology.

Our select Lean and Six Sigma tools and methodologies have been adapted to the unique requirements of healthcare to drive quality and efficiency into your organization. Adoption of new, disruptive technology will be further enhanced if it provides access to the right data at the right time to help drive more informed clinical decision-making among your provider community.

Revenue Cycle Optimization

• We will conduct a comprehensive review of your entire revenue cycle, tracking the patient experience from the first scheduled appointment to a zero account balance, identifying areas for:
• Appropriate collection and/or validation of data that improve efficiencies in the claims, billing and collection processing
• Detection and recovery of lost charges
• Decreasing denials
• Decreasing A/R days
• Improving efficiencies in chart completion and reducing accounts in DNFB status
• Managing Charity care and bad debt

Conversion to HIPAA 5010 EDI transactions

• Education & Awareness – Understand what it means to be HIPAA 5010 compliant. Create awareness of timelines, transaction requirements and the relationship between HIPAA 5010 and migration to ICD 10.
• 5010 Compliance Assessment - Conduct a thorough gap analysis or your current revenue cycle workflows and vendor systems and determine readiness for the 5010 compliance dates.
• Transaction Validation - Provide validation that will ensure 5010 compliance prior to exchanging transaction externally.
• Testing Strategies – The majority of healthcare organizations are focused on testing 5010 compliance internally.  External testing is equally as important given all the players (health plans, clearing houses, etc) involved.  We will provide you with a testing strategy that will focus on all areas to ensure a smooth transition to 5010 compliance.

ICD-10 Migration

• Education & Awareness - Understand what ICD 10 migration means to your organization.  Create awareness for your staff on what this change will mean to their specific roles. 
• ICD 10 Readiness Assessment – Assess current workflows and systems to determine gaps and put you on the right track for the migration to ICD 10.
• Mapping Tools - Provide mapping assistance that allow staff to cross-reference ICD 9 to ICD 10 codes.  Implement a customized workflow that will guide your staff to selecting the correct ICD 10 code.

Technology Infastructure Procurement and Professional Services

The following Information Technology solutions and services are offered through our strategic partnership with ISG Technology, Inc. As a preferred provider through the Kansas and Missouri HIT (Health Information Technology) Regional Extension Centers they can provide a secure and scalable technology infrastructure for your EHR software application. As your network grows ISG Technology can provide the ongoing support and service to allow your IT infrastructure to help you meet your business initiatives.

Information Technology Solutions:

• Physical Security – You can have comfort in knowing your facility can be monitored by video cameras which can be connected into your network. These images can be stored on your network as well and be conveniently recalled and sent to parties. Another part of physical security is to restrict access to areas of your facility. This function can be achieved by the use of card scanners and/or badges for access to doors or medical equipment.
• Wireless Solutions – You can have the freedom to work anywhere in the building with wireless access. As your organization converts to EHR you will have a need to connect wireless ready devices such computer pads, laptops and other wireless ready tools. This will improve productivity as well as enhance patient care. You may also want to provide guest access in your public areas, such as lobbies. ISG Technology wireless solutions can provide you this flexibility to work anywhere in your facility, while giving you the comfort your network is secure.
• Virtualization and Storage – As you implement EHR the need to store information on your network will increase. You may also be considering converting your existing paper documents into electronic images. These changes can increase the amount of network storage your facility requires. It can also lead to the need to virtualized computer hardware. This can save not only on the need to purchase additional hardware, but provide savings on heating/cooling and electricity.
• Unified Communications – Seamless communication and collaboration improves response times. Mobility tools, like single number reach, allow calls to be placed to one number and ring both a desk phone and cell phone. These tools also consolidate e-mail, Instant Messaging and voice mail into one convenient communications portal, even showing you who is available, on the phone or in a meeting.
• Security – The need for security continues to rise in all sectors of the economy. It has been especially important in the healthcare industry with HIPAA compliance. It is also important simply due to the personal information exchanged in a healthcare engagement. Your current level of security can be analyzed. Then, if necessary, improvements to your security can be designed, implemented and supported by ISG Technology.
• Networking – As you move to EMR you will want to make sure your network is ready to make the transition with your organization. As a preferred partner with the Kansas and Missouri HITRECs ISG Technology can build a secure and scalable network ready for EHR. ISG Technology has made the investment to understand the unique challenges of going to EHR and what is needed to get to that point.
• Cloud and Data Center – Many times it is more convenient for healthcare facilities have someone else be responsible for security of their data. ISG Technology offers cloud computing and data center services. This would allow you to keep your data on servers in our data center where their security proactively monitored. It also takes away the hassle of patching and updating your network data equipment.
• IT Professional Services – ISG has 9 locations throughout Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Each office is staffed with professional sales and technical people. We can provide design resources to ensure you get what you want the first time. There are project management services to coordinate your project from beginning to end. Finally professionally certified people are on staff at all locations to implement and support your network.
  

To contact us on next steps and/or get additional information, please contact us.

Copyright 2011 | HEI Consulting, LLC | 13635 E 50th St| Kansas City, Mo 64133