Searching for ways to streamline billing processes and boost accuracy? The Epic Charge Router automates charge management in the Epic EMR, capturing charges directly from clinical events.
This article takes a closer look at its key features, benefits, and use cases for optimizing billing accuracy and efficiency across healthcare organizations.
Key Takeaways
- The Epic Charge Router streamlines billing by automating charge capture, reducing manual entry errors, and integrating with clinical documentation for accurate charge records.
- Implementing a well-defined change control process and maintaining clear communication is essential for effectively managing the Epic Charge Router and ensuring accountability and continuity.
- Utilizing third-party tools for charge reconciliation and reporting enhances the charge capture process, improving accuracy and fostering better financial health for organizations.
Understanding the Epic Charge Router
The Epic Charge Router is a vital component of the Epic EMR platform, designed to manage charge records effectively. It automates the creation, deletion, and updates of charges, streamlining the billing process and reducing the likelihood of errors.
But what makes the Epic Charge Router indispensable is its ability to integrate seamlessly with clinical documentation, ensuring that charges are accurately captured based on specific clinical events.
Core Features
Epic Charge Router’s functionality revolves around several core features that enhance its utility. One of the most significant is its automation capability. Linking specific clinical documentation with corresponding charges allows the router to capture charges automatically without manual intervention. This not only reduces clinicians’ workload but also minimizes errors that can arise from manual entry.
The Epic Charge Router supports bundling related charges, simplifying the billing process for complex services. The router can trigger multiple associated charges when certain clinical events occur, ensuring comprehensive billing. This level of automation and integration makes the Epic Charge Router an essential tool for efficient revenue cycle management.
Benefits for Organizations
Epic Charge Router streamlines billing processes and significantly reduces the chances of errors in charge handling. Automated charge capture means less manual input, which translates to fewer opportunities for mistakes and more accurate billing. This accuracy is crucial in minimizing claim denials and ensuring timely reimbursements.
By optimizing charge accuracy and reducing staff workload, the Epic Charge Router also enhances an organization’s financial health. Automating daily tasks and integrating third-party reconciliation tools ensures all charges are captured and discrepancies are promptly addressed. This not only improves efficiency but also boosts the overall financial performance of the organization.
Setting Up Your Charge Router
Setting up the Epic Charge Router is crucial for effective patient charge management. This process requires careful alignment with the organization’s operational needs to ensure optimal functionality.
Establishing a charge router goes beyond the initial setup; it must meet the ongoing requirements of the organization and ensure a strong connection while proceeding effectively.
Design Document Creation
The first step in setting up your charge router is to create a comprehensive design document containing essential details like the build’s description, creation date, and responsible owner’s information. Including a screenshot and creation date aids in understanding the charge router build. Thorough documentation is crucial for effective charge capture and can significantly reduce claim denials by ensuring accurate recording of medical services.
A well-documented charge router design ensures clarity and ease of maintenance. Effective documentation practices lead to better charge capture, minimizing financial losses and enhancing overall revenue cycle efficiency.
Identifying Owners
Clear ownership of the charge router post-implementation ensures accountability and streamlined management. Identifying owners ensures that specific individuals or teams are responsible for different aspects of the charge router, enhancing overall efficiency and management within the Revenue Integrity team.
Implementing Change Control Processes
A well-defined change control process is crucial for effectively managing the Epic Charge Router. This process ensures that all changes are communicated transparently and that there is accountability at every step. A robust change control process prevents disruptions and optimizes the charge router functions.
Pre-Approval Procedures
Pre-approval procedures are integral to the change control process. Authorizing changes before implementation ensures alignment with budget and resource allocation.
Involving charge router owners and impacted members in pre-approval discussions ensures a comprehensive understanding of the proposed changes. A follow-up email outlining the build changes, anticipated impacts, testing steps, and timeline keeps all stakeholders informed and prepared.
Communication Protocols
Transparent communication is vital for effective charge router management. Having more than one charge router builder is advisable to avoid outages and ensure continuity during critical issues. Effective communication protocols provide timely updates and enable collaborative problem-solving, ensuring smooth workflow operations.
Fostering a culture of transparent communication leads to better change management and less disruption in the workflow.
Automating Charge Capture
Automating charge capture in the Epic system significantly decreases missed charges while enhancing claim submission efficiency. It also increases clinician satisfaction by reducing time spent on manual charge entries. Utilizing electronic health records (EHR) during encounters further enhances charge capture accuracy.
Workflow Automation
Workflow automation in the Epic Charge Router can be achieved through methods like charge linking, which allows automatic charges to be dropped upon completing related orders. Flowsheet-based charging automatically files charges based on timely clinician documentation, reducing the need for additional reconciliation steps. Explosion charges file multiple related charges after the primary charge is recorded, ensuring no associated charges are overlooked.
In Epic, charges can be automatically applied when specific events occur, such as documenting certain data elements and streamlining the charge capture process. Automated workflows can bundle multiple inherently linked charges, ensuring they are captured together without manual input.
Charge automation greatly enhances efficiency and accuracy in the healthcare billing process.
Revenue Guardian Tool
The Epic Revenue Guardian is crucial for optimizing revenue through enhanced charge capture. It effectively scans and identifies missed charges, ensuring better financial accuracy.
Regular audits with the Revenue Guardian help identify discrepancies and enhance compliance within the charge capture process.
Manual Charge Capture Management
Although automation is crucial, manual charge capture remains necessary in complex patient cases requiring direct clinician input. This section will explore the two main stages of manual charge capture: during the encounter and post-encounter coding.
During Encounter
In Epic, charges can be manually applied during patient encounters through a dropdown selection process, necessitating clinician input to ensure accuracy. In complex situations, clinicians can manually select charges to ensure all services provided are accurately captured.
This approach ensures billing remains accurate and comprehensive even in the most challenging encounters, provided it is executed correctly.
Post-Encounter Coding
Post-encounter coding is critical in the billing process, ensuring all services rendered are accurately documented and charged. During this process, charges can be manually applied to encounters that were not automatically captured or require adjustments.
Delays in post-encounter coding may arise due to incomplete documentation or unresolved queries from clinical staff. Implementing clear guidelines and maintaining communication can help mitigate these delays and enhance the efficiency of the post-encounter coding process.
Utilizing Third-Party Tools
Third-party tools that integrate seamlessly with Epic can greatly enhance the charge capture process. These tools automate the resolution of discrepancies and provide valuable insights into revenue performance.
Charge Reconciliation Solutions
Third-party charge reconciliation tools are crucial for automating the resolution of charge discrepancies and streamlining the reconciliation process. These tools can work alongside the Epic Charge Router to enhance automation and improve charge submission accuracy.
Using these tools can significantly reduce time spent on manual reconciliations and enhance overall billing efficiency.
Reporting and Analysis Tools
Advanced reporting tools effectively consolidate charge data, ensuring all relevant information is captured for analysis. These tools perform rule-based assessments to identify accurate charges and flag those requiring human review for further validation.
Using reporting and analysis tools significantly improves the validation process of charges, enhancing revenue cycle efficiency.
Enhancing Financial Health
The Epic Charge Router ensures timely and accurate charge capture, which is essential for effective revenue cycle management. This section explores how regular reviews and updates and staff training and support can enhance an organization’s financial health.
Regular Review and Updates
Maintaining the charge router after implementation ensures long-term effectiveness and performance. Successful organizations demonstrate a commitment to long-term maintenance for sustainability.
A charge router design document provides clarity on the build and facilitates maintenance. This living document should be updated after any build changes, ensuring the router remains effective and up-to-date.
Staff Training and Support
Continuous staff training on charge capture processes minimizes errors and enhances financial outcomes. Regular training on medical coding keeps staff informed about the latest standards and reduces errors, allowing them to maintain their focus.
Ongoing education and regular training for medical coders are vital to staying current with the latest coding standards and technological advancements.
Additional Consulting Support from Our Team
Whether you’ve been using Epic applications for years or you’re just getting started on your healthcare optimization journey, Surety Systems has you covered.
Our senior-level Epic consultants have the knowledge, skills, and experience to understand your critical project needs and prepare your internal teams for continuous improvement and innovation.
From outlining plans for a comprehensive Epic implementation project to navigating complex integrations between Epic and other third-party tools, facilitating effective collaboration across units, and ensuring proper data management and migration, we’re here to help.
Contact Us
For more information about our Epic consulting services or to get started on a project with our team of expert consultants, contact us today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary function of the Epic Charge Router?
The main function of the Epic Charge Router is to manage charge records within the Epic EMR platform by automating charge creation, deletion, and update. This streamlines the billing process and significantly reduces errors.
How does the Epic Charge Router benefit healthcare organizations?
The Epic Charge Router significantly benefits organizations by streamlining billing processes and minimizing manual input errors. It ultimately enhances financial health through improved charge accuracy and reduced staff workload.
What is the importance of creating a design document during the setup of the charge router?
Creating a design document is crucial for ensuring clarity, ease of maintenance, and effective charge capture, ultimately reducing claim denials. It serves as a comprehensive guide that includes essential project details and accountability.
Why is regular review and updating of the charge router important?
Regular review and updating of the charge router is crucial for maintaining accurate and efficient charge capture processes, ultimately enhancing financial management and ensuring long-term effectiveness. Effective oversight helps prevent errors and optimizes performance.
How do third-party tools integrate with the Epic Charge Router?
Third-party tools integrate with the Epic Charge Router by automating discrepancy resolution and enhancing charge capture. This leads to improved charge submission accuracy and valuable insights into revenue performance, ultimately strengthening financial outcomes for healthcare providers.
