Note from the Associate Editorial Director: Honoring colleagues in revenue integrity

By Melissa Varnavas

The healthcare revenue cycle includes a diverse biosphere of professionals—in many instances, including CDI. Like any revenue cycle, those working in healthcare administration track their facilities expenses against incoming finances in order to ensure the viability of the overall organization.

The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) defines revenue cycle as “All administrative and clinical functions that contribute to the capture, management, and collection of patient service revenue.” In other words, it is a term that includes the entire life of a patient account from creation to payment, according to the Oregon Health & Science University website.

In recent years, however, hospitals and healthcare systems began to re-imagine this system into a full-circle department which looks to ensure the integrity of each piece of the overarching financial universe for their organization. In August 2017, ACDIS’ sister organization the National Association for Healthcare Revenue Integrity (NAHRI—pronounced nah-ree) was founded to help revenue integrity professionals enhance the profession through standards, advocacy, networking, and the promotion of shared knowledge and resources.

To that end, NAHRI is holding its first Revenue Integrity Week, a national week of recognition for revenue integrity professionals, June 3–9. The association is asking those involved in revenue cycle efforts to complete a 30-question industry survey which will be released next week. In addition, NAHRI will hold a complimentary one-hour webinar June 7 at 2 p.m. (Eastern), featuring innovative revenue integrity leader, Carl Swart from Mercy Health, and plans to release five special editions of its email newsletter Revenue Integrity Insider, among other celebratory efforts.

Those who participate in ACDIS’ own CDI Week celebrations every September know how important these efforts can be in informing other departments about the profession and providing a platform for education. In fact, ACDIS Editor Linnea Archibald is currently seeking volunteers to serve on the 2018 CDI Week Committee.

If you’re CDI program currently has a relationship with its revenue integrity staff, please share their story and support them during their own special week.

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