Sutter Health Care Case Analysis
Sutter Health Cheryl Poole ACC 281 Accounting Concepts for Health Care Professionals
Instructor: Nyalambi Mulwanda
December 17, 2012
In 2006 Sutter Health began the process of trying to find a process that would increase its upfront collections from self-pay patients. Sutter Health started with its patient account representatives, collection, and other areas of the central business unit to transfer many of the back end process to registration. Was the approach that Sutter Health took helpful? This paper will show the reasons, methods taken, and the results that Sutter Health took to improve their bottom line and make them one of the most effective in the country. In 2006, Sutter Health, one of Northern California 's largest providers, committed to giving its patient financial services staff on both the front and back end the necessary tools to improve patient collections. The financial report gave insight to how Sutter’s plans to implement a new way of collection for the front end to run effectively. To make the norm, the staff began working towards transferring back end functions to the front end (Souza, M. & McCarty, B. 2007). This paper will illustrate the steps taken, and the results of the training and new collection processes that were successfully in making the Sutter Health Approach one of the most effective. Sutter Health is a not-for-profit network. Sutter Health along with the communities they serve decided to join together to help ensure that they would be here for the next generation of physicians and hospitals in Northern California. Serving Sacramento area for more than half a century, Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento first began operation in 1923. The original facility, known today as Sutter General Hospital, was a private, nonsectarian hospital incorporated by a small group of physicians. The first satellite hospital in California, Sutter Memorial Hospital, opened in 1937. In an effort to increase
Instructor: Nyalambi Mulwanda
December 17, 2012
In 2006 Sutter Health began the process of trying to find a process that would increase its upfront collections from self-pay patients. Sutter Health started with its patient account representatives, collection, and other areas of the central business unit to transfer many of the back end process to registration. Was the approach that Sutter Health took helpful? This paper will show the reasons, methods taken, and the results that Sutter Health took to improve their bottom line and make them one of the most effective in the country. In 2006, Sutter Health, one of Northern California 's largest providers, committed to giving its patient financial services staff on both the front and back end the necessary tools to improve patient collections. The financial report gave insight to how Sutter’s plans to implement a new way of collection for the front end to run effectively. To make the norm, the staff began working towards transferring back end functions to the front end (Souza, M. & McCarty, B. 2007). This paper will illustrate the steps taken, and the results of the training and new collection processes that were successfully in making the Sutter Health Approach one of the most effective. Sutter Health is a not-for-profit network. Sutter Health along with the communities they serve decided to join together to help ensure that they would be here for the next generation of physicians and hospitals in Northern California. Serving Sacramento area for more than half a century, Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento first began operation in 1923. The original facility, known today as Sutter General Hospital, was a private, nonsectarian hospital incorporated by a small group of physicians. The first satellite hospital in California, Sutter Memorial Hospital, opened in 1937. In an effort to increase
References: http://www.mckesson.com/en_us/McKesson.com/For%2BHealthcare%2BProviders/Hospitals/Hospital%2BInformation%2BSystems/Hospital%2BInformation%2BSystems.html http://www.sutterhealth.org/about/index.html http://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/keys-successful-point-service-collections-program http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/five-tips-on-point-of-service-collections.html Edmonds, T., Olds, P., McNair, F., & Tsay, B. (2010). Survey of Accounting (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. ISBN: 9780073379555 Souza, M. & McCarty, B. (2007). From bottom to top: How one provider retooled its collections [electronic version]. Healthcare Financial Management. 61(9). 67-73. Retrieved from ProQuest.