In Pursuit of Paperless and Other Office Automation Goals...In Pursuit of Paperless and Other Office Automation Goals You’ve been telling yourself that going paperless is a “nice

In Pursuit of Paperless and Other Office Automation GoalsYou’ve been telling yourself that going paperless is a “nice to have” in your world of must-do’s. Unfortunately, the sand in the hourglass has run out. In 2019, there’s little defense against the growing list of reasons paper must go. In which of these do you see your office reflected?

The exchange of paper is not secure. (See sidebar “The Hard(copy) Lesson.”)

Digital allows for easier knowledge transfer, and the data medical credentialing professionals handle is being accessed and used by ever-more authorized departments and individuals.

Your electronic data will become the source of truth for an increasing number of users, if it hasn’t already.

Failure to submit required documentation on time draws fines and jeopardizes accreditation and compliance.

Providers, insurers, and patients are accustomed to the level of customer service that automation provides in every other industry, viewing your paper processes as outdated and not confidential.

Space and storage are at a premium in organizations where overhead costs matter. (Go ahead and calculate how much you’ve paid Iron Mountain or a similar data storage vendor over the past decade. Ouch.)

The environmental resources you save—ink, paper, mailings—will add up. (And the environment thanks you!)

The good news is, your office can start small yet make a big impact. Like other inter-departmental projects, the conversion to paperless requires a road map that solicits buy-in of the affected parties. This report gets you started down that path—even if it means just reducing paper as phase one.

1. Really Understand the Tools at Your DisposalIf you already have software that can handle the switch to paperless applications, your process may be streamlined from organizations starting from scratch or using a home-grown system with Excel type documents for tracking. First and foremost, know your tools and what they can do for you.

Many organizations underuse the resources and training provided as a part of the software license they already have with a vendor. Ever hear the expression “garbage in, garbage out?” Think of that as applying to the time and effort you should put in when you’ve made your purchase. Are you using the software to its full capacity? If not, why not? The most often-heard excuses among staff: “I’m too busy to take the time to learn 100% of its functionality,” or that “I’m not tech savvy enough to understand it all,”—or there’s a general knee-jerk negative reaction to change, especially technological.

According to a study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan Management Review and Capgemini Consulting, most managers say going digital is critical, but 63% said the pace of technological change in their workplaces is too slow, mainly due to a “lack of urgency” and poor communication about the benefits.

Clara Brock, a credentialing payer enrollment consultant based in Callahan, FL, advised, “You must learn and understand the software tools you’ll use. Whatever software the office leadership has chosen, make sure that is a multi-functioning system. To go paperless, you’ll want to use its abilities to process the working data, store data images, and attach and store supporting documents.”

This tech-inventory-taking exercise will also show you what additional equipment or licenses you might need.

If you’re starting from scratch and need software, she advised first reviewing your workflow to determine how it will change when a paper application no longer exists. Identify and list your needs and wants before you schedule vendor presentations.

2. Be Realistic About Time & Resources NeededThere’s a lot of prep work involved in going paperless. Every document you have now and collect going forward must be scanned and stored. If there isn’t a file hierarchy and sufficient storage, you’ll need to create an online filing system or categorization method.

It’s also likely that 100% of your department staff’s time is already accounted for, so the prep work must either replace or be added to daily responsibilities. What is the volume of files that must be scanned? It’s worth it to test a batch of files and document the time it took to scan, enter, and categorize the data.

The Hard(copy) LessonJ.C. is a medical services and provider enrollment professional who for years had served as an interim staff professional for a large national credentialing service organization. On one assignment for a medium-sized health system based on the East Coast, she discovered the perils of using paper provider applications and shared her story as a cautionary tale.

“I was contracted as part of a team to help quickly enroll hundreds of providers as part of a merger of facilities. The full-time staff of the organization would focus on their regular credentialing and privileging duties, while the interim team was to enroll providers into the various insurance plans.”

The organization had workflow policies and procedures, but not when it came to contractors’ access to files. J.C. explained, “Contractors typically work extremely long hours. We’re away from home, staying at a hotel, so we opt to get as much work done as possible to shorten the engagement.”

This system had paper files of provider applications, complete with the practitioners’ SSNs, addresses, and other contact information. J.C. recounted, “Toward the end of one 12-hour day, I decided to keep working while I went to a local restaurant for a dinner break, and inadvertently left some files at a table there.”

Picking back up with her work at the hotel later that night, she quickly realized the mistake and called her manager. The restaurant manager had already discovered the files and called the health system, setting off the complex and onerous compliance investigation and paperwork that would ensue—not to mention the lost confidence of the organization and providers, and the disruption to business. The silver lining: A sound new policy for handling of files—until the department could eliminate paper in favor of password protected online applications.

Regarding the time line, will you hire temp staff to get scanning and filing done quickly, or will you create a longer timeline for completion using just your team? These considerations should feed into your realistic estimate of the project duration.

3. Get the Appropriate Buy-in Another critical step is to determine all affected parties. Make a comprehensive list of all individuals, departments, or vendors that contribute to or access the data involved in the enrollment and credentialing processes. Next, map what precise data it is that each need and how they use it.

A sample list includes providers, office management, IT, and departments or functions with tangential or overlapping responsibilities related to provider application data such as Billing, HR, the Med Staff Office, Quality, the CVO, and department or division chairs. While they all may be affected by the transition, you’ll still need the individual(s) with oversight of credentialing and/or provider enrollment to give you the green light.

For hospitals, Sherry Settle, CPCS, CPMSM, an Angier, NC-based MSP consultant, recommended, “When going paperless you need to make sure your committee leadership (MEC and Credentials Committee leaders) is on board with the process so they can help to stem push back from providers.”

Meanwhile, CVOs may not only need internal approval, but external customer OKs as well. For group practices and billing companies, office leadership may be all you need. The bottom line is that you should communicate with any party who may see themselves as having a stake in your decision.

4. Articulate Your VisionWe started with the reasons, and you may have additional ones, but it’s important to put your plan on paper so others can react to it. The items you’ll want to cover include your short-term and long-term vision and a practical, collaborative approach and time line that will get you to the goal. It can be as simple as a “why” or purpose-type statement:

The medical staff services function of [Org] will be transitioning to a paperless process for all credentialing, privileging, and payer enrollment processes to better serve our providers and to align with industry-accepted modes of application. We anticipate the process to take up to six months, and will provide updates, detailed instructions/trainings, and avenues of feedback for all involved parties at each stage.

Because our current software is capable of handling an all-electronic process, the only equipment investment anticipated will be an additional scanner.

The first stages will involve medical staff trainings and back-up of data to ensure no information currently on paper is lost, and will be unnoticed by most providers, with the exception of a small test group and medical staff leaders needed for approvals. The later stages will include a full switch to the electronic process. Please submit any questions or concerns to [point person’s name and contact information].

Contact IntelliSoft today for a demonstration of IntelliApp provider enrollment software. Call 888-634-4464 or email [email protected].

Brock, Settle, and Lee offered tips applicable throughout the process:• Make the new method routine for

the users by providing links with simple instructions

• When you start the process, keep a backup copy on your drive just in case there are any software system issues

• Regularly audit to ensure all documents are scanned in

• Start small by gathering professional references, attestations, and personnel data online. If applicants have in-house interviews, get them to enter data in person on tablets.

• Before the conversion, review and shrink the credentialing and enrollment packets to gather only data you need.

5. Anticipate Some PushbackTo alleviate any concerns brought up that could stop your project cold, ensure that you have industry data and cold hard facts to back up the reasons for the switch. Start with rebuttals for your reasons:

Your reason #1: The exchange of paper is not secure.

Possible rebuttal: “I see in the news that all of these hospitals are getting hit by hackers, and this is just more provider information they can access in a breach.”

Your response: “It’s true that security breaches happen, but we already use EMR for our patient data. We’ll be involving IT to ensure the same stringent safeguards for our provider data.”

Your reason #2: Providers, insurers, and patients are accustomed to the level of customer service that automation provides in every other industry.

Possible rebuttal: “Our docs don’t like change and will see the online application as onerous. They prefer their admins to hand them paper to sign.”

Your response: “It’s true that some among us are more tech savvy than others. We want to assure everyone that trainings and instruction will be customized to reflect providers’ varying levels of comfort with an electronic application process.”

Your reason #3: Digital allows for easier knowledge transfer and a source of truth for multiple authorized internal users.

Possible rebuttal: “The provider data in those files should be viewed on an as needed basis and if the paper files are here, we can better keep tabs.”

Your response: “An analysis of our workflow has shown that the data we gather in this department is identical for that needed in [Med Staff, HR, PE, etc.]. As more of us are authorized to gather and analyze this data, paper is becoming unmanageable and is actually negatively affecting productivity.”

6. Tout the Benefits, Market Your WinsYour job in the switch to paperless applications is to help all parties involved get comfortable with the technology that will get you to goal, by showing them how some upfront effort and change will make their lives easier in the long run.

Yvette Lee is a credentialing and privileging consultant based in Olive, MS, who’s participated in multiple conversions from manual to paperless credentialing, most recently at a large CVO. “It was a huge undertaking, yet attainable and well worth the initial uncertainties and frustrations that eventually progressed to a more confident, personable approach and decreased TAT. I’m proud to say that I am living proof that an automated office is the wave of the future as I’m able to do what I love from my remote office.”

Contact IntelliSoft today for a demonstration of IntelliApp provider enrollment software. Call 888-634-4464 or email [email protected].