ANCOR Recap: Advanced Automation

I had the honor of presenting at ANCOR this year with a unique team of Netsmart associates. This team bridges I/DD and clinical expertise with technology. We know I/DD services are growing fast and organizations are facing workforce challenges.

But by using advanced automation technology, we were able to demonstrate proven strategies that transform outcomes. Read on to learn what Jen Gray, Director of Solutions Consulting, Chris Yakscoe, Director of AI, and I had to share.

BellsAI Documentation Assistant

Documentation overload is real. The good news is BellsAI documentation assistant cuts note-taking time by 50% and saves DSPs an average of an hour per day. This increases job satisfaction and decreases turnover. According to Chris, it also reduces errors that might cause financial challenges, resulting in 16% fewer rejected claims and overall lessened audit risk.

Bells is able to “coach” DSPs through note-taking in real time. “Bells can make different suggestions, corrections, fill in blanks – anything people might forget to enter,” Chris said. In addition, he noted, the workflows are available on phones and tablets, with or without internet connectivity.

For supervisors and QA teams, Bells has dashboards to detect some copy-and-pasted notes, as well as libraries with preferred language vs. language to avoid. For example, acronyms like PCP that can stand for person-centered plan or primary care provider. If something like a missing diagnosis is flagged, the note can be corrected before it gets erroneously submitted and a related claim gets denied.

 Partnership with RethinkFirst

Jen Gray began her career in I/DD and is well acquainted with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and behavior tracking.

“I remember that burdensome paperwork that we would have to complete,” Jen said. “The partnership between Netsmart and Rethink brings those workflows to the EHR. I wish we’d had this when I was providing services.”

The behavior tracking and ABA solution contains hundreds of lessons, plans, goals, and embedded video trainings – all customizable, so you can meet every individual’s unique goals.

Other features include:

• Mobile-friendly to capture signatures at the point of contact
• Parent and caregiver resource library
• Real-time graphing
• 40-hour RBT training
• Integration with VB-MAPP and other assessments
• Medical necessity assessment

“Another benefit is the ability to collect data, including discrete trial, task analysis and more,” Jen said. That data is aggregated, summarized and graphed using automation, so your staff can see significant trends and easily create reports.

Finally, the patent pending medical necessity assessment, created by clinicians for clinicians, is a clinical decision support tool. The assessment aims to improve the accuracy and adherence of service recommendations based on medical necessity. This research is backed by Rethink’s scientific advisory board.

 Automated Mobile Dispatch

Imagine knowing where all your providers are in the field and being able to dispatch the closest one. Mobile dispatch technology has existed for years, giving basic directions from Point A to Point B. But advanced automation allows you to manage inbound calls by assigning them to the correct provider or DSP in the field, with GPS to show them the fastest route.

When a crisis call comes in, the tool automatically generates a list of the right providers, including their expertise, licensure and availability. Then, the system will dispatch the closest qualified provider. This will also:

• Simplify route planning
• Reduce travel time
• Reduce wait time for individuals
• Track metrics like response time

So why does this matter? Because automated mobile dispatch leads to better outcomes. For example, reduced hospital visits. It matters for the safety of providers out in the field. It decreases travel time and improves access to critical info at the point of care, reducing wait time for consumers, and boosting both consumer and staff satisfaction and retention.

 Collection Automation

Your back-office staff may be feeling burned out, too. Collection automation can help improve their morale by boosting collection rates and reducing accounts receivable (AR) labor, eliminating repetitive tasks that drain the team’s time.

Collection automation uses robotic process automation, or RPA, paired with over thirty years of healthcare collections information. It ensures that the right claim will be in front of the right collector at the right time. Collection automation automatically distributes and prioritizes work lists, so that nothing falls through the cracks. It also:

• Accelerates cash collections
•  Reduces denial write-off rates
• Improves the overall efficiency of your revenue cycle team
• Is highly scalable, saving time and money

The results speak for themselves. Organizations report a 30% reduction in billing time, three minutes saved per claim, and a 3-5% increase in collection rates. All great news for your bottom line.

AI won’t replace humans – but humans with AI will replace humans without AI.  By eliminating burdensome tasks, repetition and redundancies, your clinical and operational staff will not only gain efficiencies, but job satisfaction. It’s as simple as allowing them to do what they do best – which above all, will make a difference in the lives of those in the I/DD community.

Tricia Zerger is the Senior Director of Human Services at Netsmart.