The 2026 Definitive Guide to Rural Healthcare is here →

Author name: Doug Swords

Doug is a co-founder of Azalea Health and serves as vice president of revenue cycle management (RCM). Azalea is a cloud-based Health IT and RCM service company based in Atlanta, GA. Swords has been in healthcare finance and RCM since 2003, specializing in management and scaling of RCM operations for medical providers and facilities of all sizes. He believes in analyzing data and performance measures to drive revenue growth for both Azalea and its clients. Doug holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration in finance from Valdosta State University and is a Certified Healthcare Business Management Executive (CHBME) through the Healthcare Business Management Association (HBMA).

Avatar photo
couple talking to fertility provider who chose to outsource fertility clinic billing

10 Reasons to Outsource Fertility Clinic Billing

Blog / By

Key Takeaways on Why to Outsource Fertility Clinic Billing Fertility practices face unique challenges. Billing challenges included. Bundled services, complex payer rules, and detailed coding make fertility billing demanding. Not every clinic wants to handle billing these challenges. That’s why many clinics outsource fertility billing to specialized revenue cycle management billing partners.  By outsourcing, clinics […]

10 Reasons to Outsource Fertility Clinic Billing Read More »

Provider talking to colleague about the importance of accurate cost reporting in healthcare

Accurate Cost Reporting in Healthcare and Why It Matters

Blog / By

Key Takeaways for Cost Reporting in Healthcare Medicare and other cost reporting in healthcare is critical for determining reimbursements and protecting the financial stability of rural health clinics (RHCs) and rural hospitals.  Success depends on three essentials. Together, these elements give rural healthcare organizations like yours the foundation to stay financially strong and compliant, even

Accurate Cost Reporting in Healthcare and Why It Matters Read More »

UB-04 Software RCM Integration and EHR Billing for RHCs represented by nurse at computer

Best EHR Billing Features for RHCs, Including UB-04 Software RCM Integration

Blog / By

Key Takeaways for RHC EHR Billing with UB-04 Software RCM Integration When selecting an electronic health record (EHR) billing solution for your rural health clinic, you want features that streamline billing, ensure compliance, and maximize revenue. There’s functionality you want to make sure your EHR offers. Like UB-04 software RCM integration, claim splitting, CPT bundling,

Best EHR Billing Features for RHCs, Including UB-04 Software RCM Integration Read More »

maximize reimbursements for rural health clinics​ represented by doctor talking to patient

How to Maximize Reimbursements for Rural Health Clinics

Blog / By

Key Takeaways to Maximize RHC Reimbursements In 2023, hospitals absorbed $130 billion in Medicare and Medicaid underpayments — a roughly 14% annual increase over 2019.1 And underpayments are one reason providers can benefit from knowing how to maximize reimbursements for rural health clinics (RHCs). Why? Because a higher portion of RHC payments come from public sources compared

How to Maximize Reimbursements for Rural Health Clinics Read More »

Top 5 Revenue Leaks in RCM (and How to Fix Them)

5 Revenue Leaks in Your Medical Billing RCM and How to Fix Them

Blog / By

Key Takeaways to Prevent Revenue Leaks in RCM In the healthcare landscape — especially for rural and independent ambulatory clinics — every dollar matters. And your financial performance depends on those dollars. But many practices unknowingly lose thousands of dollars due to preventable gaps in their medical billing RCM (revenue cycle management) process. If your

5 Revenue Leaks in Your Medical Billing RCM and How to Fix Them Read More »

RCM Services Uncovered

Blog / By

Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) is a critical process stretching from a patient’s initial appointment to the final acceptance of payment by payors. However, the challenges facing in-house RCM are becoming increasingly pronounced, driving a significant shift towards outsourcing. From grappling with heightened regulations, navigating financial pressures and inflation, to addressing cybersecurity threats, staffing shortages, rising denials,

RCM Services Uncovered Read More »

Happy receptionist working at a hospital wearing a facemask during the COVID-19 pandemic - healthcare and medicine concepts

Denials Management Post COVID

Blog / By

Key Takeaways for Denials Management After COVID-19 Introduction to Denials Management The COVID19 pandemic brought forth a myriad of challenges for the healthcare industry. Telehealth exploded along with a litany of new reimbursement guidelines, procedures, codes, modifiers, claim and documentation requirements. Revenue Cycle professionals, while used to an ever changing industry were thrown into a

Denials Management Post COVID Read More »