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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).

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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

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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, […]

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

How to Maximize Reimbursements for Rural Health Clinics

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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

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

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

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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

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RCM Services Uncovered

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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,

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Denials Management Post COVID

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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

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10 Reasons RCM for Fertility Clinics Is So Challenging

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Key Takeaways for Overcoming RCM Challenges in Fertility Clinics Proper revenue cycle management (RCM) is critical to ensure consistent cash flow and financial stability for an organization. It can be difficult to manage across the healthcare industry, but it is particularly complicated for clinics that offer fertility services. Let’s look at ten reasons why RCM

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