If you are an Oklahoma resident between the age of 19 to 64 with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty level, you may be eligible. The annual gross income cap is $17,796 for a single person or $36,588 for a family of four. 

There are an estimated 200,000 additional Oklahomans that can get coverage with the expansion, including many adult males who were previously often ineligible under the old rules. Not only will patients have improved health outcomes under this program, but provider groups, hospitals, physicians, and more will benefit as well. 

July 1st through September 30th, new enrollees may get SoonerCare benefits that are coordinated by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. On October 1st, 2021, OHCA plans to provide four private companies to coordinate care on behalf of the State. This will be a managed care program called SoonerSelect. 

Benefits of Medicaid Expansion

Having Medicaid expansion results in multiple economic benefits. It is proven that individuals who have medical insurance are more likely to get access to different preventative care options. This is crucial because a lot of individuals will leave their illnesses untreated if they cannot afford the cost of treatment. Insured individuals are less likely to go to the emergency room for an illness that is not an emergency, which saves money for both hospitals and patients. In addition, Medicaid expansion increases healthcare access for adults without children, parents, and low-income adults who are able to work. 

Now What?

The Midland Group is a trusted patient advocacy firm. We have worked with different facilities across the country and have seen firsthand the incredible benefits that accompany Medicaid expansion: for the patients, hospitals, and states. Our goal has always been to increase people’s access to healthcare and protect the financial health of our partner hospitals. With over 30 years of experience, our team stands by ready to assist our partner hospitals to qualify their patients for various public benefit programs. Our trained patient advocates are familiar with all the tools and ever-changing rules and regulations revolving around all forms of health-related public benefits. Contact us today for more information regarding how we can help you. 

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A Positive Financial Decision

Medicaid expansion has been available since 2014, but some states have been slow to adopt it, citing the worry of additional expenses. However, in reality, the federal government covers 90% of the costs, leaving only 10% of implementation costs to the states. In the long-run, studies show that many states that adopt the expansion end up saving money.

Researchers from Washington University in Saint Louis estimate that the new ruling in Missouri will save the state roughly $39 million a year by reducing the need for other state health spending. This lines up with the savings that other states have seen. For example, implementing Medicaid expansion saved New Jersey $353 million in 2016, reflecting lower payments to hospitals for uncompensated care.

In addition to the direct financial gains, expanding Medicaid results in many indirect economic benefits. When people have medical insurance, they are more likely to get access to preventative care instead of leaving illnesses untreated. Regular check-ups mean finding and treating illnesses before they get worse. Insured people are less likely to go to the emergency room for non-emergent healthcare needs. They are also more likely to pursue employment opportunities because they are not afraid that getting a job will mean losing their insurance. 

Helping Individuals and Families

Medicaid expansion is not only beneficial financially, it also helps vulnerable populations get the care they need. Missouri’s Medicaid program did not cover most adults without children, and its income eligibility threshold for parents is one of the lowest in the nation at about one-fifth of the poverty level. Expanding Medicaid will increase healthcare access for childless adults, parents, and low-income adults who are able to work. 

Missouri’s decision to expand Medicaid came at a critical time when COVID-19 is affecting so many people, especially those without insurance. Missouri has been especially affected by the pandemic, reporting almost 1,000 new cases per day. Dina van der Zalm of the Missouri Rural Crisis Center said she believes the voters saw, “especially in the midst of a global pandemic, the important role that the expansion will play.” Missouri’s decision, paired with nationwide Medicaid and Medicare updates, will increase access to healthcare during this crisis.

Keeping Track

Legislation is constantly changing, so staying up to date with Medicaid and Medicare changes can be overwhelming at times. However, both patients and hospitals need to pay attention to the updates. For patients, they could mean increased access to healthcare for themselves and their families. For hospitals, knowing your state’s policies will help you be more helpful and efficient with patients and help you maximize your public benefits reimbursement. Our team at The Midland Group diligently follows the latest updates to make sure that we help you tap into any available resources and follow new regulations. To view more resources we’ve compiled over the years, click here. To learn more about our services, contact us today.

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Before the coronavirus pandemic, approximately 27.5 million Americans did not have health insurance. Since then, this number has increased dramatically. As businesses all over the country laid off close to 30 million U.S.workers, many more workers and their families have lost health coverage benefits. 

As a whole, COVID-19 has highlighted a significant gray area around healthcare billing, coding, resource allocation, and patient financial responsibility regarding coronavirus-related care. As such, it can be easy for people to get caught up in the whirlwind of ongoing updates and information regarding the specifics on coronavirus-related resources. 

To help you stay informed, our team has compiled a quick summary of the most important resources relating to the coronavirus and what that may mean for you and your family.

Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)

In March 2020, Congress passed 2 stimulus bills aimed at assisting people without health coverage.

The first is the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The FFCRA gave states the choice to use Medicaid to cover COVID-19 testing for those who are uninsured. While this testing covers both lab work and office visit, however, this bill does not help with actual treatment of COVID-19, should patients test positive.

While the Trump administration declined to reopen access to the Obamacare exchange, this concern did lead to the passing of another bill, the CARES Act.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act

Complementary to the first bill, the CARES Act was designed to reimburse hospitals for coronavirus testing as well as necessary treatments for people who test positive. Reimbursements to healthcare providers are allocated from the bill’s $100 billion budget to be paid out at Medicare rates.

To qualify for reimbursement through this program, providers must have conducted testing and treatment on or after Feb. 4. In addition, providers must also complete the following steps: 

• Check the patient for coverage eligibility.
• Verify that the patient is truly uninsured and does not have any form of health care coverage, including any individual, Medicare, employer-sponsored, or Medicaid coverage.
• Confirm that no other payer source will reimburse the costs of testing and/or treatment conducted for the patient, whether partial or in full.

To learn more, visit COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement. In addition, providers can also begin the process to file reimbursement claims directly through the Claims Reimbursement Portal.

1135 Waivers for COVID-19

In certain circumstances, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “using section 1135 of the Social Security Act (SSA) can temporarily modify or waive certain Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, or HIPAA requirements, called 1135 waivers”. To help healthcare providers contain the spread of COVID-19 and address the financial issues presented, HHS has empowered the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to take proactive steps through 1135 waivers. In addition, the CMS has also been granted authority under section 1812(f) of the Social Security Act, which allows for blanket waivers to be implemented. When a blanket waiver is issued, providers are not required to apply for individual 1135 waivers. The blanket waiver related to coronavirus has a retroactive effective date of March 1, 2020 through the end of the emergency declaration. 

Examples of available waivers under section 1135 emergency authority include:

• Extend existing service authorizations until the end of the public health emergency
• Temporarily defer requirements for prior authorization
• Adjust specific timeline requirements for both state fair hearings and appeals
• Loosen deadlines for public notice and submissions in regards to specific Medicaid state plan amendments focused on COVID-19. This allows states to implement faster changes and thus ensure that they can be retroactive to the beginning of the emergency.
• Temporarily suspend prior authorization requirements;
• Extend existing authorizations for services through the end of the public health emergency;
• Modify certain timeline requirements for state fair hearings and appeals;
• Relax provider enrollment requirements to allow states to more quickly enroll out-of-state or other new providers to expand access to care, and
• Relax public notice and submission deadlines for certain COVID-19 focused Medicaid state plan amendments, enabling states to make changes faster and ensure they can be retroactive to the beginning of the emergency.

To learn more, visit COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care. For state-by-state 1135 waiver updates, visit Medicaid.gov’s Federal Disaster Resources. 

About the Midland Group

The Midland Group, in partnership with participating hospitals, is one of the very few companies that is able to deliver the highest returns from Medicaid and other public benefits. Since 1989, our goal has always been to increase people’s access to healthcare and protect the financial health of our partner hospitals. Even in times of unprecedented emergencies, The Midland Group stands by ready to assist patients in our partner hospitals to qualify for various public benefits programs. Our trained patient advocates are familiar with all the tools and ever-changing rules and regulations revolving around all forms of health-related public benefits. Book your free assessment today to see how you can maximize all potential revenue surrounding all types of liability claims.​

The post Maximizing COVID-19 Resources: CARES Act, 1135 Waivers, and More appeared first on The Midland Group.

While most States have chosen to adopt some form of Medicaid expansion, fourteen states have yet to expand Medicaid to individuals and households meeting the new requirements. The main reason? Financial concerns regarding the effectiveness of expansion to improve coverage, access, and economic measures. States which have not adopted Medicaid expansion include Wyoming, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. 

Unfortunately, the issue that arises in non-expanded states is the problem of having more people in the coverage gap, which results in a slew of other issues. For example, “hospitals in states that enacted the expansion got a wave of newly insured patients, while those in states that rejected it were left with large numbers of uninsured individuals.” In effect, non-expanded states have “suffered a significant increase in hospital closures.” In contrast, states that have decided to take part in Medicaid expansion continue to see improvements in coverage, access, and economic measures. Thus, while expansion is certainly optional, Medicaid expansion carries immense benefits not only for patients and hospitals, but also for states.

What does Medicaid Expansion Entail?

Medicaid expansion aims to reduce the coverage gap by raising the income ceiling for Medicaid up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. As such, Medicaid expansion covers all families and individuals that fall under this income level. According to the Center for American Progress, this includes “groups who are currently left out of public health coverage such as low-income, able-bodied parents, low-income adults without children, and many low-income individuals with chronic mental illness or disabilities, who struggle to maintain well-paid jobs but don’t currently meet disability standards for Medicaid.” 

At its core, Medicaid expansion seeks to increase healthcare coverage and extend access to healthcare to the poorest and most disadvantaged Americans while also providing economic security for the middle class. Yet, some states worry that the cost of implementing Medicaid expansion will wreak havoc on their state budgets and thus outweigh its perceived benefits. However, Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) reports that significant research has “indicate[d] that the expansion is linked to gains in coverage; improvements in access, financial security, and some measures of health status/outcomes; and economic benefits for states and providers.” 

How does Medicaid Expansion Benefit Patients?

While Medicaid expansion has not completely closed the coverage gap, expanded states have certainly seen a huge difference. In the fourteen states that did not expand coverage, Medicaid is often limited to 40% of the Federal Poverty Level and only to those with children, with childless adults left out altogether. Yet, most people earning more than the Medicaid threshold but still below the federal poverty level cannot afford insurance, even when subsidized. This means that more than two million people who fall under the coverage gap are left uncovered and unprotected.

If all states were to expand Medicaid, all of these people would be eligible. Furthermore, Medicaid may also offer better coverage than certain plans available in the marketplace. This is especially true for long-term support and behavioral health. Thus, Medicaid expansion benefits patients in providing better access to healthcare.

The purpose of the expansion was to reduce the number of uninsured adults, and it clearly does so. In fact, states that do not adopt the expansion saw a significant increase in the number of uninsured adults between 2017 and 2018. This leads us to our next point: Medicaid expansion can do so much more for low-income individuals and households than merely provide access to healthcare. 

According to Sarah Baron, “Medicaid expansion is much more than access to health insurance. Every dollar a mother doesn’t need to spend on out-of-pocket costs when her child comes down with the flu can go toward food, housing, and other necessities. Medicaid coverage translates into financial flexibility for families and individuals, allowing limited dollars to be spent on basic needs, including breakfast for the majority of the month or a new pair of shoes for a job interview. Medicaid expansion means more than health care coverage; it is an expanded opportunity for success and a pathway to the middle class.”

How does Medicaid Expansion Benefit Hospitals?

As expected, Medicaid expansion greatly benefits hospitals all over the country. If a patient comes in uninsured and unable to pay, chances are the hospital may never be able to collect on the bill. No matter how efficient the hospital’s billing processes may be, a hospital will very rarely receive reimbursement from people who don’t have money to pay in the first place. While payment plans may help, enrolling people in those plans still lengthens the reimbursement process. As a result, hospitals may increase their medical charges so that people who can pay more might cover the gap of lost revenue. All of this takes time, effort, and resources, none of which guarantees a win-win solution to offset bad debt effectively.

In addition, rural hospitals in non-expanded states, specifically those in the Midwest and Texas, have also seen a higher rate of closure than rural hospitals in expanded states. Not only that, the loss of rural hospitals is directly associated with a higher rate of mortality and reduced patient satisfaction. Why? Loss of rural hospitals mean that patients in smaller towns have longer distances to the nearest medical facility. In effect, they are more likely to delay care or avoid medical attention, which may lead to worsened symptoms. All in all, this affects not just the hospitals, but the health of small towns in general.

On the other hand, low-income patients who do have Medicaid allow hospitals to be reimbursed, albeit at lower levels than from private insurers. Still, some reimbursement is always better than no reimbursement. Hospitals in expanded states often have healthier revenue cycle processes and are more likely to overcome the threats of closure. This is why in most cases, hospitals are eager to have every eligible patient enrolled on Medicaid. That being said, while patient advocates increase the chances of eligible patients receiving Medicaid, only states have the power to widen eligibility so that more people qualify.

To Expand or Not to Expand Medicaid

The main argument that governors and state legislatures have used to opt-out of Medicaid expansion is typically financial: they claim the state can’t afford such high financial risk. At first glance, this concern makes sense because Medicaid often takes up the largest share of most state budgets. What’s more, states can’t borrow money the way the Federal government can. This results in governors and state legislatures being concerned that adopting Medicaid expansion means they have to redistribute the budget and take away from other currently-funded programs.

As a result, the common stance between non-expanded states is that Medicaid expansion does not benefit states. According to numerous studies and research, however, this is not the case. 

How does Medicaid Expansion Benefit States?

To address the main financial concern of non-expanded states, let’s first talk about the financial benefits that come with adopting Medicaid expansion.

The Federal share of Medicaid expansion costs is currently set at 90%, much higher than what it was under pre-ACA criteria. According to the Commonwealth Fund, “This leaves states on the hook for at most 10 percent of the total cost of enrollees in the new eligibility category — considerably less than the roughly 25 percent to 50 percent of the cost that states pay for enrollees eligible for Medicaid [before ACA].”

In addition, states that cover hospitals’ uncompensated care costs may also benefit financially. Arkansas, one such state that also took up Medicaid expansion in 2014, estimates that it will produce “net state savings each year through fiscal year 2021, and $444 million total from 2018-2021” through Medicaid expansion. The reason? Expanded states often “pay less to hospitals to cover uncompensated care costs” because hospitals typically see higher reimbursement rates after Medicaid expansion. What’s more, some states have also seen that taxes on managed care organizations serving Medicaid beneficiaries can significantly offset the cost of expansion. 

Other states have also found that they saved money from lower costs for mental health care programs designed to fill the gap in various marketplace plans. In fact, Virginia anticipates that Medicaid expansion will save $421 million over two years as it claims “the enhanced matching rate for some populations it previously covered at its regular Medicaid match (50 percent) and generates savings in its corrections system and elsewhere.”

Other Ways Medicaid Expansion Benefits States

In addition to the significant financial savings of Medicaid expansion, there are less obvious benefits to adopt expansion. This includes:

1. Low-income individuals getting access to more preventive care. Not only is this a huge benefit for patients, this also eliminates further costs to hospitals and states, as would be the case if preventable illnesses were left untreated.
2. A reduction in people using the ER as their primary care physician.
3. An increased incentive for low-income individuals and households to work. With the lower income requirement of non-expanded states, people might decide to postpone work because they worry they will lose their Medicaid coverage if their incomes were to increase into the coverage gap range. 
4. Reduction in mortality. A study found that expanded states see a 6.1% decrease in mortality rates compared to similar non-expanded states.
5. Improved health and economy. According to several studies, people who have access to Medicaid or other health coverage have better health and lower rates of depression. In effect, healthier individuals result in a significant reduction in workplace absenteeism, which in turn contributes to the good of the overall economy.

About Midland

The Midland Group is a trusted patient advocacy firm. Having worked with different facilities across the country, we have seen firsthand the incredible benefits that accompany Medicaid expansion: for the patients, hospitals, and states. Since 1989, our goal has always been to increase people’s access to healthcare and protect the financial health of our partner hospitals. With over 30 years of experience, our team stands by ready to assist patients in our partner hospitals to qualify for various public benefits programs. Our trained patient advocates are familiar with all the tools and ever-changing rules and regulations revolving around all forms of health-related public benefits. Contact us today for more information regarding our suite of services.

The post Medicaid Expansion – It’s Good for Patients, Hospitals, and States appeared first on The Midland Group.

About Medicaid Secondary

Over the last few years, hospitals have increasingly turned to secondary eligibility vendors for assistance in optimizing their revenue cycle process, specifically in the areas of public benefits. As Medicaid is the major source of public benefits for healthcare coverage, secondary eligibility vendors sometimes go by another name: Medicaid secondary vendors. Regardless of what your facility calls it, however, the essential function stays the same: to provide a “safety net” ensuring that facilities are capturing all possible reimbursement. 

Benefits of Secondary Eligibility Vendor

In our experience, facilities that utilize a secondary eligibility vendor significantly increases the chance of recovering revenue that your primary eligibility staff may have overlooked. In fact, a secondary eligibility vendor often encourages your primary vendor or billing staff to perform more effectively by setting a competitive standard of performance. In addition, secondary cases are typically more challenging and time-sensitive to work with. This means that regardless of how your current vendor is performing, having the extra resources to work these more difficult secondary cases allows your primary staff to focus on qualifying new leads while ensuring that every possible eligibility is sought after. 

How Does It Line Up with My Existing Process?

To address some misconceptions, an experienced secondary eligibility vendor will not make your process more complicated by interrupting your existing process. Instead, a good Medicaid secondary vendor works hand-in-hand with your facility’s primary vendor to ensure a smooth hand-off process, thus increasing overall number of patients being qualified for Medicaid. What this does for your facility is it allows you to reap all the possible reimbursement that is available in a way that is constructive and non-invasive.

Now What?

Understanding the purpose of successful secondary vendors is key to reaping the benefits attached to hiring one. If your facility is experiencing subpar eligibility processes, a Medicaid secondary vendor can enhance your approval outcomes. If your primary vendor is performing well but your hospital’s self-pay population is significantly high, having a secondary eligibility vendor helps maximize your reimbursement rate. Either way, an experienced Medicaid secondary vendor brings a lot to the table and can provide solutions to the problems your facility may be dealing with. With over 25 years of experience, The Midland Group delivers the highest returns from medicaid and other public benefits. Contact us today and see how our services can benefit your facility.

The post What’s the Deal with Secondary Eligibility Vendors? appeared first on The Midland Group.

Unfortunately, when hospitals overlook the importance of measuring performance in this area, they often implement goals and standards that do not ensure effective tracking of all possible eligibility. The result? Eligible patients slip through the cracks, resulting in high self-pay balances that end up as aged accounts receivable.

In our experience, identifying appropriate Key Performance Indicators (KPI) in the area of Medicaid Eligibility can “quantify performance, identify areas of weakness, and ensure revenue cycles operate at peak efficiency.” Ultimately, tracking the right KPIs may save your hospital’s bottom line. 

What KPIs Should I Track?

1. Self-pay balances: Consistent reports of rising self-pay balances may serve as a warning sign that your staff or vendor are not properly screening and assisting patients for Medicaid eligibility. Furthermore, the number of aged accounts can indicate the effectiveness of your enrollment efforts, with a lower number being more effective.
2. Screening rates: Check your placement analysis reports to determine the patterns in screening rates. A declining screening rate signals reduction in applications submitted, which may indicate that patients who should be applying for Medicaid are not.
3. Number of declined and approved applications: While the exact numbers and ratio of declined to approved applications vary month-to-month, monitoring this metric may offer valuable insights into how your eligibility screening process is conducted. Consistently high numbers of denied applications may mean your staff or vendor are not effectively utilizing available resources. 

To ensure maximum effectiveness, KPIs need to be tracked often, at least on a monthly or quarterly basis. 

What Data Do I Need?

A good rule of thumb in gathering relevant data is to keep track of activity history reports and placement analysis. Having these reports on hand can help you evaluate how well your staff or vendor handles the self-pay patient volume at any given month. At the very least, your staff or vendor should provide reports that cover the following information:

• Number of referrals received
• Number of self-pay patients seen
• Number of patients screened for Medicaid eligibility
• Number of applications completed
• Number of applications approved and denied
• Description of service type

Things to be Careful Of

When analyzing the data you’ve collected, make sure you are using comparable statistics. For example, when considering the total number of uninsured patients served by your facility, local income levels and demographics are important to keep in mind. What is “normal” in some areas may not be the norm for you. Some hospitals are simply going to have more eligible patients than others. Some areas and neighborhoods may also have a higher number of people who are just over the income limits for Medicaid and yet unable to afford insurance, resulting in a higher number of self-pay patients. In addition, pay attention to how a self-pay account is categorized. The percentage of elective versus emergency procedures contribute to a different patient mix that varies from one hospital to the next.

How Can I Use these KPIs?

When taken in context, these Key Performance Indicators may identify deeper issues in your Medicaid Eligibility process. In fact, these KPIs can offer valuable insights that help you not only identify, but remediate the problem. 

For example, if you are seeing lots of “paperwork” denials, it’s a good chance you have a training or staffing issue that prevents your hospital from filling out and submitting applications correctly. 

When you notice a change in one or more KPIs, ask your team: “Has there been a change in your patient demographic in the last few months? Is this an issue with onboarding new staff who might be less experienced? Has there been a change in Medicaid submission rules? Is it an issue with the forms?”

Once you’ve identified the problem, it’s time to come up with a game plan to fix it. Explore and evaluate your options carefully, and move forward with the option that can bring you the highest returns. It may be that you need to invest in staff training, make changes to the workflow, or outsource to a trusted Medicaid eligibility vendor. While you can certainly track these KPIs in-house, keep in mind that doing so can result in a busy dashboard and often requires some expertise to handle correctly. If you know that your staff can benefit from the added expertise and assistance, consider partnering with an experienced vendor to help you spot issues before they become a problem and ensure a smooth application process for all your self-pay patients.

Now What?

Most hospitals find that Medicaid eligible typically comprises 16 percent of their patient population. Yet, 8 out of 10 uninsured patients need help filling out Medicaid application forms, and many don’t know where to start. Given those percentages, it is a good idea for hospitals to look into their current Medicaid eligibility processes and ensure that all eligible patients apply for Medicaid correctly and expediently. Contact The Midland Group today and learn how our 30+ years of industry experience can improve your hospital’s bottom line by helping your patients qualify for the benefits they deserve.

The post How Can I Measure Medicaid Eligibility Performance? appeared first on The Midland Group.

Upon federal approval, Iowa is slated to reduce the benefits of Medicaid beneficiaries. Approximately, 40,000 Iowans will feel the effects of this decision. The changes reduce the coverage of recipients right before they can shift to Medicaid.

Recipients Face the Possibility of Reduced Care

The Iowa Hospital Association has vehemently objected to the cuts. It is believed that the changes will place a heavy financial burden on the state’s hospitals. It is feared that Medicaid recipients, especially those located in rural communities, will face great difficulties and reduced care.

Previously, there was a retroactive-eligibility provision written into the Iowa Medicaid provision that ensured payment for health care services during the three months before a person became eligible for Medicare. This helped guarantee that healthcare providers would continue to accept patients who had not yet applied for Medicare. The retroactive healthcare payments were highly beneficial for people who experienced a health crisis and required immediate care.

Eliminating the Window Could Endanger Millions

Unfortunately, in a bid to save money, the Iowa Department of Human Services asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to eliminate the three-month window in an effort to save 36.7 million dollars. Under the new plan, care would only be paid that was delivered on the first day of the month that the recipient becomes eligible for Medicare.

National Implications 

As the possible savings becomes more well known, other states will proceed to follow on the heels of Iowa. Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Arkansas have already proceeded with a similar plan. Ultimately,  millions of individuals could suffer from mounting out of pocket healthcare costs that they cannot afford. Hospitals will be faced with setting up payment plans and exploring other ways to cover the debts carried by self-pay patients.

Self-Pay Accounts

Hospitals facing a higher ratio of self-pay patients might want to turn to the Midland Group to collect the optimum revenue. Here are a few services that the vendor can offer to help with self-pay accounts.

• Public Benefits: First the vendor will find out if the patient is eligible for any public benefits assistance from programs such as Medicare or Social Security Disability.
• Early Out: If patients are not eligible for any assistance programs the vendor will immediately implement any available pay discounts and offer them a short-term early-out option.
• Pay Options: Patients who require more time to pay their accounts will be offered monthly payments. The vendor will handle all payment plans, monthly billing, and remittance.
• 501(r) and Charity Management: If a patient is truly unable to satisfy their balance then the vendor will implement and document all pay efforts for all new 501(r) regulations and other charity care guideline.

Public Benefits Eligibility

The Midland Group specializes in Medicare, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and other federal assistance programs. Hospital staff typically finds the process of obtaining approval from such programs difficult and time-consuming. However, the knowledgeable staff at the Midland Group is experienced in navigating all avenues of the various programs to limit the number of days required to gather payment.

Please contact the Midland Group today to see what how they can help your hospital optimize revenue during the difficult federal changes.

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