CON103: Optimizing Referrals Through Cultural and Operational Preparedness

Eligible for: ACMPE: 1|ACHE: 1|CEU: 1|CME(AAPC*): 1|CPE: 1.2|PDC: 1|PDU: 1
*MGMA is now offering our full conference for AAPC credit via our partnership with ACCME. Please see the event Continuing Education page for more information.
Traditional |Intermediate | Application

*Session will be included in the MGMA Summit.

As a newly formed system that resulted from a merger, Prisma Health had not yet integrated operations or technology across markets or specialties, leading to inefficiencies and a subpar consumer experience. In 2020, leadership planned a system-wide access center that would serve as a front door for its consumers. A major component of this access center plan was a referral management and new patient scheduling team to provide a fast, easy, and consistent experience. In the first year of launch, the referral team scheduled more than 150,000 new patients. Additionally, the redesigned processes and technology decreased referral turnaround times from several weeks/months to within five days for almost all orders. This session will review how a multi-disciplinary team collaborated to standardize processes and leverage technology to realize this vision by: Forming guiding principles for schedule redesign; hosting sprint groups to optimize scheduling and referral processes; redesigning EHR tools to encourage self-service and standardization; and collaborating with physician leadership to communicate changes. The speakers will provide recommendations on how referrals can be streamlined for patients, referring providers, and treating providers at your system. They will also prepare sample scorecards, implementation checklists, and change management strategies for implementing a referral center.