I am not sure IF the local media outlets were aware of this or not? But, I don’t recall reading about it, maybe I missed it? Also, I was not able find anything in Valley Health's website as of today, October 2, 2009.
As a another concerned citizen within the community was very adamant that I understood that we’ll never see money exchange hands with donations from Valley Health, it’ll always be an in-kind donation … AND they cannot give the nurses a much needed pay-raise and pay their blue-collar (house-keeping) workers more respective wages? Those individuals are the glue that holds the entire VH organization together along with the physician staff and for the VH officials not to make their wages more competitive is just a shame.
As a former employee shared with me, Valley Health will redo a perfectly fine floor just to add a little pretty design in it. How about them resealing the entire parking lot? I asked a nurse, what was wrong with parking lot? She quickly replied, "I don’t know as it looked fine to me, but I can tell you one thing, we like to see some of the money that they spend around here go into our paychecks." Why does Valley Health spend money on projects that do not seem justifiable to their employees? Well the perception is that they make so money, they must spend it. All one needs to do is review Valley Health's profits over recent years and you will be able to determine if that perception is true.
One could easily foresee this new revenue management system being two-fold, maybe it will stop Valley Health from taking individuals to court to garnish their wages and in some cases, forcing individuals into bankruptcy and to aid Valley Health getting more money up front.
Below is a copy of the official press release that appears on the McKesson website.
As a another concerned citizen within the community was very adamant that I understood that we’ll never see money exchange hands with donations from Valley Health, it’ll always be an in-kind donation … AND they cannot give the nurses a much needed pay-raise and pay their blue-collar (house-keeping) workers more respective wages? Those individuals are the glue that holds the entire VH organization together along with the physician staff and for the VH officials not to make their wages more competitive is just a shame.
As a former employee shared with me, Valley Health will redo a perfectly fine floor just to add a little pretty design in it. How about them resealing the entire parking lot? I asked a nurse, what was wrong with parking lot? She quickly replied, "I don’t know as it looked fine to me, but I can tell you one thing, we like to see some of the money that they spend around here go into our paychecks." Why does Valley Health spend money on projects that do not seem justifiable to their employees? Well the perception is that they make so money, they must spend it. All one needs to do is review Valley Health's profits over recent years and you will be able to determine if that perception is true.
One could easily foresee this new revenue management system being two-fold, maybe it will stop Valley Health from taking individuals to court to garnish their wages and in some cases, forcing individuals into bankruptcy and to aid Valley Health getting more money up front.
Below is a copy of the official press release that appears on the McKesson website.
Valley Health Selects McKesson Solution to Meet Changing Revenue Management Needs
June 12, 2009
New system to enhance front-end of patient care experience
Valley Health System, based in Winchester, Va., has chosen McKesson’s Horizon Enterprise Revenue Management™ solution to help transform the front end of its revenue management cycle. The five-hospital health system plans to use the solution to streamline patient access, connect to key business partners and determine financial responsibility in advance of care delivery.
“About two years ago, we launched a clinical information technology transformation at Valley Health in an effort to address patient safety and improve care for patients,” said Joan Roscoe, vice president and chief information officer at Valley Health. “We realized, however, that patients were starting to have increased expectations on the financial side as well. They want to make more informed decisions about where they are going for health care services, and they want timely information about their financial obligations.”
Valley Health leaders recognized the need for a new enterprise revenue management model to adapt to changing realities, including the rise of consumer-directed healthcare. For example, Valley Health needed access management functions that would enable staff members to work with patients earlier in the cycle.
“With the new system, we will concentrate on process improvement on the front end of the patient experience with the registration, eligibility and scheduling,” Roscoe said. “Our goal is to have staff members collect co-pays, ask questions and talk with patients about their financial responsibilities up front. In doing so, we can better serve our patients and achieve cleaner claims and more accurate billing.”
With the implementation of Horizon Enterprise Revenue Management, Valley Health will move away from a financial system supported by a number of bolt-on technologies that require a large number of staff members to touch each claim. “We have a traditional patient accounting system, but because there are so many changes every year, we kept adding bolt-ons to the point that it has become disjointed and challenging to manage,” said Neal McKnight, corporate director of patient accounting. “With the new system, we have one centralized solution that is designed to work together with our clinical systems – making it possible to experience great efficiencies throughout the organization.”
With system deployment set to begin in 2010, Valley Health expects to realize a number of operational benefits once the solution is fully rolled out. Based on McKnight’s estimates, the number of patients scheduled through a centralized scheduling system should increase by 30 percent, creating greater staff efficiencies and better resource management. Finally, he expects to increase the number of clean claims by 20 percent while cutting paper use in half.
“With continued financial pressure and impending healthcare reform, the ability to adapt to changing needs is more critical than ever,” said Loren Buysman, senior vice president and general manager, Revenue Cycle, McKesson Provider Technologies. “We are pleased to partner with progressive providers such as Valley Health to deliver a solution that will support their success in enterprise revenue management well into the future.”
About Valley Health
Valley Health is a non-profit regional healthcare system serving a population of 450,000 in northwest Virginia and eastern West Virginia. Valley Health includes five hospitals: Winchester Medical Center, a 411-bed regional referral center, Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal, VA, Shenandoah Memorial Hospital in Woodstock, VA, Page Memorial Hospital in Luray, VA, and Hampshire Memorial Hospital in Romney, WV. Valley Health also manages War Memorial Hospital in Berkeley Springs, WV, and operates Urgent Care and Quick Care centers, a regional medical transport service, durable medical equipment stores, and a retail pharmacy.
About McKesson
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson has been in continuous operation for more than 175 years, making it the longest-operating company in healthcare today. Over the course of its history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information, visit http://www.mckesson.com
Valley Health leaders recognized the need for a new enterprise revenue management model to adapt to changing realities, including the rise of consumer-directed healthcare. For example, Valley Health needed access management functions that would enable staff members to work with patients earlier in the cycle.
“With the new system, we will concentrate on process improvement on the front end of the patient experience with the registration, eligibility and scheduling,” Roscoe said. “Our goal is to have staff members collect co-pays, ask questions and talk with patients about their financial responsibilities up front. In doing so, we can better serve our patients and achieve cleaner claims and more accurate billing.”
With the implementation of Horizon Enterprise Revenue Management, Valley Health will move away from a financial system supported by a number of bolt-on technologies that require a large number of staff members to touch each claim. “We have a traditional patient accounting system, but because there are so many changes every year, we kept adding bolt-ons to the point that it has become disjointed and challenging to manage,” said Neal McKnight, corporate director of patient accounting. “With the new system, we have one centralized solution that is designed to work together with our clinical systems – making it possible to experience great efficiencies throughout the organization.”
With system deployment set to begin in 2010, Valley Health expects to realize a number of operational benefits once the solution is fully rolled out. Based on McKnight’s estimates, the number of patients scheduled through a centralized scheduling system should increase by 30 percent, creating greater staff efficiencies and better resource management. Finally, he expects to increase the number of clean claims by 20 percent while cutting paper use in half.
“With continued financial pressure and impending healthcare reform, the ability to adapt to changing needs is more critical than ever,” said Loren Buysman, senior vice president and general manager, Revenue Cycle, McKesson Provider Technologies. “We are pleased to partner with progressive providers such as Valley Health to deliver a solution that will support their success in enterprise revenue management well into the future.”
About Valley Health
Valley Health is a non-profit regional healthcare system serving a population of 450,000 in northwest Virginia and eastern West Virginia. Valley Health includes five hospitals: Winchester Medical Center, a 411-bed regional referral center, Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal, VA, Shenandoah Memorial Hospital in Woodstock, VA, Page Memorial Hospital in Luray, VA, and Hampshire Memorial Hospital in Romney, WV. Valley Health also manages War Memorial Hospital in Berkeley Springs, WV, and operates Urgent Care and Quick Care centers, a regional medical transport service, durable medical equipment stores, and a retail pharmacy.
About McKesson
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, is a healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality healthcare by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson has been in continuous operation for more than 175 years, making it the longest-operating company in healthcare today. Over the course of its history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; healthcare information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients. For more information, visit http://www.mckesson.com
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