I.C. System Healthcare Expert Speaks at Conference, Quoted in Healthcare Collections Publication

Tom Gavinski, I.C. System Vice President of Healthcare Strategies, moderated a panel discussion entitled The Evolution of Healthcare Collections at the ACA International National Convention in Dallas, Texas in July 2011.  Gavinski, along with James Clark, Vice President of Professional Account Service a Community Health Company of Nashville, Tennessee and Kelly Howard, Director of Central A/R Services and Revenue Cycle for Intermountain Health of Salt Lake City Utah spoke on the changing environment of healthcare collections.

Tom Gavinski was also recently quoted in The Pulse, a publication of ACA International, intended for healthcare providers.  The article, entitled “The Evolution of Healthcare Collections,” covers a broad range of healthcare collection related issues such as the increase in self-pay accounts, the increased media scrutiny of healthcare related collections issues, and the subsequent importance of demonstrating proper discretion in collection practices.

“People are concerned about their healthcare, so medical collections have gotten a lot of publicity and scrutiny,” Gavinski said.  To avoid media scrutiny, providers and their collection agency partners have to work hard to ensure compliance and avoid the public eye. “Exposure isn’t worth being too aggressive,” Gavinski said.

The article appeared in the November 11, 2011 edition of The Pulse, Volume 27, Number 11.  The publication is a trusted industry resource in healthcare collections.  Gavinski discussed the importance of collection agencies showing a softer, more customer service based approach when dealing with medical related delinquencies.  Many medical industry executives agree, including one current client of I.C. System, “Our main focus is customer service,” said Kelly Howard, Director of Central AR Services and Revenue Cycle at Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City, Utah. “We expect excellent customer service at all times.”

The seemingly ever-changing tide of healthcare legislation makes the ultimate parameters of an ideal healthcare revenue cycle difficult to envision, but a few facts remain. “The percentage of health care costs being placed on patients is increasing and the number of uninsured and underinsured is growing. “Co-pays and deductibles are going to continue to increase regardless of healthcare reform,” Gavinski said.

I.C. System, a privately owned company founded in 1938, provides accounts receivable management services for 20,000 clients within many industries, including healthcare, financial services, retail, utility, and communications.  Headquartered in St. Paul, I.C. System has offices in Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.