Boost your RCM: 4 ways home care software can improve billing and payroll

Revenue cycle management (RCM) is a vital component of any health care organization, and home care agencies are no exception. One of the biggest challenges in RCM and accounting management is the billing and payroll process, which can be a time-consuming, tedious, and error-prone task if done manually. But, with the advent of home care software, organizations have the opportunity to streamline their billing and payroll processes, reduce errors, improve compliance, and increase efficiency.  

Here are 4 ways that your home care organization can use software tools to improve its revenue cycle management and billing processes: 

1. Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) 

One of the requirements by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for home care agencies is to implement electronic visit verification (EVV) systems. EVV is critical to improving the billing process and reducing the risk of fraudulent activities. With the help of home care software that has an integrated EVV solution, you can accurately track and verify the start and end times of visits, capture service details, collect GPS location data, and generate billing records in real-time. This can help you reduce billing errors, such as missed or incorrect billing, thus improving your cash flow. 

Want to know more about EVV? Check out this electronic visit verification FAQs page to gain more insights on the basics of EVV.  

2. Automated billing 

Manually preparing and submitting invoices is a time-consuming process that can lead to mistakes and delays, causing a negative impact on your RCM. To streamline your billing process, consider using home care software that can automate your billing operations. With automated billing functionality, you can create bills in seconds, print or email invoices to clients or payers in real-time, establish payment plans, and track unpaid invoices and overpaid amounts. 

3. Employee time tracking and payroll processing 

Managing employee hours and calculating payroll can be a complicated task for home care organizations, especially those with multiple employees and contracts. Traditional processes such as timesheets can be error-prone and time-consuming, making it challenging to manage payroll efficiently. By using home care software with integrated time tracking features, organizations can accurately track employee time, apply various pay rates and overtime rules, and generate accurate payroll reports, which reduces payroll errors and lowers the administrative burden. 

See how Privatus Care Solutions saved 10+ hours on accounting by using a home care software platform: 

4. Compliance management 

Home care agencies must comply with various federal and state regulations, such as HIPAA, OSHA, and labor laws. Failing to comply with these rules can result in costly penalties and legal liabilities. Managing compliance can be challenging, given the complex and ever-changing regulations. With the help of home care software that has built-in compliance management tools, your organization can automate compliance tasks, such as training records tracking and reporting, policy acknowledgment, and incident reporting, improving your RCM and reducing compliance risks. 

Learn why security and risk compliance is important in homecare: 

Streamlining billing and payroll processes can be a game-changer for home care organizations seeking to avoid common revenue cycle management issues such as payment delays, erroneous billing, and lost revenue. By utilizing home care software tools such as EVV, automated billing, employee time tracking, and compliance management, organizations can significantly improve revenue cycle management and strengthen their position in the industry.  

With reduced expenses, enhanced cash collections, and improved financial metrics; leveraging these tools should be a priority that is non-negotiable given that your prime objective is providing quality care to your patients.