3 Reasons You Miss Turnaround Times (and what to do about it)

by | Blog, Compliance & Regulations, Information Sharing, Release of Information

It’s 4:45 pm and your shift is about to end. You take one final glance at the queue of new patient record requests and unbelievably, it’s at zero. “Great!” you think, “My team has visibility on everything that needs to be processed and is well on their way to responding within 30 days. Even if we only had 15 days, we could handle this!”

Now let’s be honest – this is a fantastical scenario. Most, if not all, healthcare organizations have a backlog of requests they’re aware of but haven’t processed. Thankfully, if you track the date those requests entered your system, reaching the HIPAA-required turnaround time should be doable, right?

Not always. Here’s three reasons why:

1. Your backlog is bigger than you think

If you manage turnaround times based on your intake queue, you need 100% certainty that record requests make it to the queue on day one. Are there requests sitting on the fax machine? Are there several sitting in someone’s email inbox? Are they on vacation?

There’s risk in what you can’t see. If your organization has multiple locations with a decentralized ROI process, this problem compounds.

To confidently say your organization meets required turnaround times, you need 100% visibility across the intake process.

2. Your backlog is smaller than you think

We all know it’s unavoidable – duplicate requests. Whether by accident or due to impatience, this redundancy is an inefficient use of time and resources.

3. You’re not prioritizing effectively

First in first out isn’t always the best process. If all record requests in your system look the same, how do you know which are from patients vs attorneys? How many are for continuity of care?

COVID, hybrid workforces, Information Backlog requirements, and the upcoming anticipated HIPAA changes with a reduced turnaround time to 15 days have put more pressure on healthcare organizations to move to a streamlined unified process.

Verisma’s disclosure management experts are here to guide you through the process. Well-orchestrated policies and procedures paired with leading technology designed for ROI workflows are the key to achieving improved productivity, enhanced patient/requestor experience, and actionable metrics on your ROI operations success.

Specifically, the Verisma® advanced Release Management (VRM®) platform with its powerful Verisma Inbox™ technology:

  • Utilizes smart barcode technology that automates the entire request intake by healthcare facility, giving you 100% visibility
  • Flags duplicate requests to reduce multiple releases of the same record to the same requestor
  • Centralizes and automatically categorizes all requests based on rules you specify so you can prioritize effectively

Verisma Inbox™ technology is the first of its kind and continues to offer more automation capabilities at no extra cost to our clients. Come see our latest innovations at AHIMA 22 booth #411.

Not going to AHIMA? Request a demo any time here.