CS-Link Revenue Cycle to improve patient registration, billing

Physicians and their office staff will see improved patient registration, management and billing when CS-Link Revenue Cycle goes live in first quarter 2009.

CS-Link Revenue Cycle is the first phase of the integrated information system being launched at the medical center. The second phase, CS-Link Clinical Systems, is set to go live in late 2009.

The project's first phase will modernize Cedars-Sinai's financial and business operations by merging many of the existing patient scheduling, registration, admission, patient placement, census management, charging and billing activities from PCX, Centricity, IDX and other stand-alone systems.

The result will be an overall improved registration, patient management and billing experience for patients, physicians, nurses and staff.

Physicians will be affected by CS-Link Revenue Cycle in four ways:

• Changes to the Face Sheet - Changes include three new data fields and modifications to the nomenclature and content in the header, account information and insurance information fields. The details of the Face Sheet will largely remain the same.
• CS-Link Provider Schedules - For ease of accessing the patient's electronic chart, appointments in Cadence will interface with the Centricity/Logician EMR used in Cedars-Sinai clinics and Centers of Excellence. Physicians' office staff can use Cadence to see a patient's scheduled services across the health system and track inbound and outbound referral information. Meanwhile, the printed patient schedules will take a different format, which physicians and office staff can select. There will not be changes to visit documentation.
• Guarantor Billing - A single, consolidated billing statement will be issued to the individual or guarantor responsible for multiple patients' insurance. Charges from the Medical Center, Reference Lab and Cancer Center will be consolidated into a single statement. Billing statements will include only patient accounts that have outstanding balances. To help physicians address potential patient questions, office staff will receive a supply of patient explanation brochures.
• Cedars-Sinai Laboratory Services Client Statement - Only physicians who currently refer patients for laboratory services will be affected. CSLS Reference Lab Client statements will sort the charges by the referring physician and will include nomenclature modifications similar to the Face Sheet. Walk-in patients will be considered Hospital Outpatients and charged accordingly.