Forget resolutions about writing your memoirs, climbing Mt. Everest, or seeing the West while learning to play guitar (actually did that for a month, but that’s another story, for another time), 2015 is the year to be real. We’re fortunate to work in a healthcare environment that is constantly changing, keeping us sharp and challenging us to learn new approaches and test our skills. Never a dull moment. What can we accomplish this year?

• Better data for reimbursement and improving quality outcomes – Learn the latest on savvy data management and the reimbursement rules that are quite different in 2015.
• Healthcare for more people at high quality – Help attract market share for your organization by doing your part to ensure accurate charging, competitive pricing, and satisfied patients.
• Put your best foot forward – Patients face higher out-of-pocket costs and now are searching online to compare prices for common procedures. As this information is now available to the public from both CMS and commercial sources, be sure your organization’s data presents well.
• Get earned payments and keep them – Focal points of operational efficiency, compliance, and correctly documenting earned reimbursement – these are the components of the revenue integrity approach that is effective in preventing audit take-backs and compliance penalties, while advancing financial performance.
• Make connections and strengthen margin – Today there are means to see what is spent on supply purchases and providing care, and then to compare these expenses with reimbursement. No one can afford to skip connecting and reviewing this information in 2015. It is key to negotiations with payors and suppliers, as well as to future reimbursement.

Just because 2015 is the year to focus on revenue integrity doesn’t mean you can’t still learn another language and foster better relationships by phoning and e-mailing more often. You can do those things in 2015 to create a more rewarding year on the job in many ways. What are your thoughts about advancing in the year ahead? Your contributions to this community are appreciated.

“We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.” (Source: Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” speech)