Medical billing company MedData has acquired for an undisclosed amount a firm that offers patient payment and communications services to health providers.
MedData said its acquisition of MedDirect will help its hospital and physician office clients solve problems with collecting revenue and patient satisfaction, according to a statement from Cleveland-area MedData.
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MedDirect offers two sets of services. The first is revenue-cycle management, which includes statement processing and management, cash management, reporting and access to a 24-hour, multilingual call center. The second set of services focus on communication with patients and includes marketing materials, appointment reminders, medication reminders and satisfaction surveys.
“We’ve found that it’s no longer enough to provide care and bill a payer for payment,” said MedData CEO Douglas Thompson. “It’s now essential to incorporate a completely new set of retail oriented revenue-cycle tools and develop more meaningful relationships with the patients themselves to ensure a provider’s long-term financial health.”
MedDirect will continue to run its operations out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, according to the statement.
As more and more health insurance policies shift costs to consumers, collecting revenue becomes much more challenging for doctor’s offices and hospitals. Payments from patients tend to arrive less quickly and reliably than payments from insurers, for example.
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MedDirect’s services are aimed at helping health providers overcome those challenges by improving customer service and establishing better patient relationships.
[Photo from flickr user codogblog]