'Platform cohabitation'

Having two or more separate companies joining forces to provide system unification and connectivity services for billing, administrative and clinical functions results in better efficiency, workflow and financial returns, software vendors say.

“Integrations and interoperability are a must-have in this environment,” said Esther Apter, president of Suffern, NY-based MedForce Technologies.

Providing a seamless system from front to back is critical to maximizing automation and fostering success, Apter said, adding that integration doesn't necessarily mean merging systems.

“You can have the best of both worlds—the top software for each type of work, and a seamless system that allows all products to communicate efficiently and effortlessly with each other,” she said. “We are always looking for new partners to interface with and have purposely built our programs to cooperate nicely with other software, from billing to inventory to delivery management.”

Lawrenceville, Ga.-based Brightree has strived for a single software-as-a-service platform to promote unity within its customer base and recent acquisitions like Overland Park, Kan.-based Strategic AR enable them to do that, said Dave Cormack, Brightree president and CEO.

“With this acquisition, we are reinventing the way providers view the patient pay portion of the bill,” he said. “We are seeing a number of our customers achieve patient collection percentage rates in the 90%-plus range, which is a tremendous increase over the industry average of under 50%. These types of solutions allow providers to operate more seamlessly and efficiently and, more importantly, squeeze out every dollar of collections possible.”

Billings, Mont.-based Computers Unlimited and Overland Park, Kan.-based A/R Allegiance Group have put together a customizable integration that enables an account file to be sent from CU's TIMS Software to A/R Allegiance's CollectPlus system for collection. A/R Allegiance manages billing communication with the patient for each account and, as the collection progresses, it automatically sends updates to TIMS so the billing status is always current, said CU President Dave Schaer.

“These kinds of partnerships are a win-win for the provider and software vendor,” he said. “It's another example of industry players working together for the well-being of the whole industry.”