SHAWNEE, Kan., Aug. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- DataFile Technologies is announcing the full market release of its Prior Authorization (PA) services for healthcare organizations and medical practices. The announcement follows strong second quarter sales of the service after an initial launch to its existing customer base during the first the first quarter of 2019.
DataFile created the new service line in response to a growing concern in the healthcare industry – the increasing burden of PA processes on RNs, MAs, LPNs, Patient Representatives, front desk Associates and Physicians. A 2018 survey of physicians by the American Medical Association (AMA) discovered each surveyed physician and their staff on average spend 14.9 hours every week just completing PAs with payers. 91% percent of the physicians also reported patient care delays due to laborious PA processes (1), which aligned with internal DataFile data showing 71% of PA submissions by their own clients were being completed by clinical staff (2). This large expense can be offloaded to DFT to better serve clients while outsourcing costs and improving efficiencies.
Amid a growing movement in healthcare to combat administrative burdens like PA — which is embodied in websites like FixPriorAuth.org — DataFile recognized its unique position to help providers now. As a healthcare back-office services and data services company, DataFile already had the elements in place to handle PA processes, including medications, diagnostics, injectables and in-office procedures such as colonoscopies and EGDs.
DataFile CEO Janine Akers says of their readiness to take on PAs, "Prior authorizations are a natural extension of the value we provide to hospitals and medical practices. We already had the infrastructure in place — EHR access, highly trained operations and clinical staff, workflow management, payer relationships, etc. — to address this growing need. The overwhelming response with our existing customer base on the initial release was nothing short of exceptional, as we were able to execute PAs faster and more efficiently, thus saving our customers time and money while enabling the client to recuperate much needed patient-facing time."
The service line, now available to healthcare organizations nationwide, uses what DataFile calls people-powered technology. While leveraging technology to streamline and speed the PA processes with payers, the team at DataFile collaborates with clients to establish workflows and then handles status updates and supplemental data requests. Results are posted directly into each client's EHR, making the transition to DataFile seamless for practices.
The importance of back office and data partners like DataFile is increasingly clear. From a business perspective, DataFile is giving healthcare practices a path for controlling back-office overhead in the era of value-based care. Plus, Medscape's 2018 report on burnout cites bureaucratic tasks as the #1 cause of physician burnout (3). Offloading those burdens is one key step in fostering healthcare quality and restoring a focus on patients over administration.
DataFile adds prior authorization to an established suite of concierge health information management (HIM) services, including release of information fulfillment, chart data abstraction and filing and payer review support plus data access solutions like its Velocity Exchange TM.
About DataFile Technologies
DataFile provides turn-key solutions to streamline, standardize and centralize medical records, health information management and clinical workflows for healthcare organizations of all types and sizes.
We are a trusted partner to many of the nation's leading EHR companies, facilitating a more timely, accurate and secure flow of health information while relieving administrative burdens and staffing needs. Our team of healthcare data experts works hard to assist our clients in meeting patient needs for health information and increasing their organization's interoperability, while ensuring the highest level of security and compliance.
(1) 2018 AMA Prior Authorization Physician Survey
(2) DataFile Technologies Customer Survey, Dec 2018
(3) Peckham, C., 2018. Medscape National Physician Burnout & Depression Report.
SOURCE DataFile Technologies
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