Pathology Lab Builds Business Success with Billing Support from Orion HealthCorp

ATLANTA, March 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In the current economic climate, maintaining profit margins can be challenging for medical practices, where billing and collections are impacted by staffing shortfalls and regulatory overhauls. Collections are especially challenging for laboratories, where patients rarely see or even speak with the provider. For San Francisco-based Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology Laboratory (POMPL), many of these challenges were overcome with help from Orion HealthCorp, Inc., a leader in medical billing and practice management for more than 20 years.

When POMPL first approached Orion, the laboratory, which diagnoses an average of 5,000 oral biopsies a year, had just one person in place for billing processes. This left the practice vulnerable to billing backlogs and untimely, inaccurate reporting of Accounts Receivable (AR) status. Likewise, the lab's collections were averaging just 50-55%. With Orion's use of up-to-date technology and depth of expertise in medical billing, POMPL quickly saw a turnaround.

"We were asked to send copies of our biopsy reports to them once a week for processing, and within one month everything turned around," said Dr. Alan Leider, a veteran pathologist and consultant with POMPL for 14 years. "Orion brought automation to a laboratory that was essentially a manual operation in terms of billing and finance."

In addition to shrinking a 60-90 day backlog of AR items almost immediately, Orion improved POMPL's collection rate to more than 85% in a short period of time. Also, not only was payment receipt more timely and at a higher volume, Orion's legal and regulatory expertise stopped profits from leaving the lab. According to Leider, since partnering with Orion, POMPL has never been involved in a lawsuit or paid a penalty for overbilling.

"It is not easy today for pathologists to understand all the laws pertaining to billing for biopsy services," Leider said. "Orion understands compliance and keeps us up to date with laws and regulations. They help us stay ahead of the game."

POMPL has now used Orion's services for 10 years, with collections averaging 80-90%. Leider is proud that even in the current economic environment, the lab is still maintaining margins. "In tough economic times like these, people put off medical visits, especially those that are preventive in nature," he said. "But even though we have seen a slight drop in the number of biopsies that are being sent to us, we are compensating for that loss because of Orion's ability to make good collections and keep our days in AR to a minimum."

For more information on Orion HealthCorp's billing and practice management services and technologies, please visit www.orionhealthcorp.com.

About Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology Laboratory

Located in San Francisco, the Pacific Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology Laboratory (POMPL) is a private practice with three board-certified oral pathologists. For more information on POMPL, please contact: University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry at 415.929.6560.

About Orion HealthCorp, Inc.

Orion HealthCorp, Inc. is a trusted partner to physicians who require the specialized medical billing and practice management processes and technology necessary to successfully maximize the recovery of earned revenue and to manage stringent industry compliance mandates and insurance intermediaries. The company supports thousands of office-based physicians and hospital specialists in pathology, radiology, and anesthesiology; and delivers an intense focus on personal relationships and company accountability.  Innovative tools, technologies, and operational processes enable the Orion team to capture missing revenues that other companies overlook and help clients mitigate the risks associated with choosing a billing partner or implementing a new billing process. Headquartered in Roswell, Ga., with offices in Alabama, California, Colorado, Illinois, Ohio and Texas, Orion HealthCorp is among the top medical billing and practice management companies in the United States.  For more information, please visit: www.orionhealthcorp.com

SOURCE Orion HealthCorp, Inc.