BerylHealth Launches Interactive Calculators to Measure Return on Investment, Financial Return and Revenue Risk for Hospitals and Health Systems Preparing for Healthcare Reform

DALLAS, Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For over 27 years, BerylHealth has been dedicated to improving the patient experience by equipping hospitals and health systems with innovative technology and services that uniquely connect patients to healthcare. Today BerylHealth announced the release of its new online interactive calculator tools. Unique to the market, these calculators can be used to drive smarter investment decisions for hospitals looking to adapt their delivery models for healthcare reform and seeking innovative ways to drive patient acquisition, retention and loyalty in evolving competitive markets.

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"With the release of the return on investment calculators, hospital leaders can identify potential reimbursement exposure through 2017 as it relates to avoidable readmissions and hospital HCAHPS scoring," remarks Steve Whitehurst, chief customer and strategy officer for BerylHealth. "When we engage our clients, we look for ways to support them strategically to improve the patient experience. We know hospitals and health systems are looking for ways to engage patients and retain them long-term. Our ROI calculators are able to measure the financial impact of keeping patients in the hospital system, while utilizing the appropriate level of care."

The three innovative return on investment calculators will be launched initially at the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development annual conference September 19 in Philadelphia. These calculators produce financial returns and estimates unique to each hospital system.

     Marketing Services Calculator This calculator highlights potential hospital downstream revenue based on patient call volume. As hospital administrators and marketers look to bottom line results to determine the value of their marketing programs, BerylHealth can provide the tools, services and analytics to measure revenue and effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Using data collected from patients and hospitals, we are able to quantify physician referrals, identify patient demographics and determine downstream revenue received for the hospital or health system.

     Emergency Department Follow-Up Referral Calculator Many hospitals and hospital systems today are struggling to keep patients in their networks. One key area where this disruption in consistent care delivery occurs is from the Emergency Department to the primary or specialist care needed as follow-up. This calculator estimates the potential financial return for referring ED patients back into the hospital network or available community resources when appropriate. Retaining that patient within the hospital system for follow-up care ensures consistent patient care and experience between settings and yields significant downstream revenue. Compliance with follow-up care has also yielded lower readmission rates and unnecessary emergency department visits, saving hospitals additional cost associated with repeat episodes of care.

     Reimbursement Exposure Calculator Improving patient satisfaction and reducing avoidable readmissions is top priority with anticipation of CMS reimbursement in 2013. Medicare inpatient reimbursement exposure is based on performance on HCAHPS scores and readmission rates for certain chronic diseases. This calculator estimates the exposure and risk for hospitals and health systems based on avoidable readmissions for Medicare heart failure, pneumonia and heart attack patients.

"The healthcare industry is evolving rapidly, and is driving smarter, more informed business decisions from our client base and other healthcare organizations across the country," adds Whitehurst. "Our commitment to utilizing technology to evolve our patient experience products and services while proving return on investment is key to meeting the needs of emerging delivery models such as accountable care and population health management." 

The ROI calculators support BerylHealth's recently announced CareLoop™ products and services, solutions to provide a targeted, comprehensive end-to-end solution for hospitals and health systems looking to extend their patient communication efforts and increase overall patient satisfaction throughout the entire care continuum.

The CareLoop solutions target patients through innovative online and other web-based solutions that drive patient acquisition, contact patients that have been admitted and released from the emergency department, hospital, or other care facility, and provide clients with the patient demographics, campaign results, and other reporting tools that measure return on investment.

The ROI calculators help hospitals and health systems make smart investments in solutions that will yield proven results and generate downstream revenue and growth. Clients and prospects who have tested the calculators agree that this is an excellent way to project how BerylHealth's  product offerings prepare hospitals and health systems for the impact of healthcare reform regulations and potential impact to their reimbursement.

For more information about BerylHealth or to apply the ROI calculators to your hospital or health system, visit www.BerylHealth.com.

ABOUT BERYLHEALTH
BerylHealth is a technology-enhanced patient experience services company dedicated to improving relationships between healthcare providers and the communities they serve. BerylHealth helps hospitals become the "top of mind" provider by building lasting consumer relationships. By providing a compassionate, personal touch, robust data, and customizable solutions, BerylHealth extends the brand of the local provider through every patient contact, and provides hospitals with business insights that allow them to enhance their reputation and achieve their strategic goals.

SOURCE BerylHealth