PwC US Earns Two Best in KLAS Awards, Ranking #1 in Healthcare for Revenue Cycle Transformation and Extended Business Office Services

NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- PwC US has been recognized in the annual Best in KLAS Awards as the top services provider in the nation for its work in helping to improve the financial performance of hospitals and other healthcare providers through revenue cycle transformation and extended business office services. PwC was the only professional services firm to earn two Best in KLAS awards in 2011, outperforming competitors in an independent ranking of performance data representing the collective voice of over 18,000 senior healthcare executives from more than 4,500 hospitals and 2,500 clinics and physicians offices across the United States.

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The recognition signifies PwC's leadership in the quality of its professional staff, effectiveness in resolving issues, and delivery of added value in two key areas of financial performance for healthcare providers:

• Revenue Cycle Transformation, which typically involves longer-term engagements by PwC to help healthcare providers assess and redesign front-end, middle and/or back-end revenue cycle processes, and to implement improvements in the interrelated areas of people, process and technology to maximize financial performance.
• Extended Business Office Services, including PwC's work with hospital business offices in the management of account receivables, ongoing collection primarily from private insurers, and government follow up.

KLAS (KLASresearch.com) independently monitors and reports vendor performance and helps healthcare organizations make informed decisions by providing them with accurate, honest and impartial vendor performance information based on candid evaluations by their peers. The annual Best in KLAS Awards report provides details of KLAS Performance Data on software and professional services in categories that currently provide the broadest operational and clinical impact to healthcare organizations.

"There is no greater honor for us than the high opinion of the clients we serve.  PwC's receipt of two Best in KLAS awards is a reflection of the hard work and talent of our healthcare team and its commitment to proactively helping clients not only resolve their most pressing issues, but to anticipate them," said Joe Albian, U.S. healthcare provider advisory leader, PwC.  "The bar has been raised for health organizations everywhere to deliver and demonstrate better value for the money. As a leading consultant in the industry, we've got to walk the walk if we're going to talk the talk. For that reason, I am particularly proud that PwC has been recognized by health organizations for the added value we deliver to them."

In the "2011 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Services" report, PwC achieved the top overall score of 92.8 in the category of Revenue Cycle Transformation, moving up from the third-ranked position in 2010 to overtake the top spot in 2011.  For Extended Business Office Services, PwC achieved the top overall score of 92.9, outperforming the next nearest competitor by more than five points.  In addition, PwC was ranked this year for the first time in the category of Planning & Assessment, emerging among the top ten services providers for its work in electronic health record and health information exchange (EHR/HIE) planning and implementation.

"Best in KLAS recognition is awarded to those healthcare vendors who have consistently excelled in their market segment(s)," said Adam Gale, president of KLAS. "By putting the aggregate perceptions of healthcare executives and clinicians into perspective, KLAS helps healthcare providers make informed decisions as they consider major investment decisions in technology and services."

About PwC's Health Industries Group

PwC's Health Industries Group (www.pwc.com/us/healthindustries) is a leading advisor to public and private organizations across the health industries including healthcare providers, pharmaceuticals, health and life sciences, payers, employers, academic institutions and as well as non-health organizations with significant presence in the health market. Follow PwC Health Industries at http://twitter.com/PwCHealth.

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SOURCE PwC