Sentry Data Systems' Chief Medical Officer Selected as Contributor and Editor for HIMSS Revenue Cycle Task Force White Paper

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., July 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- William Kirsh, DO, MPH, Chief Medical Officer at Sentry Data Systems, Inc., a healthcare business intelligence technology solutions company, participated as a contributor and editor of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Revenue Cycle Task Force White Paper on The Future of Revenue Cycle: Preparing for Near-Term Change, published in May 2011. Due to a variety of revenue cycle-related changes occurring in healthcare, the HIMSS Revenue Cycle Improvement Task Force selected five changes that merit immediate attention, discussion, and planning.

Collectively, the document addresses patient access functions, including scheduling, registration and preauthorization, service delivery and charge capture, and business office functions. Each functional section of this piece stands on its own, enabling revenue cycle professionals to focus on their specific area of expertise.

"This document is for any revenue cycle professional, or any healthcare executive whose job function is impacted directly by the revenue cycle, such as the CEO, CFO, or others," Dr. Kirsh said. "The goal is to raise awareness for all revenue cycle professionals about issues that will confront them in the near and medium-term. These are not hypotheticals or possibilities. These are real-world changes happening now. They are substantial, and they can be very impactful."

Dr. Kirsh's participation as a HIMSS committee member came about because of his role as a critical matter subject expert and contributor with deep insights resulting from more than 25 years working as a practicing physician and over seven years as an executive and developer of revenue cycle management and healthcare business intelligence software at Sentry.

Sentry has long been a pioneer in taking disparate hospital data systems and merging them together to gain actionable insights for financial impact within a quarter. Dr. Kirsh leads Sentry's efforts to deliver healthcare technology solutions that not only lead to greater financial impact for customers but ultimately result in better patient outcomes.

"Dr. Kirsh is an integral part of our team and is intimate with the real world impact of sound revenue cycle management and its significant impact on patient outcomes," said Travis Leonardi, CEO of Sentry. "We are extremely pleased that HIMSS recognized Sentry for our thought leadership and insights. Anyone involved in hospital revenue cycle management needs to not only read this white paper but also needs to start putting its findings into practice. Sentry can help manage that process for hospitals nationwide."

The white paper addresses several critical topics for revenue cycle management including The American Recovery and Reimbursement Act that will impact incentive payments made available for utilization of certified electronic health records (EHRs). The publication also addresses the 5010 and its focus on the electronic exchange of administrative and financial information between providers and plans, The Affordable Care Act that includes numerous health-related provisions such as prohibiting denial of coverage/claims and expanding Medicaid, the ICD-10 and its significant changes to increased specificity and coding, and the Quality Measures highlighting an increased focus on quality for proactive healthcare organizations to gain ground and increase revenue.

The full HIMSS article The Future of Revenue Cycle: Preparing for Near-Term Change and access to the white paper are available online at www.SentryDS.com.

About William D. Kirsh, DO, MPH

William D. Kirsh, DO, MPH has over 25 years of medical and business experience. Dr. Kirsh is heavily involved in the development of Sentry's products and lends his clinical and healthcare financial expertise to many areas of their operations. Prior to his role at Sentry, Dr. Kirsh founded eAppeals, LLC, a technology company that simplified the handling of insurance claims appeals for both healthcare providers and consumers. He also served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer for Foundation Health Plan of Florida and was the Vice-President of Medical Affairs and Quality Assurance at Physician Corporation of America, Inc. Dr. Kirsh is a published author and member of several medical boards, he holds degrees from Florida State University, Nova-Southeastern University of Health Sciences, and The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene & Public Health. Dr. Kirsh performed his residency training at The Johns Hopkins University and actively practices hospital-based medicine. He holds appointments as clinical faculty at Nova Southeastern University, College of Osteopathic Medicine and in the School of Public Health. He is also Chairman of the Board of The ARC of South Florida and founding member and Executive Vice President of International Health Initiatives.

About Sentry Data Systems

Located in Deerfield Beach, FL, Sentry Data Systems, Inc. is a healthcare intelligence company offering technology solutions that address a wide variety of workflow, compliance, technical and financial challenges. Sentry's products serve hundreds of hospitals and pharmacies across the country and have saved clients millions of dollars to date. Sentry processes millions of eligibility, financial, clinical, and pharmacy transactions per day on over 15 million patients.

For additional information on Sentry's industry-leading technology solutions, go to www.SentryDS.com or call 800.411.4566.

Press Contact:
Deborah McAvoy
Marketing & Sales Operations Manager
Sentry Data Systems, Inc.
(800) 411-4566 x2700
[email protected]

SOURCE Sentry Data Systems, Inc.