VHA Inc. Names RelayHealth A Supplier of Financial Clearance Services

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--RelayHealth, a leading provider of healthcare connectivity services, announced today it has recently signed an agreement with VHA Inc., the national health care network committed to helping its members improve their clinical and financial performance. With this new agreement, VHA has selected RelayHealth’s RevRunner^® as a supplier of financial clearance services. The agreement also establishes revenue management educational opportunities along with preferential pricing for VHA’s members, which include more than 1,400 not-for-profit hospitals and 23,000 non-acute care organizations.

“Hospitals that do these things properly will find the right balance between margin and mission in the challenging new world of patient financial responsibility. RelayHealth is privileged to help VHA members broaden their ability to enhance their revenue and financially assist their patients through a variety of workable options.”

“A rising number of uninsured and self-pay accounts are creating the need for sophisticated front-end payment methods,” said Amy Anthony, VHA Inc.’s senior vice president of supply chain services. “We’re excited to collaborate with RelayHealth, whose proven track record is well known for helping hospitals maintain fiscal solvency.”

Respondents in a recent survey of chief financial officers at VHA member hospitals identified the following key criteria in a selecting a technology partner and building a quality work relationship ─ customer service, contract terms and pricing, and ease of integration. “After an extensive selection process, RelayHealth emerged as the industry leader and a logical partner for our members,” added Anthony.

RelayHealth’s RevRunner comprehensive financial clearance services work together to help hospitals and health systems achieve optimal performance either upon admission or immediately after scheduling an appointment. RevRunner’s three distinct functions are: (1) Eligibility Verification – finds and verifies insurance coverage with payors; (2) Bill Estimation – provides the patient with an estimation of out-of-pocket expenses based on the provider’s contract with the payor and the procedure; and (3) Financial Advocacy – enables the hospital to identify alternative sources of financial aid for patients lacking resources to pay their bills, such as a state or hospital charity program or Medicaid. Additionally, RelayHealth’s extensive connectivity to more than 1,800 payors helps hospitals reduce bad debt by verifying insurance coverage prior to or at the point of service.

“Establishing community-sensitive collection and financial assistance policies, investing in the necessary enabling technologies, and adjusting workflows to support new operational best practices are keys to success in overcoming the economic difficulties of our time,” said Jim Bodenbender, RelayHealth’s business unit president. “Hospitals that do these things properly will find the right balance between margin and mission in the challenging new world of patient financial responsibility. RelayHealth is privileged to help VHA members broaden their ability to enhance their revenue and financially assist their patients through a variety of workable options.”

About VHA Inc.

VHA Inc., based in Irving, Texas, is a national network of not-for-profit health care organizations that work together to drive maximum savings in the supply chain arena, set new levels of clinical performance, and identify and implement best practices to improve operational efficiency and clinical outcomes. Formed in 1977, VHA serves more than 1,400 hospitals and more than 23,000 non-acute care providers nationwide.

About RelayHealth

RelayHealth, McKesson’s connectivity business, operates as a neutral partner in an open network environment, offering connectivity services and integration among all organizations, systems, and solutions. Its intelligent network is designed to streamline clinical, financial and administrative communication between patients, providers, payors, pharmacies, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and financial institutions. RelayHealth works to accelerate the delivery of high-quality care and improve financial performance through solutions such as online consultation of physicians by patients, electronic prescribing, point-of-service pharmacy claims resolution by payors, pre-visit patient financial clearance by providers, and post-visit provider bill settlement by payors and patients. RelayHealth securely processes more than 12.8 billion financial and clinical transactions annually across its diverse connectivity businesses. For more information, call (800) 778-6711, or visit our Web site at www.RelayHealth.com.