NEW YORK – Reimbursement has many practices in a tight spot, but one cancer care center in New York City has learned to control it using Waltham, Mass.-based IntrinsiQ’s IntelliDose and IntelliCharge.

The computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system, combined with a coding element, was able to deliver  benefits to the practice by capturing every detail around patient treatments, said Avi Kamelhar, CFO and executive director for Eastchester Center for Cancer in the Bronx.

Chemotherapy drug inventory is expensive and billing administration is challenging, he said. And when “lost charges” from disputed or rejected claims start adding up, it can financially choke a small practice.

The four-oncologist office had been capturing patient care manually, and nurses had to be trained to code properly. It was common practice for nurses to spend at least one hour a day on coding, and overtime added up quickly.

Using IntelliDose with its IntelliCharge module, Kamelhar said, the practice automatically generates complete charge capture with every patient visit. He said officials can produce solid documentation quickly and effortlessly and resolve reimbursement disputes easily.

What used to take the billing manager three hours now takes 15 minutes. Bills are processed daily, eliminating a one-week lag, according to officials.

“I want to highlight the importance of cost monitoring and control in today’s climate of ever-changing reimbursement rules and greater restrictions,” said Kamelhar. “There is a growing problem of inaccurate and incomplete paper bills.”

The key aspect to success in training staff is to have a “super-user” to learn the ins and outs of the system and take charge and train all the physicians, said Kamelhar. Per-diem nurses are also able to pick the processes up easily.

“This created a safer system with checks and balances,” said Kamelhar. “With anything electronic, you’re one step ahead. It helps us provide better care, have better control especially when you have thousands of charts to track down. This saves a lot of time and aggravation for the physicians.”