Government Healthcare Contractor in the Southeast Processes Checks at Breakneck Speed with DocFinity® Workflow

Riddle: What is quicker than a greyhound, stronger than a thoroughbred, is as revolutionary as the first Pony Express, and can reach across the globe in the wink of an eye? Answer: DocFinity Workflow.

For major government-contracted healthcare providers that process large volumes of incoming medical benefit and disability checks in addition to related documents and correspondence, speed and reliability are a critical part of everyday operations. Based on the east coast, a financial division of this government-regulated health program for members of the U.S. military and their families handles a massive volume of checks per day. When they arrive in droves at the office to be processed daily, the staff is under considerable pressure to facilitate getting their deposit in the bank as quickly as possible. This division is responsible for handling incoming funds to cover benefit payments, outgoing checks to beneficiaries, and previous outbound checks (including military recipients’ checks) that have been returned for a variety of reasons. Strict federal mandates require that the government healthcare-related bank deposits be made by 1 p.m. into the correct accounts each day. With the large volume of checks that are received, reaching the “winning post” on time is a daunting challenge.

The traditional method – courier dispatch

In the 1980’s and 90’s, the courier dispatch served as the most modern version of the Pony Express, delivering checks and information from one location to another as quickly as possible. Displaying their courier colors, they rushed from one destination to another, like jockeys in their racing silks. Couriers were dispatched several times daily from the office where checks were received to the correct bank, and management had to exert significant pressure on the drivers to deliver the checks quickly. Manual delivery and processing resulted unavoidably in checks that were late, documents that were occasionally mismatched or misfiled, and even lost checks and documentation. The staff at the main office had the unenviable burden of sorting through both the personal and corporate checks and correspondence they received, trying to determine which bank deposits had to be made and into which bank account, in order to comply with the federally mandated timelines.

Watching how technology addressed these problems in another company that faced some similar processing challenges, the management team recognized that emerging technology could potentially revolutionize their check processing. This would make it possible to classify checks quickly, match up related documents and correspondence correctly, and meet stringent government regulations that require money to be deposited into the correct bank accounts on time.

To complicate matters, there were two separate companies in two separate cities within the state that respectively served as the prime healthcare contractors for different regions in the state: one served the southern region, and the other served the north. While the two divisions were permitted to tap into the same software solution, rules and regulations required that the data and the reporting to each entity be kept entirely separate. This further complicated sensitive security issues and slowed down the manual processes. In addition to the stringent requirements of timely check deposits, the contractors required real-time reporting as well. In response to these challenges, management placed a sure bet: that automated workflow, tied into imaging, would increase their productivity, reduce costs, and increase customer satisfaction. In effect, successful automation would enable them to run their own Steeplechase and win.

Readying for the race: planning the course and choosing a winner

The key to making this process nearly paperless and ensuring the smooth carriage of the right documents to the right place was to scan everything that was received in each envelope into one single file upon arrival. This achieved, in effect, a paperless mailroom. Since some of the checks had to be reported to their prime contractor in the north and others to the south, these needed to be indexed separately and readied to enter the automated workflow. Knowing the success that a sister company was having with DocFinity, the management team recommended and then purchased DocFinity Workflow as the engine to flow their checks and all related information.

Immediate quality assurance on imaged checks is a critical component of the initial preparation. Like a bettor who uses mathematical calculations to gain an advantage in selecting the winning horse, the quality assurance team within this division tries to eliminate the possibility of slowing down during the race. They analyze and catch potential flaws before they even enter the workflow, performing QA on non-readable images moments after they are scanned into the system.

Indexing the information: strategizing before the race begins

After the envelope contents are scanned into the system, DocFinity Workflow enters the race. Rather than sorting through countless files in numerous locations and hustling papers back and forth until everything is found, the account number, check amount, check date, related correspondence, and other pertinent information is gathered and launched through the workflow to the correct person in seconds, enabling a deposit to be prepared right away. The ability to flow multiple reports and prepare deposits at the same time by simultaneously flowing the information is a real plus.

Off to the races….ready, steady, go!

Like a jockey on a racehorse evaluating the conditions on an unfamiliar track, management had to evaluate, one by one, each of the tasks involved in their check processing. This process enabled them to effectively standardize and accurately predict processing times for their “get-the-check-in-the-right-bank-as-quickly-as-possible” race. Prior to a chase, horses are routinely ‘scratched’ before they start if either the track or the horse shows adverse conditions; workflow is very similar. The idea is to make information flow as quickly and smoothly as possible, and to jump the workflow hurdles swiftly, too, sometimes even removing unnecessary steps in the flow of information and work.

Removing the obstacles: minimalism rules

When planning the course for the flow of work, managers have to evaluate the potential slow-down if they make their task lists too detailed for their employees. The goal is to simplify the process—not prolong it through unnecessary detailed tasking. If the electronic documentation for a series of standard tasks in the process takes longer to record as ‘completed’ than it does to simply complete the tasks themselves, the detailed task list is viewed as a hurdle and removed from the flow. The staff then simply completes the work, taking note when that section of the process is finished. Although DocFinity handles endless tasks very successfully with its workflow product, the manual process has to be optimized in order to keep the work moving efficiently. As a result of careful planning, this division’s work process now looks more like star thoroughbreds racing optimally for the winning post rather than palominos wandering aimlessly toward a distant finish line. “Implementing DocFinity Workflow made it possible for us to handle increasing volumes of incoming checks, to make timely deposits, and removed some of the headaches and slowdowns we faced daily with traditional processing methods,” the project manager commented. “We are glad we chose DocFinity, and look forward to expanding our use of the software within our organization as we continue to grow.”

Effective relay: a critical part of the race

The first part of the division’s information relay challenge was to have the workflow solution interface with INFOrm, a database that is housed in another part of the state. This database generates needed data about the documents and images that are held within the DocFinity storage repository. INFOrm, as its name might suggest, is a tool that keeps customer service representatives within the division updated with critical information pertaining to customers, including notification that “the mail has arrived”. It resembles an electronic notepad, providing up-to-date information that is needed to maximize productivity. After the checks and documents are scanned into the system, the division needs the data about the documents in DocFinity to be relayed to the INFOrm system. Authorized members of the customer service team then access the electronic files via the customer’s identification number. As a result, instead of unproductive phone tag and callbacks, representatives are able to service their customers without delay.

A second and equally critical part of the relay was the information’s final destination: OD390, the IBM On Demand mainframe solution where the division sends all of its documents, regardless of the form in which they arrive. These include scanned images, e-mails, faxes, correspondence, and other media. Due to the sensitive nature of the material that they process every day and OD390’s complex and comprehensive security structure, successful integration with the system was tantamount to success. Although this was a very complex integration that required several months of planning, the IT team within the organization and the professional services team at Optical Image Technology, Inc. worked together effectively to ensure that the DocFinity – INFOrm – OD390 relay would be a rousing success.

Betting on the future

Although careful planning was required at the outset in strategizing each new automated workflow, adding departments within the existing design is now a cinch. Now, management can add new departments to the system within a mere thirty minutes. Adding horses to the race - no problem! Although each new workflow presents some new hurdles on the course, the management team within this government healthcare division and Optical Image Technology’s staff work together to make sure that business needs are met. There is no more betting or speculating on their organizational “workhorse” – the management team knows that DocFinity will handle their requirements effectively, and they will meet the mandated deposit and reporting requirements each and every day.

We all know the old saying, “Never look a gift horse in the mouth!” This east coast government healthcare provider and Optical Image Technology planned the course carefully to ensure that DocFinity would be a winning thoroughbred for the organization, and they continue to expand their use of the software. In effect, they run their own “Information Steeplechase” every day, determined and bound to win.

For more information or to schedule a demonstration, please Contact DocFinity now.