Patient Billing System

Patient management & billing and ancillary systems are examples of non-clinical function information systems rendered in a healthcare organization every day. Firstly, patient management & billing systems entails registration, scheduling, admission, discharge, relocations, and billing processes (Vogel, 2014). Healthcare facilities employ a computer-based master patient index (MPI) to save patient demographic, illness history and identification information which is obtained via the patient-registration process. Furthermore, the MPI evolves into an enterprise master patient index (EMPI) if utilized amongst many health facilities and to not confuse same name patients at multiple locations. “Integrated delivery networks ensure unique patient identification either through conversion to

Health care information systems (HCIS) expands into other patient service areas such as laboratory and pharmacy departments; thus patient-management systems serve as the base of operations to acquire the patient demographic data required by these systems. If each department obtained identical patient information, then multiple redundant records will be created within the system; thus it is prudent to use a centralized system to save space, time and money. Vogel (2014) states, “Within the hospital setting, the census is maintained by the admission-discharge-transfer (ADT) module, which is updated whenever a patient is admitted to the hospital, discharged from the hospital, or transferred from one bed to another”. In addition, registration data elicits other events such as alerting hospital housekeeping when a bed is vacant once a patient is discharged. Also, the billing department is in charge of invoicing and collecting payment for services rendered i.e., cost for room and bed, ancillary services, and supplies/equipment used during a patient’s stay (Vogel,