Managed Healthcare Executive - March 2009 - (Page 27) { TECHNOLOGY } Examine long-term IT plans for near-term productivity gains Leveraging what you already have can yield greater ef ciencies, reduce operating costs and produce better value BY DENNIS SCHMULAND, MD MHE Editorial Advisor Dennis Schmuland, MD, is Microsoft’s national director, U.S. Health Plan Industry Solutions. Team and enterprise innovation management; Claims auditing and overpayment recovery; Sales proposal/RFP process; Case management; Post-discharge transition-care coordination; Wellness/care management; Referrals and authorizations; Coordination of bene ts; Employer-group contract lifecycle management; Provider contract lifecycle management; Claims adjudication; Consumer engagement; and Value-based decision making. Of course, before making any new investments, it pays to do a thorough inventory to determine what platforms, applications and products you already have, and whether or not those assets are redundant or being used to their fullest potential. Industry analysts say that one of the fastest ways to drive down operational costs and complexity is by eliminating redundant S THE ECONOMY CONTINUES TO technologies that may exist in multiple contract, it’s tempting to consider slashing departmental silos across the company. personnel, freezing IT budgets and making Most commonly, redundancies in payer do until the crisis passes, but these measures are only organizations happen between common e ective in the short term. business applications that may serve slightFor healthcare in general, and payers in particu- ly di erent purposes but share common lar, leveraging technology to save money requires a features. disciplined focus on technologies that digitize and improve business processes, especially those pro- HUMAN ASSETS cesses that are the most costly and labor-intense. Your employees are your most valuable Digitizing and automating several people-driven asset, and ensuring that they’re working processes could not only save operational costs but at their peak productivity can help drive give health plans the competitive edge they need to cost savings. By taking advantage of ingrow market share and revenue. They include: novative technology tools to digitize Art Box Images/Getty Images A MARCH 2009 27
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