(Aug. 16, 2024) – The Kansas Hospital Association's Heart of Health Care Worker Award highlights hospital employees who have made a significant contribution to the betterment of their hospital. This week, KHA honors Patricia Fuller, Kiowa County Memorial Hospital, Greensburg, for her service and contributions to health care.
Fuller joined Kiowa County Memorial Hospital in a time of great transition. As the business office manager, Fuller reinvented and improved the office's processes by immersing herself in all aspects of hospital billing.
Before Fuller, billing had been outsourced for many years, so there were no guidebooks and no one to troubleshoot problems. Fuller worked to learn different portions of hospital billing, and with each process she mastered, she saved the hospital significant money. She did this while building a business office team, taking on the task of understanding Price Transparency regulations and good Faith Estimates and correcting the mistakes of the prior billing company. She sends out statements, so patients have a local person to talk to. She had stamps made to help patients understand what each portion of their bill means, whether it is co-pay or deductible.
She implemented many projects in her department that have streamlined processes for other departments, such as ABNs and authorizations, and reduced registration errors. She works directly with patients, helping to set them up with financial assistance if they qualify and spearheaded the implementation of PayZen, a company that offers patients flexible payment options with no interest to the patient. Most importantly, she did all of this through self-direction.
Fuller brought billing in-house in just three years. To do this, she had to learn and build a department from the ground up. Billing used to cost 5.6 percent of the collected amount. In the first month of doing billing in-house, Fuller saved the hospital $23,000. These savings continue to build and will help the facility grow services and support the local economy.
Fuller, and other Heart of Health Care Worker Award nominees, will be recognized during the KHA Awards Luncheon at the 2024 KHA Annual Convention on Sept. 5, 2024, at Sheraton Overland Park/Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park.
--Shelby Stacy