Despite efforts to bill correctly and thoroughly, revenue loss because of missed charges, often referred to as charge-capture leakage, still occurs.
Staff tasked with remedying leakage should be aware of drivers behind the most common missing charges. Every system is different, but leakage tends to emerge due to errors in capturing charges for secondary procedures, administration of pharmaceuticals, interventional cardiology service lines, implantables, and complex drugs.
Many missed charges are considered “soft charges” that may not be factored into the chargemaster for billing or require additional calculations that staff may be doing manually. Technology challenges also can present hindrances resulting in leakage.
Staff education and standardization of charge policies, procedures, and workflow improve financial performance. Technology streamlines improvements by addressing leakage through automation.
