High costs have become emblematic of the American healthcare system. From compensating surgeons for long, complex procedures to fees for tests and administrative processes to the cost of simply staying overnight in a hospital, it’s not hard to rack up a heart-stopping bill, especially if a patient requires intensive medical care. As a healthcare provider, you may have seen for yourself how many people will delay or refuse care because of the expense. A fair, reliable health credit service like the Epic River Patient Lending program can give you the opportunity to help your patients stay healthy, both physically and financially.

Healthcare in the U.S. is expensive — we all know that. We put a high premium on the time, effort, and skill of doctors, nurses, and administrators, and time spent in the hospital can quickly lead to a big bill. As a healthcare provider, you have dedicated your career to helping your patients, and with the right programs and partnerships, you can now extend the “do no harm” principle to your patients’ finances as well as their physical health. The Epic River Patient Lending program is made to benefit providers and patients alike with easy, low-interest loans and user-friendly software.

Incentives to Improve CRA Ratings The importance of improving your financial institution’s CRA rating has perhaps never been more keenly felt. Between the rumblings about updating the Community Reinvestment Act from Comptroller Joseph Otting and the U.S. Department of Treasury to the growing advocacy within American communities for more banking solutions, investing in and bettering CRA ratings has risen to the top of every local banker’s to-do list.

Work With Healthcare Providers and Their Patients Deposit growth is critical for the success of any financial institution. Without it, banks can’t fund the loans that consumers want and need. However, attracting new deposit opportunities isn’t quite as simple as it used to be. Let’s just say that a free toaster doesn’t go as far as it once did. Instead, savvy banks have been scanning the landscape for unexpected deposit sources, and then marketing themselves as the bank of choice via a robust combination of products and services.

As hospitals and healthcare providers across the country know well, getting patients to pay their medical bills can be a challenge. As we discussed in a recent blog, studies show that healthcare facilities lose hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid services, and many doctors cite this difficulty for the reason they gave up owning an independent practice. Epic River wants to help your facility find a solution.

Growth and Profit at Community Banks and Credit Unions At the end of every year, pundits like to publish think pieces on banking industry trends. 2019 is no different, so we thought we’d add our hat to the ring with our predictions for what will most impact growth and profit at community banks. Please read on for our five top picks for banking industry trends!

You likely chose a career in medicine because you are dedicated to helping patients and offering high-quality care. But many physicians have seen their roles change as healthcare insurance and patient payment options have evolved. If you don’t want to work as a healthcare professional and a billing specialist, then you are not alone.

It’s no secret: Americans are drowning under heaps of medical debt. In fact, a recent study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that more than 25% of patients struggle to pay for the medical treatment they have received, and that medical debt is the number one cause of personal bankruptcy filings in America. These figures are staggering, and as a health care provider, you probably wish there was something you could do to lessen the financial struggle for your patients. Thankfully, there is! At Epic River, we can provide you with patient billing solutions that not only benefit your practice, but also your patients.

Does your physician’s office struggle to maintain low days in accounts receivable (DAR)? If so, then you have probably made a variety of administrative and procedural changes with the hope of recovering outstanding patient responsibility more efficiently. Some of these changes may have proven more effective than others, but if they are not sustainable, then you’ll likely find yourself back at square one. At Epic River, we understand that profitability is important to your practice, and we are here to help by providing medical billing solutions that work.

If your physician’s office is plagued with a large number of accounts that have an outstanding patient responsibility, then you likely know the negative impact late payments can have on your cash flow. Managing your revenue cycle efficiently and reducing your days in accounts receivable (DAR) is essential to having the funds you need for office improvement, employee training, and other expenses that ultimately contribute to patient satisfaction. Requiring payment at the time of service is a sure way to lower your DAR, however, this is not a feasible option for many providers and patients.