Lola Butcher

About the Author

Lola Butcher

Latest Work

Payer access to EHR data improves cash flow

Sharp Healthcare gives some payers limited access to their members’ EHR data, which reduces the time-consuming cycle of level-of-care authorization denials, appeals, and ultimate approvals.

Lola Butcher July 18, 2018

Colorado Healthcare System Increases Price Transparency for Self-Pay Patients

SCL Health shows self-pay prices in two ways—an average for a specific service and the range of prices charged in the past year. This helps set realistic expectations when prices are above average based on varying factors.

Lola Butcher July 12, 2018

Limiting Emergency Department Denials and Surprise Bills

As health plans introduce new policies affecting emergency department patients, hospital and revenue cycle leaders must be proactive to ensure that patients get the right care—and that claims are handled appropriately.

Lola Butcher July 12, 2018

Your To-Do List When Health Plan Contracts Change

Six steps can help revenue cycle leaders manage health plan changes effectively.

Lola Butcher July 12, 2018

Health Plans, Providers Collaborate on Payment Transformation in Hawaii

More than 500 primary care providers have moved to per-member, per-month payments for patients covered by Hawaii’s largest health plan. The initiative may provide a roadmap for smaller physician practices to participate and flourish in the transition to value.

Lola Butcher June 20, 2018

Sustained Performance Improvement Requires Culture of Excellence

By using a systematic approach to build a culture of continuous improvement and implement Lean principles, health systems can dramatically boost operational performance in quality, safety, and other domains.

Lola Butcher May 22, 2018

UAB Medicine’s Check-in Kiosks Please Patients and Improve Processes

Impressed with the patient-friendly benefits of check-in kiosks at its orthopedic clinic, UAB Medicine has expanded installation to most of its outpatient clinics. The kiosks speed registration, improve data collection, and increase patient payments.

Lola Butcher May 10, 2018

Avoid ED Claim Challenges by Developing CDI Teams

UnitedHealthcare’s new policy of auditing certain emergency department claims should prompt hospitals to seek the expertise of clinical documentation improvement teams in outpatient claim processing. 

Lola Butcher May 9, 2018

The Business Case for Fighting Physician Burnout

Mitigating physician burnout may help to reduce turnover and the many costs that come with it, and industry leaders are taking steps to quantify the ROI.

Lola Butcher April 26, 2018

Palliative Care in the ED Improves Value

Although implementing palliative care processes in the ED is challenging initially, such care can reduce avoidable costs and unnecessary suffering.

Lola Butcher April 25, 2018