Optimizing check-in reimbursement programs is a crucial aspect of any business that operates within the fitness industry.
These are lucrative programs that bring in members who otherwise may not come to your facility. Still, the process can sometimes be time-consuming and challenging with many facilities struggling to ensure accuracy when reporting and reconciling their programs. This is due to a variety of factors, including unreliable data entry by staff members, multiple program types, varying reimbursement rules, and long, difficult-to-type fitness benefit IDs.
Managing reimbursement programs can be a daunting task if you don’t have resources dedicated to their success. The process often involves a web of paperwork, contracts and reporting requirements that can be off-putting for those new to the industry. In addition, loosely-administered reimbursement programs can be costly to manage, requiring significant investments in personnel, technology and other resources.
In fact, a recent case study revealed nearly half of the records had some sort of critical data entry error blocking payment for membership, resulting in thousands of dollars lost in revenue each month. Additionally, payers often struggle to alert facilities about invalid or expired benefit IDs, and most third-party payers lack an easy method to help fitness centers reconcile payments to active and termed memberships.
Implementing a System
To address these issues, it’s recommended businesses consider working with a purpose-built middle layer or clearinghouse to validate and revalidate member benefit IDs before engaging in services. This heavy front door approach ensures only eligible members are allowed access in the first place, minimizing the risk operators take when offering covered memberships.
Using next-generation automation tools to further streamline the reimbursement process will help your business get the most out of these programs. In addition to a robust real-time eligibility engine, businesses can get better insight with reconciliation processes that do more than send check-in files to payers. Actionable reporting provides clear insights on over and under-utilized memberships and pinpoint payment discrepancies. Visibility from this reporting is key to measuring success of these programs and can help reduce the risk of lost revenue, ensuring businesses are reimbursed accurately for their services.
The bottom line is businesses can streamline the reimbursement process by implementing a system to reduce errors and ultimately save time and money. This frees them to focus on providing high-quality fitness services to their members and growing their business rather than wasting valuable resources on administrative tasks.
