ZOLL Pulse Blog

Discover information you can use and thought leadership on trending topics in the EMS, fire, and healthcare financial industries.

How To Spot RCM Shortcomings and Act To Improve Revenue Capture

Nov 22, 2024

1 min read

For many — if not most — healthcare providers, collecting patient demographics, insurance information, copays, and deductibles prior to...

Meet the New ZOLL Dispatch and ZOLL Respond CAD Solution

Oct 1, 2024

1 min read

Providers Can Even the Playing Field During Open Negotiations – Here’s How

Oct 1, 2024

1 min read

Proactive EMS-Hospital Communication Better Prepares Providers for Faster, Safer Care

Oct 1, 2024

1 min read

Black Book Research Ranks ZOLL Billing the #1 Insurance Discovery Solution

Nov 14, 2024

1 min read

ZOLL® Data Systems has received top honors in Black Book’s annual Finance and Revenue Cycle Management survey for the second year in a row....

How Hospitals Can Improve Patient Throughput, Streamline Discharge, and Prevent Readmissions

Nov 13, 2024

1 min read

An estimated 25-30% of total healthcare spend in the U.S. can be traced to inefficient patient throughput, delayed access to treatment,...

How an Air Medical Transport Company Broke Net Cash Collection Records With RCM Optimization Tools

Nov 12, 2024

1 min read

When Classic Air Medical (Classic Air) looked to upgrade their billing software, they had two goals in mind: 1) restructure the billing...

How To Stop the Surge in Self-pay Write-offs by Finding Hidden Coverage You Can Bill Today

Nov 6, 2024

1 min read

For years, healthcare providers have witnessed explosive growth in the number of patients who are self-paying or on high-deductible health...

What To Know About Insurance Eligibility, Discovery, and Verification

Oct 29, 2024

1 min read

The healthcare industry is rife with insider acronyms and language. Take, for example, the terminology used to describe various processes...

How Practice Management Companies Can Use RCM Optimization Tools To Help Customers Get Paid Faster

Oct 11, 2024

1 min read

As payment models shift, and the healthcare industry becomes increasingly complex, efficient revenue cycle management (RCM) practices are...

Air and Ground RCM Vendor Slashed Self-pay Volume and Increased Revenue With RCM Optimization Technology

Oct 4, 2024

1 min read

Before Golden Hour® began using ZOLL AR Boost®, their workflows consisted of manual efforts to verify patient demographics and insurance...

Fire Departments Can Win More Grant Funding: Here’s How

Sep 27, 2024

1 min read

Competition, stress, and resources — these three words most likely come to mind when fire departments think about writing proposals to...

What To Consider When Making the Transition From On-premises to Cloud-based EMS Software

Sep 16, 2024

1 min read

For emergency medical service (EMS) organizations, making the jump from on-premises software to cloud-based software comes with a lot of...

5 Things Fire Departments Need To Know About the NFIRS to NERIS Transition

Aug 16, 2024

2 min read

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has recently led the development and launch of a beta version of the new interoperable fire information...

Black Book Research Ranks ZOLL® AR Boost® as the #1 2024 Insurance Discovery Solution

Aug 6, 2024

1 min read

ZOLL® Data Systems has received top honors in Black Book’s annual Finance and Revenue Cycle Management survey for the second year in a row....

Why Chase Self-pay When You Can Find and Bill Active Coverage With Help From Automated Eligibility Tools?

Jul 16, 2024

1 min read

For years, healthcare providers have witnessed explosive growth in the number of patients who are self-pay or on high-deductible health...

How To Use Automated RCM Tools and Healthcare Market Intelligence To Power Reimbursement

Jun 26, 2024

1 min read

In the hectic moments on scene, common obstacles arise that affect an EMS organization’s revenue cycle management (RCM) process. Some...

Using Statistical Analysis to Drive EMS Performance Improvement

Jun 21, 2024

4 min read

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. This is true for all organizations, but the stakes are higher for EMS agencies, whose decisions...

You Can Protect Revenue Integrity: Tips for Ground and Air Ambulance Billers Navigating Medicare

Jun 11, 2024

2 min read

Medicare can cause a lot of headaches for air and ground emergency medical service (EMS) billers. What should, in theory, be a...

How EMS Teams Can Reduce the Cognitive Workload Within the Pediatric Chain of Survival

May 17, 2024

1 min read

Emergency medical service (EMS) providers play a huge role in the chain of survival for pediatric patient outcomes. Approximately 1.14...

The Time is Now: Prevent Bad Debt With Automated Deductible Monitoring and Right-day Billing

May 8, 2024

1 min read

High-deductible insurance plans are continuing to grow in number, and patients often don’t meet their annual deductibles until much later...

Simple Steps Make All the Difference for Optimizing ePCRs for Billing

May 3, 2024

1 min read

It’s not a rare occurrence for patient care documentation to have many holes, inaccuracies, and deficiencies that make submitting clean...

Supporting Better Operational and Financial Performance With EMS-Hospital Collaboration

Apr 19, 2024

1 min read

A significant portion of healthcare spend can be traced to inefficient patient throughput, delayed access to treatment, and excess length...

How Fire and Battalion Chiefs Can Get the Data They Need for Funding, Staffing, and Safety

Apr 9, 2024

4 min read

Almost every fire department relies on some sort of software to collect data and file with the National Fire Incident Reporting System...

Rescue Squad Adopts an Intuitive CAD Solution To Ramp up Dispatch and Improve Data Visualization

Apr 3, 2024

1 min read

Princeton Rescue Squad (Princeton) was struggling with their complex, pen-and-paper process for dispatch. The manual method made data...

How EMS Agencies Can Streamline the Prior Authorization Process To Protect Revenue and Reduce Burnout

Mar 12, 2024

3 min read

The prior authorization (PA) process emergency medical service (EMS) providers endure is a story of unintended consequences. Created as a...

Make This the Year You Optimize Accounts Receivable and Capture Maximum Revenue

Feb 20, 2024

1 min read

A new year means new opportunities to set goals, reevaluate current workflows, and make the necessary changes to enhance your accounts...

Healthcare RCM Platform Delivers 10% More Collections for Customer Using Real-time Insurance Discovery

Jan 31, 2024

1 min read

Inovalon, a provider of cloud-based healthcare clinical and economic solutions, wanted to help their collections agency customer (serving...

EMS-to-Hospital Handoffs Can Be a More Streamlined Experience

Jan 25, 2024

1 min read

The transfer of care from emergency medical service (EMS) to the hospital emergency departments (ED) is often a chaotic process.i Some of...

Your Agency Isn’t Getting Paid: Here’s What You Can Do

Jan 23, 2024

1 min read

You might be surprised at how many billing challenges are common for every agency. Issues that cause payment delays or denials are the same...

5 Ways to Achieve Revenue Integrity and Avoid Payment Delays

Jan 5, 2024

2 min read

Revenue integrity is the goal of every billing department. If an agency can achieve this goal, its documentation will stand up to the...

Providers: Take Back Power During Payer Contract Negotiations

Dec 19, 2023

1 min read

Covering reimbursement rates, medical necessity, credentialing, and prior authorization (PA), payer-provider contracts are key to emergency...

Meet the New ZOLL Dispatch and ZOLL Respond CAD Solution

Dec 14, 2023

1 min read

When seconds count, it’s imperative that call takers and dispatchers have the right tools in place to get the optimal level of care out to...

Providers Can Even the Playing Field During Open Negotiations – Here’s How

Nov 28, 2023

1 min read

Emergency medical service (EMS) providers are facing ongoing challenges when it comes to receiving the maximum reimbursement rate from...

E-Care Uses Full Cloud-based EMS Solution Suite to Streamline Operations

Nov 15, 2023

1 min read

Based in Key Largo, Florida, E-Care Ambulance (E-Care) launched as a small, but fast-growing service offering BLS, ALS, and critical care...

Data Interoperability Drives Better Coordination of Care in Emergent Patient Transitions

Nov 13, 2023

1 min read

Everything that happens in an ambulance has a huge impact on what happens to a patient in a hospital. Unfortunately, handoffs between...

Proactive EMS-Hospital Communication Better Prepares Providers for Faster, Safer Care

Nov 8, 2023

1 min read

The data obtained by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) on-scene sometimes is not translated into optimal hospital care during handoffs....

News Alert: ZOLL Claims Clarity Data Service for Healthcare Providers Delivers Claims Data To Foster Market Transparency and Support Data-driven Negotiation and Decision Making

Oct 30, 2023

1 min read

Healthcare reimbursement practices are under scrutiny, and payment levels are declining for providers from emergency medical services (EMS)...

Collect More Revenue Faster: The Pivotal Role of Clear, Concise, and Complete Documentation

Oct 17, 2023

1 min read

Electronic patient care reports (ePCRs) should paint a vivid picture; if it is not documented, it didn’t happen! Documentation is the key...

Gain More Confidence and a Stronger Position During Open Negotiations and IDR

Oct 10, 2023

1 min read

Since the No Surprises Act (NSA) has gone into effect, emergency medicine (EM) physicians and emergency medical service (EMS) air ambulance...

News Alert: Cloud-based, Integrated CAD Solution Helps EMS Dispatchers Respond Faster and Make Data-driven Decisions

Sep 22, 2023

2 min read

Continuing its mission to design software and data solutions that help EMS agencies improve performance from dispatch to discharge, ZOLL®...

How One EMS Agency Cut Expenses and Improved Compliance While Spending 10% Less Time on PCRs

Sep 18, 2023

1 min read

Monroe Ambulance’s (Monroe) providers often had challenges surrounding their patient care reports (PCRs) and wanted a morestreamlinedway to...

How the Prior Authorization Process Tests Patients, Providers, and Profits

Aug 30, 2023

1 min read

The prior authorization (PA) process was created as a utilization management tool for insurance companies and patients. However, it has...

How Multi-company Billing Creates a New Revenue Path for EMS Agencies

Aug 2, 2023

3 min read

For smaller EMS agencies, difficulties with billing can have a multi-faceted effect on all areas of business. Small agencies may be dealing...

How Bi-directional Data Exchange Delivers Insights That Improve the Continuum of Care

Jul 25, 2023

2 min read

Access to comprehensive patient data throughout the continuum of care is a major interest for multiple stakeholders. Emergency department...

Mayo Clinic Ambulance Leverages Data From an Integrated Solution Suite to Improve Patient Care — ZOLL Pulse Award Winner

Jun 29, 2023

1 min read

Mayo Clinic Ambulance (Mayo Clinic) pursued an integrated platform that would allow them to advance patient care, medicine, and service,...

St. Luke’s Emergency & Transport Services Increases Staff Productivity and Boosts Morale with Integrated Solution Suite — ZOLL Pulse Award Winner

Jun 28, 2023

1 min read

St. Luke’s Emergency & Transport Services (SLETS) needed to meet a demand of 25,000 yearly patients accounting for 5,000 transport requests...

Virtua Improves Response Time, Reduces Spend, and Grows Their Health System — ZOLL Pulse Award Winner

Jun 27, 2023

1 min read

With two separate, siloed counties to manage, Virtua Health Patient Logistics (Virtua) found an opportunity to better control its data and...

JFK EMS Cultivates a Culture of Quality Care Through Seamless Feedback — ZOLL Pulse Award Winner

Jun 26, 2023

1 min read

JFK University Medical Center (JFK EMS) needed a patient documentation software solution to better support their QA/QI processes. With a...

Improve EMS Patient Satisfaction and Self-pay Balance Collections by Using a Modern Payment Platform

May 31, 2023

3 min read

Patient satisfaction is a difficult puzzle for EMS providers to piece together. Medics are driven by a sincere desire to help people, but...

The Power of Data: How To Effect Positive Changes in Clinical Care

May 19, 2023

2 min read

In a recent ZOLL Data Systems webinar, three clinical managers from the JFK University Medical Center (JFK EMS) in New Jersey shared their...

How Emergency Medicine Providers Can Mitigate Self-Pay Collection Challenges

Apr 26, 2023

1 min read

Across the country, emergency medicine providers are strapped by workforce gaps and swamped by a rising tide of patient visits to the...

Tips for Making Compliance with Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection Requirements Easier

Apr 20, 2023

1 min read

With reporting deadlines looming for the Medicare Ground Ambulance Data Collection System (GADCS), it’s of vital importance to understand...

Strategies and Tips for Capturing Optimal EMS Reimbursement

Mar 31, 2023

1 min read

When EMS agencies maximize reimbursement revenue from patient transports, they help keep their organization financially strong so that they...

6 Ways to Power Up Your Clinical, Operational, and Financial Performance at ZOLL Summit 2023

Mar 27, 2023

3 min read

ZOLL® Summit is back this June and is bigger and better than ever. As our largest and longest running educational event of the year, ZOLL...

How a Fire Department Used the New ZOLL emsCharts App to Solve Problems with Charting in the Field

Mar 21, 2023

2 min read

Paper-based charting in the field is still the norm for EMS and Fire medics. Logging into a browser-based ePCR system simply isn’t...

Tips for Managing the Surge of Patients About To Lose Medicaid Coverage

Feb 28, 2023

1 min read

What happens when millions of people lose healthcare coverage in one year? That’s the question healthcare providers are apprehensively...

How Our Agency Turned a COVID Crisis Into an Opportunity To Embrace Remote Dispatching

Feb 21, 2023

4 min read

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, our dispatch team was hit hard with the virus. Five dispatchers tested positive for COVID,...

Mobile Companion App Transforms the Way Medics Chart Patient Care From the Field

Feb 17, 2023

2 min read

ZOLL® Data Systems has unveiled the latest innovation for its flagship, cloud-based ePCR software, ZOLL emsCharts.® A new mobile companion...

Proven Ways EMS Agencies Can Minimize Impact and Maximize Reimbursement From Self-pay Accounts

Jan 27, 2023

2 min read

“Self-pay accounts are leaving EMS agencies “hanging by their fingernails.” So says Maggie Adams, President of EMS Financial Services.It’s...

How To Navigate the 2023 AMA Evaluation and Management Changes Like a Pro

Jan 20, 2023

1 min read

Understanding recent, nuanced changes to American Medical Association (AMA) coding standards will be essential for maintaining financially...

Should Your Agency Bring EMS Billing In-house?

Jan 16, 2023

2 min read

Is it worth it to bring your EMS billing in-house? Sooner or later, every organization that outsources its billing and collections...

5 Things You Need to Know About NEMSIS v3.5

Jan 11, 2023

2 min read

As the new year begins, most states are preparing to, or already have, released their National EMS Information System (NEMSIS) v3.5...

EDI, AI, Robots, and Machine Learning: Demystifying Healthcare Software Automation

Dec 20, 2022

1 min read

Facing an increasing number and complexity of claims, many healthcare organizations are hoping that software automation can provide billing...

5 Best Practices To Enhance Efficiency and Optimize Reimbursement Under CPT® E/M Coding and Guideline Changes

Dec 16, 2022

3 min read

Along with a new year, January 1 will usher in watershed changes to the American Medical Association’s (AMA) “Current Procedure Terminology...

App Lets You Keep Charting Through the Chaos

Dec 8, 2022

4 min read

Suited for providers’ personal devices, ZOLL® emsCharts® NOW is streamlined for contemporaneous use even when there’s no connection.

Technology Fills the Revenue Cycle Skills Gap and Enhances Financial Performance

Nov 29, 2022

1 min read

Ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) have had to weather multiple storms in recent years. First, when procedure volume dropped during the...

6 Steps to a Better Patient Experience Through Financial Transparency

Oct 31, 2022

3 min read

When patients receive attention and care on the financial portion of medical care, along with quality patient care, it can reduce stress,...

CAD, Comms Center and ePCR Data Provide Critical Insights Needed to Reform EMS Processes and Protocols

Sep 29, 2022

1 min read

The EMS industry is experiencing unprecedented challenges, including staffing shortages and unsustainable revenue models. Matt Zavadsky,...

3 Ways ASCs Can Speed Up the Prior Authorization Process

Sep 1, 2022

2 min read

The demand for accessible, convenient outpatient procedures is growing. At the same time, ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) are contending...

Using Data to Understand Pre-pandemic Enrollment Patterns and Protect At-risk Patients During Medicaid Redetermination

Jul 28, 2022

2 min read

When the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) expires, it will be a pivotal time for providers, payers, and patients. As state Medicaid...

The Transformational Effects of Charitable Financial Screening For ASCs

Jul 19, 2022

1 min read

Despite staffing shortages and increasing patient volumes, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are still expected to provide high-quality...

Golder Ranch Fire District Increases Collections by 5% and Saves 30 Hours Per Month of Staff Time — ZOLL Pulse Award Winner

Jun 10, 2022

1 min read

Golder Ranch Fire District (GRFD) leadership wanted to ensure that they were maximizing the functionality of RescueNet® Billing software...

City of Allentown EMS Achieves Exceptional Financial Performance and Workflow Efficiency with Move to Cloud-based Billing Software — ZOLL Pulse Award Winner

Jun 9, 2022

1 min read

City of Allentown EMS (Allentown EMS) management had a vision for moving to a cloud-based billing solution to support the growing need to...

UMC EMS Modernizes Crew Communications, Sharpens Response Times, and Reduces Operating Costs — ZOLL Pulse Award Winner

Jun 8, 2022

1 min read

University Medical Center’s (UMC EMS)service area has been steadily growing, and agency leadership recognized the need for a...

TransCare Improves Patient Care and Access to Wellness Services While Reducing Unnecessary 911 Calls — ZOLL Pulse Award Winner

Jun 7, 2022

1 min read

TransCare Medical Transportation Services (TransCare), a division of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, has a mission “to ensure that no one...

Mutual Aid EMS Deploys New Integrated Software System to Improve Response Times, Operations, and Compliance — ZOLL Pulse Award Winner

Jun 6, 2022

1 min read

Mutual Aid EMS operates 14 ambulance stations across a 924 square-mile service area. Agency leadership saw tremendous opportunity to...

How Collecting Payment for Inspections is Changing the Fire Industry

May 10, 2022

1 min read

In a recent webinar, Pasco County Fire and Rescue (PCFR) Fire Marshal, Justin Frum, discussed how his team overcame the challenges...

Purpose-Built, Integrated Platforms Are the Future of Telemedicine

Apr 26, 2022

1 min read

Telemedicine is becoming standard practice for many healthcare providers. According to Dr. David Ernst, president of telemedicine innovator...

How Medical Groups Can Tune up Front-end RCM Processes and Capture More Revenue

Apr 22, 2022

2 min read

Medical groups are facing unprecedented cost increases as well as lost revenue that can never be recaptured. While many groups focus on...

Automated Demographic Verification Should Be Every Laboratory’s First Line of Defense Against Revenue Leakage

Apr 12, 2022

1 min read

Many laboratories face financial challenges due to persistent downward pricing pressure, making it essential to capture payment on all...

How To Use AR Optimization and Patient Engagement Technology to Counteract ASC Staffing Shortages

Apr 1, 2022

1 min read

The staffing crisis prompted by COVID-19 is unlikely to be resolved in the foreseeable future. When key positions can’t be filled in a...

Compliance Accreditation and Patient Safety with Pre-hospital Emergency Care

Mar 18, 2022

1 min read

In Emergency Departments (ED) and Intensive Care Units (ICU) in the U.S., more than half of critically ill patients arrive via ambulance....

5 Simple Steps That Help You Avoid Costly Billing Mistakes, Improve Your Bottom Line, and Reduce Patient Anxiety

Mar 3, 2022

4 min read

(7 min read) When providing healthcare services — whether that be in the pre-hospital (EMS) or traditional hospital setting — we are...

Strategies for Reducing Payment Uncertainty With Less Effort and More Satisfaction

Feb 24, 2022

2 min read

In a recent webinar hosted by Healthcare Business Management Association (HBMA), AR optimization expert, Juli Smith, discussed the growing...

Conquering Billing Challenges Early in the Patient Encounter

Feb 23, 2022

1 min read

Healthcare providers are striving to meet rising demand in their communities but are feeling the burden of prior authorization get heavier....

Six Reasons You Can’t Miss ZOLL Summit 2022

Feb 22, 2022

3 min read

ZOLL’s largest educational event of the year, ZOLL Summit, brings hundreds of EMS, Fire, and healthcare professionals from all over the...

Why Rapid Access to EMS Data Is Essential for Excellence in Cardiac Systems of Care

Feb 17, 2022

5 min read

In a cardiac system of care, STEMI-referring hospitals and STEMI-receiving centers rely on accurate, timely communication and coordination...

Demystifying Proper EMS Billing for Hospital Inpatient Transports Part 3: How Much Must the Hospital Pay?

Feb 15, 2022

1 min read

This post is Part Three of a three-part series. View Part One | View Part Two. In part one of this three-part article series, we looked at...

Demystifying Proper EMS Billing for Hospital Inpatient Transports Part 2: Medicare Bundling Rules

Feb 8, 2022

5 min read

This post is Part Two of a three-part series. View Part One |View Part Three. In the previous installment of this three-part article...

Demystifying Proper EMS Billing for Hospital Inpatient Transports Part 1: Who’s the Payer?

Feb 1, 2022

3 min read

This post is Part One of a three-part series. View Part Two |View Part Three One of the areas of ambulance billing that can pose challenges...

Using ZOLL Respond for Effective Communication

Jan 28, 2022

2 min read

Effective communication in emergency medical services provides two-way and real-time capabilities, delivering messages efficiently to and...

Billing Survival Strategies: Medicare Advantage and Medicaid Managed Care

Jan 20, 2022

1 min read

(2 min read) As the demand for Medicare Advantage and Medicaid managed care grows, so do the rules and regulations — which means more...

Short-staffed ASCs Can Ease the Burden of Prior Authorization and Do More With Less

Jan 18, 2022

1 min read

(2 min read) Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs) do an exceptional job of collecting patient deductibles, co-pays, and other patient...

Are You Secure? Cyberattacks and Security Issues for EMS in 2021

Jan 11, 2022

3 min read

The effects of a cyberattack on an EMS agency, software vendor, or third-party billing company can be devastating. In 2021, information is...

How and Why Bringing EMS Billing In-house Could Be Right for You

Jan 4, 2022

1 min read

If you currently outsource your billing and collections functions and are considering bringing them in-house, you’ll want to assess whether...

Progressive Communications Centers Can Improve the Patient Experience and Transform Outdated EMS Economics

Jan 3, 2022

1 min read

(2 min read) The current emergency medical services (EMS) economic model follows a pay-per-transport system. Insurance agencies and...

Using Mobile Devices for Connected Communication Transforms EMS Dispatch

Dec 28, 2021

4 min read

Co-Written by Mike McKevitt, Director, Product Management

Maximize Reimbursement and Minimize Bad Debt With Deductible Monitoring Technology

Dec 22, 2021

2 min read

(3 min read) In recent years, the healthcare industry has seen a rise in high-deductible insurance plans. In 2020 47% of covered workers...

Using Dispatch Protocols To Avoid Revenue Loss and Compliance Risk

Nov 19, 2021

3 min read

(4 min read) Dispatch protocols are critical for complying with Medicare rules and maximizing legitimate reimbursement from the largest...

The Critical Role Communication Centers Play in the EMS Transformation

Nov 9, 2021

6 min read

(9 min read) Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a communications center worker answered an emergency call from a caller who relayed...

Labs of All Sizes Can Benefit From Employing Revenue-enhancing Best Practices

Nov 8, 2021

1 min read

(2 min read) The COVID-19 lockdown caused a rapid drop-off in routine labs and specialty testing. Even those that were processing COVID...

Complete Patient Documentation Earns More Revenue and Mitigates Liability Risk

Nov 4, 2021

2 min read

(3 min read) During the 2021 ZOLL Summit Series ePCR & Fire event, quality assurance analyst and clinical educator, Jason Haag, spoke about

Lessons Learned From EMS Documentation Legal Case Studies

Nov 2, 2021

3 min read

(4 min read) Emergency Medical Service (EMS) documentation continues to be one of the most vexing challenges for EMS practitioners and...

Custom Reports Inform Your Quality Improvement Initiatives With Data-driven Insight

Oct 19, 2021

3 min read

(5 min read) If you learn to leverage the custom reports function for your ePCR system, you can stay focused on critical issues while...

What Radiology Practices Need To Know About the No Surprises Act

Oct 14, 2021

2 min read

(3 min read) Large, unexpected medical bills are increasingly at the forefront of patients' minds. Surprise billing situations occur when a...

COVID, Competition, and the Cloud Push the Industry Toward EMS 4.0

Sep 14, 2021

4 min read

(6 min read) EMS 3.0 introduced the concept of transforming the Emergency Medical Services industry from emergency response and transport...

Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and the Potential Revenue Cycle Win for Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Aug 19, 2021

1 min read

(2 min read) Data science made advances toward artificial intelligence (AI) for years, which encouraged scientists to believe the dream of...

The History of NEMSIS 3.5 and How a Data-driven Industry Saves More Lives

Aug 17, 2021

3 min read

The Evolution of NEMSIS, the National EMS Information System (3 min read) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) built...

Now Is the Time to Make the Transition to Electronic Charting

Aug 10, 2021

4 min read

N.Y. State 2022 CME Recertification Requirements Signal Shift Toward ePCR

Data Sharing Myth: HIPAA Prevents Bi-directional Health Information Exchange

Aug 9, 2021

4 min read

Misconceptions About HIPAA Have Created an Artificial Barrier to Bi-directional Data Sharing Between EMS and Hospitals

NEMT Market Disruption Spells Opportunity for Hospitals and EMS Agencies

Jul 29, 2021

5 min read

(6 min read) Non-emergency medical transport (NEMT) is a growing, multi-billion-dollar industry. According to Frost & Sullivan, the total...

5 Critical Medicare Updates Every EMS Agency Should Know

Jun 30, 2021

3 min read

(5 min read) For many years, EMS agencies and advocacy groups like the American Ambulance Associates (AAA) have been battling for adequate...

Understanding How to Get Paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs for Ambulance Transports

Jun 24, 2021

2 min read

(3 min read) Getting reimbursement for ambulance transport from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can be challenging. For...

Top 6 Tips for Optimizing EMS Reimbursement, Care Quality, and Staffing

Jun 23, 2021

3 min read

(4 min read) Technology is transforming how the healthcare industry manages revenue, reimbursements. Claims processing is central to any...

Hold for Deductible: Why “Zero Day Billing” Is No Longer the Goal

Jun 18, 2021

2 min read

(3 min read) The lay of the land in EMS billing used to be “Zero Day Billing.” This meant that emergency medical service (EMS) agencies...

How to Demystify Slow Revenue Capture, High Denials, and Too Many Write-offs

Jun 17, 2021

4 min read

(6 min read) Billing for emergency medical services (EMS) is tricky in the best of circumstances. In emergent situations, patients may or...

ZOLL® Pulse Award Winner Helps Tucson Agency Increase Payments by 12%

May 27, 2021

3 min read

(3 min read) The ZOLL Pulse Awards, first launched at the 2017 ZOLL Summit, recognizes professionals who improve operational efficiencies...

Hosted Computing Eases Orderly Transition to SaaS Solutions

May 26, 2021

4 min read

(5 min read) There are many reasons that business applications are moving to the cloud, or Software as a Service (SaaS) model. One of the...

ZOLL® Pulse Award Winner Helps Florida Agency Achieve Higher Levels of Operational Performance

May 21, 2021

3 min read

(5 min read) The ZOLL Pulse Awards, first launched at the 2017 ZOLL Summit, recognizes professionals who improve operational efficiencies...

How To Humanize Data and Empower Every Position in Your EMS Organization

May 20, 2021

4 min read

(6 min read) When was the last time you heard your field-level providers talking about unit hour utilization (UHU), time on task, and other...

Spring Cleaning for Your EMS Billing

May 14, 2021

1 min read

(2 min read) The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more important than ever for EMS agency billers and managers to conduct their annual reviews...

Tools and Strategies to Improve Revenue and Reduce Administrative Burden

May 6, 2021

1 min read

(2 min read) “One overarching thing I think that we are struggling with today as healthcare providers is payment uncertainty. We really...

Are Your Key Performance Indicators Costing You Money? (Part 3)

Apr 29, 2021

4 min read

Co-written by Scott A. Moore, Esq., Principal, Moore EMS Consulting LLC A Critical Look at How Common KPIs Are Being Used (or Misused) by...

Hospitals Can Improve Patient Outcomes by Using HL7 to Transform Collaboration With EMS

Apr 28, 2021

3 min read

In the unfortunate event that you or a loved one is transported by ambulance to a hospital for emergency care, wouldn’t you want the...

The No Surprises Act: Preparing Your Practice for the Coming Challenges and Opportunities

Apr 27, 2021

2 min read

Co-written By Juli Smith, Director, ZOLL Data Systems

Stop Relying on the Patient for Accurate and Timely Payer Information

Apr 22, 2021

2 min read

(3 min read) When it comes to billing and revenue cycle management (RCM) services, as an industry, we have been doing the same things for...

Aggregating COVID-19 Data for a More Holistic View of the Pandemic

Apr 20, 2021

2 min read

(3 min read) In March 2021, Greg Howard, Director of National Interoperability Sales at ZOLL Medical Corporation, and Mario Sanchez, ...

Why Healthcare Is Taking its Business to the Cloud

Apr 15, 2021

5 min read

(7 min read) As consumers, where do you and your families interact with cloud-based software? For many consumers, it started with taxes. ...

Healthcare Credit Checks Benefit Patients and Providers Alike — So What’s the Controversy?

Apr 12, 2021

2 min read

(4 min read) When a patient checks in to see a new healthcare provider, there is the inevitable package of new patient paperwork. Along...

5% of Your Self-pay Patients Likely Have Medicare Coverage

Apr 8, 2021

2 min read

Gaps in demographic and insurance information are commonplace. Patients are often mislabeled as self-pay despite the presence of billable...

Retroactively Discover, Verify, and Bill Medicaid Coverage for Hospital Encounters

Apr 5, 2021

1 min read

(2 min read) In 2019, almost 50% of all insured individuals were insured through employer sponsored plans. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the

Data Analysis Drives Better Decision Making and Increased Revenue

Mar 15, 2021

3 min read

(5 min read) Hospitals, emergency medical services (EMS) agencies, and other healthcare providers need accurate, complete, and reliable...

The Patient’s Financial Experience: Trends, Innovations, and Challenges

Mar 11, 2021

1 min read

Juli Forde, Director of Strategic Partnerships, AR Optimization at ZOLL® Data Systems partnered with Jonathan Wiik, Principal, Healthcare...

5 Timely EMS Billing Tips for Navigating 2021

Feb 23, 2021

4 min read

(7 min read) Have you ever lost your glasses only to find them on top of your head? The habit of putting them there has become so routine,...

Are Your Key Performance Indicators Costing You Money? (Part 2)

Feb 19, 2021

5 min read

Co-written by Scott A. Moore, Esq., Principal, Moore EMS Consulting LLC A Critical Look at How Common KPIs Are Being Used (or Misused) by...

Emotional Strain and Mental Health: Using ePCR Data to Transform the EMS Culture

Jan 28, 2021

4 min read

Long shifts, low pay, and repeated, vicarious traumas are givens for paramedics and other EMS professionals. Enduring the physical and...

Implement These Best Practices for Improving Comms Center Performance

Jan 26, 2021

2 min read

Step into any dispatch communications center, and you’ll witness a familiar buzz of activity which, to the untrained eye, can look like...

How Emergency Medicine Physicians Can Increase Revenue in 2021 With Medicare PFS Cuts Looming

Jan 21, 2021

1 min read

In August 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed Medicare annual payment rule for 2021. This rule...

Reducing Emergency Department Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) in 2021

Jan 19, 2021

1 min read

In 2020, emergency department volume reductions and an increase in uninsured patients have caused financial ripple effects through the...

The Cash Pay Lie and Other Costly Realities

Jan 15, 2021

1 min read

In an effort to maintain or increase patient volume and reduce collections costs, physician groups increasingly are offering substantial...

Participating in the ET3 Model? Here’s What You Need to Know About NEMSIS Reporting Requirements

Dec 22, 2020

3 min read

With thousands of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies throughout the U.S., there are inevitably hundreds or even thousands of...

How NEMSIS v3.5.0 Can Propel the EMS Industry Forward

Dec 21, 2020

4 min read

New National Data Reporting Elements for Improving Patient Care and Driving Evidence-based Progress in EMS’ Role in the Healthcare Ecosystem

Emergency Medicine is Facing the Imperfect Storm in 2021

Dec 17, 2020

2 min read

The proposed Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) for 2021 increases reimbursement for office and outpatient E/M codes and thereby reduces the...

Billing Medicare and Private Payers for Telehealth Visits: What to Expect Post-Public Health Emergency

Dec 14, 2020

1 min read

The American Medical Association (AMA) and many other organizations are actively advocating for continued support of telehealth...

Are Your Key Performance Indicators Costing You Money? (Part 1)

Dec 9, 2020

5 min read

Co-written by Scott A. Moore, Esq., Principal, Moore EMS Consulting LLC

Using ePCR Bio-Surveillance and Geospatial Data to Improve EMS Operations

Dec 2, 2020

2 min read

From COVID-19 hot spots to opioid overdoses, EMS agencies must evaluate community health data in new ways and more frequently than ever...

Tips for EMS Agencies to Resolve Today's Patient-Pay Accounts

Nov 24, 2020

3 min read

Everywhere I go, ambulance providers, billing companies, and billers ask, “Why do patients think that ambulance service is free?” Across...

Data Sharing Myth: HIPAA Prevents Bi-directional Health Information Exchange

Nov 17, 2020

4 min read

Misconceptions About HIPAA Have Created an Artificial Barrier to Bi-directional Data Sharing Between EMS and Hospitals

What’s Next? More EMS Billing in the COVID Environment

Nov 13, 2020

2 min read

Like all other providers in the healthcare ecosystem, emergency medical services (EMS) agencies have been impacted in many ways by the...

New Perspectives Call for New EMS Practices in 2021

Nov 2, 2020

4 min read

Undoubtedly, things have changed as a result of COVID-19. What were once accepted practices are no longer sufficient. EMS agencies must...

Now Is the Time to Make the Transition to Electronic Charting

Oct 22, 2020

4 min read

N.Y. State 2022 CME Recertification Requirements Signal Shift Toward ePCR

How to Boost Billing Performance and Patient Satisfaction

Oct 20, 2020

4 min read

(6 min read) Today, healthcare providers are under increased pressure to ensure a positive patient journey - one that prioritizes the ...

EMS Billing in the COVID-19 Environment

Oct 13, 2020

2 min read

(2 min read) In April 2020,the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) conducted a survey to assess the early impact...

Offering Patient-centric Payment Plans Increases Provider Collections by More than 11%

Oct 6, 2020

1 min read

(2 min read) Most healthcare providers report offering patient payment plans. The plans are popular; approximately half of consumers state...

Look Who’s Paying for Treatment without Transport

Sep 22, 2020

3 min read

How Efforts at the State Level Are Blazing the Trail for Community Paramedicine Reimbursement

Leveraging Technology to Augment the EMS Billing Process and Experience

Sep 16, 2020

4 min read

Is Now the Time to Re-engineer the EMS Billing Process?

COVID-19 Workforce Impacts and Data Collection: A Study in Collaboration

Sep 9, 2020

6 min read

(8 min read) In early 2020, the concept of the novel coronavirus was nothing more than a whisper in New Jersey EMS agencies. It was...

Interoperability Has Come a Long Way, but There Is Much to Be Done

Sep 3, 2020

5 min read

(8 min read) 2020 has been an interesting year, and at the time of this writing, it’s only September. I am sure the word of the year will...

4 Questions About How the COVID-19 Medical Leave Impacts EMS Agencies

Aug 31, 2020

4 min read

(6 min read) Without a doubt, COVID-19 has presented EMS agencies with multiple challenges that collectively are some of the most...

How to Optimize Revenue Cycle Management Technology: Best Practices from the Experts

Aug 26, 2020

1 min read

In a recent report by HIMSS Healthcare IT News, five healthcare revenue cycle technology experts offer perspectives on best practices for...

How to Verify Patient Eligibility Under the HRSA Uninsured COVID-19 Program

Aug 13, 2020

3 min read

In early April, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced that a portion of the $100 billion CARES Act Provider Relief...

EMS Compliance Lessons from a $10M Medicare Ambulance Fraud Scheme

Aug 11, 2020

3 min read

(4 min read) Several recent cases have shown that the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the...

Not Your Traditional EMS Call: Documentation and Billing for Telehealth Consults

Aug 6, 2020

3 min read

(5 min read)

Three Ways Every EMS Agency Should Be Leveraging ePCR Data

Aug 4, 2020

4 min read

Your ePCR is a vast repository of data. So, what are you going to do with it?

Connected Communication Using Mobile Devices Transforms EMS Dispatch

Jul 30, 2020

4 min read

Co-Written by Mike McKevitt, Director, Product Management

Leveraging Multiple Data Streams to Accelerate Reimbursement and Enable Agile Operations

Jul 22, 2020

5 min read

(7 min read) Consider this scenario: a child enters the hospital emergency department with a broken collar bone, sustained while at play....

How EMS Providers Can Spend CARES Act Relief Funds and Prepare for an Audit

Jul 14, 2020

5 min read

Broad HHS Guidance Covers Coronavirus Response and Lost Revenue

Mitigate the Impact of Volume Loss by Optimizing Accounts Receivable

Jul 9, 2020

3 min read

Proven Best Practices and Solutions to Effectively Mine Past Accounts Receivable (5 min read) Amid COVID-19, hospitals and providers alike...

The National EMS Assessment: Ten Years Later

Jul 1, 2020

4 min read

2020 NASEMSO Survey Reflects Evolution of EMS Industry

Guarding Against (More) Revenue Loss

Jun 18, 2020

3 min read

By Maggie Adams

Improve ET3 Outcomes with Information Best Practices and Data Exchange

Jun 16, 2020

5 min read

Innovating Revenue Streams During COVID-19: Four Telehealth Best Practices

Jun 4, 2020

2 min read

Written By: Juli Forde (3 min read) As healthcare providers continue to manage unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 crisis, making...

How to Prevent Revenue Loss During COVID-19

May 21, 2020

3 min read

Unanticipated situations like the COVID-19 crisis present significant revenue challenges for healthcare providers. The path forward can be...

How to Minimize the Operational Impact of MBI and Increase Patient Satisfaction

May 13, 2020

3 min read

3 Reasons Cloud-Based Solutions Make Good Sense for Fire & EMS

Apr 9, 2020

2 min read

Data security is on everyone’s mind in this age of cyber criminals, malware, and ransomware. Nowhere is this truer than in the healthcare...

4 Tips for Maximizing Billing During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Mar 26, 2020

2 min read

(3 min read) Using your software tools to maximize billing efforts during these difficult times may not be top of mind right now, but I...

COVID-19 Patient Documentation to Improve Outcomes and Protect EMS Crews

Mar 13, 2020

1 min read

With COVID-19 cases on the rise, first responders must address a new set of concerns relating to patient care and crew safety. The CDC has...

Three Metrics Guiding Progressive Change within EMS

Mar 11, 2020

4 min read

A look at where we’ve used data in the past and how we’re using it now to improve performance in the prehospital and in-hospital settings.

Four Actionable Takeaways from the First Ambulance HIPAA Settlement

Mar 5, 2020

1 min read

Written By: Ryan Stark

Three Ways for Billing Departments to Handle Financial Hardships

Feb 19, 2020

2 min read

Written by: Maggie Adams (3 min read) Self-pay accounts are an ongoing frustration for billing departments. The best billing system can’t...

Five EMS Technology Improvements that Will Shape the Next Ten Years

Feb 13, 2020

2 min read

“The only constant is change,” paraphrasing the ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus. In the world of technological and engineering...

Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers Accelerate Claim Payment

Feb 11, 2020

3 min read

(4 min read) On January 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) made the formal shift to the use of Medicare...

Being Paid vs. Being Paid Correctly: The Difference Can Be Costly

Feb 5, 2020

2 min read

(4 min read) It’s no secret that being paid for the service you provide is the goal for most ambulance systems. After all, reimbursement is...

5 Blogs from SUMMIT 2019 Speakers to Help Get You Pumped for SUMMIT 2020

Jan 29, 2020

2 min read

(3 min read) We had a fantastic lineup of speakers at SUMMIT 2019. While we get ready to announce our speakers for 2020, we wanted to look...

The Never Quite Forgotten Compliance Risk

Jan 22, 2020

3 min read

(6 min read) Medicare usually pays the largest portion of ambulance claims. But when viewing medical transportation - ambulance combined...

ROI from CQI

Jan 15, 2020

2 min read

(4 min read) CQI involves more than just checking reports to make sure that the “red” went away, it’s a continuous process focusing on...

Time Check on Your Company's Best Practices

Jan 9, 2020

3 min read

(4 min read) As we head into 2020, it is a good time to get a check-up. I’m not talking about a trip to your doctor, I’m suggesting a...

Spotlight on SUMMIT 2020’s Keynote Lineup

Jan 7, 2020

2 min read

ZOLL is excited to announce our keynote speaker lineup for SUMMIT 2020! The three-day event, scheduled for June 9-11 at the Sheraton in...

6 Simple Cybersecurity Tips for EMS Agencies

Dec 11, 2019

1 min read

(2 min read) EMS agencies are very attractive targets for cybercriminals. But, there are easy steps you can take to better protect your...

Mobile “Interoperable” Healthcare: An Alternative Definition to “MIH”

Dec 4, 2019

3 min read

We’re used to hearing about ‘interoperability’ in terms of communications, but how about its use in information exchange?

Response Times: We Did it to Ourselves (And Now We Need to Change It)!

Nov 13, 2019

3 min read

What response times can tell us (if we gather the data accurately) (5 min read) Nine minutes or less, 90% of the time – or whatever...

Achieving Revenue (Tri)Cycle; Not (Uni)Cycle

Nov 6, 2019

2 min read

(3 min read) When people hear the phrase “revenue cycle,” words like "billing," "collections," and "payment" typically come to mind. While...

Accounts Receivable (A/R) Management: Working With Patients and Third-Party Payers

Oct 31, 2019

5 min read

(7 min read) The most common question I get is, “Why do our accounts receivable keep growing?” Problems with unpaid claims, denied...

Train Your New Gal (and Old Guy) on Documentation

Oct 29, 2019

3 min read

(5 Min Read) Let's face it, a one hour of discussion about threatening lawsuits or a courtroom credibility shredding during someone's...

5 Ways to Empower Millennials in the EMS Workforce

Oct 22, 2019

4 min read

(6 min read) Co-Written by Logan Sullivan and Rabecca Sembrat We continue to see research showing that Millennials are the most educated...

How Using Dispatch Protocols Can Avoid Revenue Loss and Compliance Risk

Oct 16, 2019

3 min read

(4 min read) Dispatch is an area that seems to generate a lot of misunderstandings and confusion, especially as it relates to Medicare...

Using Audit Results and Your Data to Improve Compliance

Oct 9, 2019

3 min read

Audits sometimes get the reputation of being a bad thing or a dirty word. But an audit, whether you’re doing it yourself, hiring someone to...

EMS and Fire: Unique Challenges and Solutions

Sep 25, 2019

4 min read

How Chris Davison of Tucson Fire tackles challenges and optimizes for efficiency (6 min read) Chris Davison has been the Ambulance Billing...

Risk Management: Beyond ‘Checking the Box’

Aug 29, 2019

3 min read

(4 min read) EMS workers carry heavy responsibility time and time again—on a daily basis. Every mile of ambulance operations, their eyes...

The EMS Provider Wellness Puzzle

Aug 14, 2019

5 min read

Fitting the pieces together for an overall picture of health (7 min read) Over the past few years, the focus of EMS research, best...

Automate these processes to save yourself time in EMS

Jul 30, 2019

3 min read

(4 min read) He fires the flaming arrow into the void of darkness inside the cave before him. Hercules was not generally considered a weak...

ePCR Can Make or Break You

Jul 25, 2019

3 min read

(4 min read) At this year’s ZOLL Summit conference, I presented a session on the pros and cons of e-pcr systems. This session covered...

ZOLL Pulse Blog

How To Spot RCM Shortcomings and Act To Improve Revenue Capture

Featured Blog Articles