We believe Zimmerman is uniquely qualified to support our members in achieving improved outcomes, whether the assignments are research-based or operational in nature. Our effectiveness is the result of a combination of the depth and breadth of our process improvement capabilities and techniques and the following key principles that guide our firm: 

Revenue Cycle Management Requires A Holistic Approach: We come to our engagements with a core belief: the revenue cycle is a complex process that starts with scheduling and registration and ends when each encounter is resolved. As long as the process is broken, overly complex, mired in rework and plagued with structural inefficiency, results will be sub-optimal. Part of our solution is predicated on understanding that change requires a holistic approach to revenue cycle management that cuts across all significant departments, starting with pre-registration through account adjudication, in addition to infrastructure related areas such as IT, compliance, and patient satisfaction.

The Power of Applied Industry Research: We have the most extensive proprietary databases in the industry and a unique tool set to support automated analysis. Our passion for research and understanding best practice and innovation serves us, and our clients, extremely well. By systematically studying the best revenue cycle business practices, operating tactics, and winning strategies of best performers, both Zimmerman and our clients can mutually accelerate progress and improvement.

Benchmarking Needs To Be Meaningful: Since 1986, we have surveyed more than 2,000 of the nation's hospitals, cataloging the details of their revenue cycle operations and reporting the Best Practices for the hospitals by region, size, mission and market demographics. This referenced revenue cycle database is the deepest in the industry – representing an awesome competitive differentiator. Our affinity towards benchmarking has led us to a core belief that current industry indicators, like A/R Days, can be extremely misleading to financial managers and board members, resulting in a misinformed management team. As a result, we believe that providers need to use a combination of key financial and process-related indicators not typically utilized by the industry in order to gauge the true health of the revenue cycle operation.

One Size Does Not Fit All: We believe each member is unique and requires a focused approach. What works for one member may not work for another. While we use proven analytic frameworks and methodologies, how the issues are framed, how the research support is organized, and the role we play is tailored to suit each member.

Your Margin. Our Mission™: Our research initiatives have laser-like focus and discipline, which creates the most economic and strategic value possible. This is achieved by applying a value-based framework and methodology that create real and lasting income statement, balance sheet, and patient satisfaction improvement through revenue cycle best practices.

It's About Sustainability: Our research initiatives are not targeted around one time events; they are about business improvement. The strategy is to implement best practices, and then create an infrastructure and system (culture) that will grow and maintain the gains over the long haul. Getting the process right is essential, but not sufficient. Whatever the future process might look like, our members need the right support, properly aligned and tailored to that process.