As proven knowledge hub and resource center, Zimmerman’s research is based on the following set of research pillars:

The Revenue Cycle Burden: The revenue cycle is a complex, inter-disciplinary process that touches many parts of the organization.  Maintaining sufficient operating margins is a formidable task, and revenue cycle optimization is a key lever to attaining sufficient margins. Zimmerman aims to enable healthcare revenue leaders to find a balance between providing the best care available, achieving superior patient satisfaction, and maintaining healthy operating margins through the adoption of best practices.

Zimmerman’s Vision: Zimmerman provides its members with an offering grounded in best practices that produce significant economic and strategic value, resulting in sizeable return on investment for these members.  Detailed strategies and tools enable the membership community to successfully implement best practices in their own organizations.  Zimmerman’s vision is to be recognized as the primary source of revenue cycle education for healthcare providers.

Taxonomic Organization Around Net Revenue Yield: The taxonomic organization of practices that result in positive net revenue yield and significant return on investment provides Zimmerman’s membership community with the capability to experience sustainable revenue cycle improvements.  In its pursuit of offering members sustainable improvements to healthcare revenue management, Zimmerman only researches practices that impact organizations’ balance sheet, income statement, or patient satisfaction.  If practices do not affect these three areas, members will not encounter them in any of Zimmerman’s work. 

Deliberate Research Methodology and Iterative Processing: Zimmerman’s research is guided by one focus – developing industry research work around best practices that produce economic and strategic value for its members, backed by data-driven analysis.  This research is done through surveys, polls, and focus groups.  Studies of best practices and detailed interviews also allow Zimmerman to provide the membership community with the best objective, independent research available.  With an eye on the future of healthcare revenue management, Zimmerman dedicates a portion of its research work to future-forward strategies.  Iterative processing of all the research and analysis is utilized to ensure its accuracy.

Provider-Only Membership: Zimmerman exists to serve one group: healthcare organizations across the country.  Zimmerman does not supply other third parties such as consultants or vendors with its research.  Research is exclusively conducted and its results reserved for all of Zimmerman’s members.