Information Technology Services

Since August 2004, University of Utah Health Plan subscribers have been able to view and print an electronic version of claim history and Explanation of Benefits (EOB) information, including co-payments, type and date of services, and amounts paid to the provider by the Health Plan. See http://uuhsc.utah.edu/uhealthplan. The online EOB also allows the Business Office the ability to conduct electronic searches for research purposes.

In the outpatient clinics, eCharge tickets have replaced multiple paper forms, and are printed at the point of service making them easier to update.

Patient charges in the Physician Billing system are now tied to the patient on a visit-by-visit basis rather than to the patient’s primary insurance carrier. The new Visit Management module within IDX helps ensure that patients are billed correctly and reduces the number of insurance provider errors.

ITS staff have been heavily involved with the technical implementation and support of the Hospital-wide Supply Chain Initiative. The replacement of ESI with the Lawson/RPM purchasing, payables, and materials management system has had the most wide-spread customer impact, with more than 500 employees across the hospital and clinics receiving training.

Other new systems implemented under the Supply Chain umbrella include Qsight - a web-based inventory management system for the Cath Lab and Interventional Radiology, and an install to Omnilink RX at the University Hospital and Huntsman Cancer Hospital to support medication orders transmitted as PDF files to the Pharmacy. This install has resulted in a more efficient receipt and accuracy in filling the orders. Automed is now the primary mechanism for labeling and packing medications in the University Hospital, Orthopaedics Center, South Jordan Health Center and Union Pharmacies, and with the D21 implementation pharmacy supplies are automatically replenished based on system inventory levels.

Assistance with the Concuity contracting system implementation helped identify $8 million in underpayment from payers.

After an extensive review process, Siemens was selected as the “vendor of choice” for the Hospital’s new enterprise-level patient scheduling, registration and billing system.