Case Study: Transforming Payer Contract Negotiations with RateAnalyzer™

Discover how a health system experienced a seven-figure increase in annualized net revenue.

Client Overview and Challenge

A three-hospital health system wanted to enhance their payer contract negotiation strategy by drawing on the wealth of data now available through price transparency regulations.  They realized the potential of using competitive information in their analytics and negotiations but were frustrated by the complexities of working with publicly available data.  Understanding that the opportunity was too important to abandon due to their internal technical limitations, they turned to their partner, Panacea Healthcare Solutions, and deployed RateAnalyzer.

Solution: RateAnalyzer Implementation

  1. Holistic Utilization of Negotiated Rate Data: RateAnalyzer presented an all-inclusive and efficient approach to leverage CMS price transparency data from publicly available machine-readable files. By standardizing and cleansing this data, the solution provided a unified platform for accessing accurate reimbursement insights across the health system’s peer hospitals.
  2. Building Data-Backed Negotiation Strategies: RateAnalyzer empowered the health system to develop data-backed negotiation strategies. The creation of unlimited peer groups facilitated the identification of opportunities for increased reimbursement, ensuring a level playing field in negotiations against payers.
  3. Facilitating Comparative Rates: The intuitive modeling capabilities of RateAnalyzer facilitated meaningful rate comparisons across different payers and health plans. The health system gained instant access and a comprehensive view of the reimbursement landscape, allowing for the identification of patterns and trends that influenced negotiation decisions.
  4. Executive-Level Reporting: RateAnalyzer provided executive-level reports by payer, product, and service line. This allowed the health system’s leadership to review and analyze data at a macro level, with the ability to drill down to specific CPT or DRG levels for apples-to-apples comparisons.

Key Realized Benefits:

  • Informed Decision-Making

    RateAnalyzer empowered the health system’s negotiating team with accurate and reliable data, fostering informed decision-making during contract discussions.

  • Enhanced Negotiation Strategies

    By leveraging data and advanced analytics, the health system enhanced its negotiation strategies, ensuring a proactive approach to securing favorable payer contracts.

  • Competitive Edge

    RateAnalyzer provided a competitive edge by standardizing and normalizing CMS price transparency data, enabling the health system to stand out in a complex reimbursement landscape.

  • Improved Financial Performance

    The implementation of RateAnalyzer resulted in improved financial performance, with the health system achieving better negotiation outcomes.

Outcome

The health system successfully negotiated two major payer contracts by aligning their rates with rates from their peer group analysis.  This resulted in a seven-figure increase in annualized net revenue versus the payers’ initial contract proposals.

Conclusion

RateAnalyzer played a pivotal role in transforming the health system’s approach to payer contract negotiations. The solution’s ability to streamline data management, ensure regulatory compliance, and enhance negotiation strategies positioned the health system for success. The health system experienced improved financial performance, reduced risk, and a competitive edge in the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare reimbursement. With RateAnalyzer, the health system achieved its goals and secured a powerful tool for future negotiations.