5 Ways outsourcing records retrieval can save you money

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Whether insurance providers need to request medical records to support claims or attorneys need official records to put together a legal case, records retrieval has traditionally been a cumbersome and time-consuming task.

It’s something that in-house teams often struggle with, particularly in the case of smaller businesses that might not have a department dedicated to the task. If that situation sounds familiar, then outsourcing records retrieval to a dependable service provider might just save you a ton of money, and here’s how:

#1. Productivity

Employing staff dedicated solely to the task of records retrieval doesn’t come cheap, especially for smaller organizations or those which are growing fast. Often, the lack of scalability gets in the way, as existing personnel end up being overburdened by a large volume of requests.

On top of that, there can also be a lot of back and forth as requesters follow up on individual cases and track their status. It often ends up being a tedious and cumbersome task that hinders staff productivity and morale. Outsourcing eliminates that burden, freeing up time and money for your in-house team to focus on more strategic tasks that drive business growth.

#2. Accuracy

Accuracy is one of the most important things of all when it comes to obtaining medical records, particularly for attorneys trying to build a case or a medical practitioner whose patients’ health and well-being depend on it.

When you’re relying on manual processes, especially in the case of underqualified or overburdened in-house staff, there’s a much higher chance of things going wrong. For example, completing the wrong form or failing to double-check supporting data can result in costly delays, while issues with accuracy can lead to severe operational damage and harm to your reputation.

Outsourcing improves accuracy by sharing the responsibility with an organization that’s amply equipped to do the job on your behalf. They use top-notch retrieval solutions and are well-versed in industry best practices so you get the exact medical records you need for your legal case or insurance claim.

#3. Speed

Obtaining official records has always been a time-consuming process, largely because it deals with extremely sensitive information and the fact the requests must be vetted, verified, and made securely. That’s why manual review processes take so much longer, even though, for example, medical records providers are legally required to respond to requests within 30 calendar days.

But even that’s too long when your critical operations depend on it. You can save time and, consequently, money, by outsourcing the process to a records retrieval vendor who uses the right combination of human expertise and automation technology to ensure a quick and smooth operation. The best record retrieval providers use artificial intelligence and smart record searching features to quickly find specific documents within massive archives. This allows them to deliver the records you requested on time.

#4. Affordability

Having in-house staff handle your records retrieval needs is expensive, especially when you need to hire extra help during periods of increased demand. It’s often difficult to find the right balance between overburdening your existing employees and hiring more people who might end up with nothing to do a lot of the time.

Also, if you’re having an employee handle records retrieval when their core competencies lie elsewhere, then that’s a waste of talent, too. Records retrieval should instead cost a set fee per request, as it usually does in the case of outsourcing. This should include all the necessary administration, authorization, and compliance measures.

#5. Updates

In the old days, records retrieval had to be done by mail, with follow-ups on request status done over the phone. Then, along came email to speed things up, but that was far from being an ideal solution as well.

When you hire the right retrieval company, you should have access to status updates online, so you always know where you are in the process. This saves time and, again, money, by eliminating much of the back and forth and keeping you in the loop at all times. What’s more, it helps you stay on top of any potential submission errors.

Record Retrieval Solutions services organizations across the United States to provide easy records retrieval for medical, legal, school, payroll, and employment records. Call us today to find out more.

About The Author

img Chuck Dart
Chuck Dart started in the record retrieval business three decades ago. As the industry evolved from analog to digital, he recognized an opportunity to create a single, simple online solution that standardizes the record request and retrieval process across the entire healthcare industry.

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