Interview: Jack Nixon of CMRE Financial Services, Inc

Q. What are the advantages/disadvantages of focusing solely on healthcare?

A. We only consider it an advantage to solely serve the healthcare industry.  Our experience in all phases of assisting both the provider and the patient in clearing financial responsibilities for healthcare services gives us the expertise in establishing the true responsibility.  We are compliant in all phases of revenue cycle management.  Our personnel are Certified Healthcare Account Managers.  Our company is an MDHBA Certified Business, and we are HIPAA compliant.  We carry E&O coverage and all of our personnel are trained and kept current with all the new laws and requirements concerning revenue cycles of the healthcare industry.

It’s a long laundry list – but it shows our commitment to this line of business.  Once you’ve made that commitment to service healthcare accounts, it’s difficult, and not terribly effective, to branch out into other lines of collections.

Q. What effect, if any, do you think single-payer healthcare might have on medical collections?

A. Medical collections will always be a problem regardless of single-payer or multi-payer insurance plans.  The problem is that the politicians are trying to convince the public that they will have no financial responsibility.  What politicians are overlooking is that it’s the physicians that serve the patients’ needs.  Medicare-Medi-Cal is already capitated reimbursements for physicians.  Any government control – either State or Federal – will ruin the physicians segment of the healthcare industry, especially the specialist.

I speak as a patient who has had excellent physician care since I was 16 years old.  What makes the politicians think they can promise and provide quality medical care when they wish to restrict payment for it?  Since when has healthcare become an entitlement instead of a responsibility of the patient’s?  Healthcare is requested when needed, not to be used as a daily remedy.

Q. Does an agency’s size hinder its ability in collecting?  Or do you think that businesses prefer smaller, family-owned operations?

A. I believe that the size of the operation is not as important as the quality and expertise of the personnel and management team that sets the bar.  With the increasing variety of requirements with which companies must comply, I believe experience and dedication to the healthcare portion of our industry gives those who maintain up-to-date knowledge, continue to upgrade their service and technology, as well as coming changes, will best serve the healthcare industry.