As the healthcare industry continues to evolve with regulatory pressure and economic strain, healthcare providers are increasingly caught between digital modernization and the operational inertia of legacy systems. Repetitive and manually driven workflows, as well as industry-wide trends like mounting payer-provider friction and the proliferation of AI-driven workflow tools, amplify the demand for intelligent automation. For many, the introduction of the No Surprises Act (NSA) further complicated the Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) part of the healthcare ecosystem. Neuromonitoring Associates, a third-party healthcare services provider of intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM), encountered these dual pressures. While their operations demanded modernization, the risk of abandoning legacy systems loomed large. Instead of choosing between traditional systems and innovation, the organization discovered a transformative middle ground—preserving core infrastructure while building agile automation on top with their strategic partner, Macedon Technologies. A Partner with Purpose Macedon Technologies, a Champion Premier Appian partner, focuses on designing and implementing automation solutions for high-friction, compliance-bound workflows across healthcare. Their approach, rooted in low-code platforms and AI-driven orchestration, enables a significant reduction of administrative burden, strengthens payer collaboration, and enhances RCM performance. Macedon seamlessly integrated new capabilities without displacing existing systems, delivering core value to clients like Neuromonitoring Associates. For Neuromonitoring’s President and COO, Rommy Foteh, Macedon’s approach aligned perfectly with the company’s long-standing emphasis on operational adaptability. With more than two decades of experience in neurophysiology and healthcare management, Foteh had advanced from clinical roles to executive leadership. His dual perspective at both the operational and strategic levels was pivotal in guiding the company through this transformation. Foteh noted that Neuromonitoring Associates had already been proactive in adopting automation and AI before the NSA mandate. Given the nature of their operations—with over 1,300 hospital partners nationwide—handling patient intake and scheduling required a highly flexible system. “We wanted to be easy to work with, so we built our systems in a manner to collect that information no matter how our customers wanted to send it to us,” Foteh adds. That early adoption of intelligent intake set the stage for more advanced integrations later. Meeting the NSA Moment: The No Surprises Act introduced a tapestry of regulatory demands meant to shield patients from unexpected medical bills. Initially, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) projected around 18,000 to 20,000 disputes annually. By 2024, however, CMS had recorded over 1.5 million disputes—a nearly 70-fold increase over expectations. Such a scale created an unsustainable environment for teams relying on manual processes. Neuromonitoring Associates began managing NSA disputes using spreadsheets, email threads, and manual documentation. The explosive growth quickly overwhelmed manual methods, introducing a serious risk of missed deadlines and noncompliance. Macedon Technologies stepped in with an NSA automation solution that was tailored to meet the requirements. Designed and deployed on the Appian Platform, this application handled payer email ingestion, classified incoming correspondence, automatically generated required documentation, and facilitated direct filing with CMS portals. The result was a significant reduction in manual labor hours, faster cycle times, and a fully auditable, scalable compliance workflow. Integration Over Replacement Macedon’s solution did not just stand out for its technological edge. It was differentiated for its unique design philosophy that prioritizes integration over replacement. Rather than advocating for a full remove-and-replace of legacy EMRs and billing systems, Macedon emphasized layering automation through existing infrastructure. This minimized disruption and accelerated time to value. The firm also embedded compliance controls within the solution, automating audit trails, ensuring timely filing deadlines, and utilizing AI to generate documentation templates. The platform was built for scalability, capable of adapting quickly as regulatory pressures and dispute volumes evolved. This low-code, compliance-first strategy helped Neuromonitoring Associates transform regulatory burden into structured, repeatable processes. Foteh indicated that such improvements extended beyond NSA workflows, with ripple effects beginning to shape other core business functions. NSA is a great place for people to start with automation. I think it’s probably the lowest hanging fruit and gives the biggest upside in ROI. Expanding the Automation Horizon Neuromonitoring Associates was not the only healthcare organization to benefit from Macedon’s model. A clinical oncology provider also partnered with the firm to address inefficiencies in care coordination, which were impacted by fragmented systems and manual task handoffs that slowed down decision-making and treatment planning. Macedon’s Appian-based solution unified data, automated approvals, and streamlined communication between departments. The results included improved case throughput and reduced administrative delays, freeing clinicians to spend more time on patient care. These case studies of Macedon reflect a broader pattern—when healthcare providers align automation initiatives with regulatory and operational priorities, they gain more than just compliance. In fact, they achieve measurable outcomes in cost savings, revenue enhancement, and patient satisfaction. Responsible Innovation in the AI Age As AI and Generative AI (GenAI) adoption grow exponentially, Macedon emphasizes its responsible, strategic deployment. Rather than replacing entire RCM teams, the firm advocates for augmenting human expertise with intelligent automation. For example, AI tools can now draft appeal letters, summarize complex payer correspondence, and parse large volumes of unstructured data, all while meeting compliance requirements. Macedon’s advisory engagements often stress three principles: responsible AI usage, integration with existing systems, and platform agility. Innovations never thrive in silos; Therefore, teams must adopt solutions that foster cross-functional collaboration, particularly across finance, legal, and clinical functions. Platforms should allow rapid iteration as payer rules evolve and dispute volumes fluctuate. per Foteh, the goal is not just to digitize, but to connect traditionally disconnected teams. The organization is now working to consolidate various vendor-driven tools into a single, cohesive system. By facilitating real-time communication between billing, NSA, appeals, and arbitration teams, Neuromonitoring aims to apply an automation strategy throughout its entire RCM workflow. Building the Future of Revenue Cycle Neuromonitoring Associates continues to expand its automation footprint, now focusing on unifying its appeals, billing, and NSA functions into a single system. Foteh emphasized the importance of breaking down silos, noting that valuable insights from traditional billing and accounts receivable teams can directly inform NSA and arbitration strategies. The goal is end-to-end visibility and cross-departmental coordination, leveraging automation to bridge historical gaps in the revenue cycle. Macedon supports clients in this pursuit by streamlining other high-friction workflows. For instance, automating the appeals process now includes AI-generated summaries, extraction of key clinical arguments, and instant draft creation. What once took weeks can now be completed in hours. Additional efforts include creating patient portals for direct information submission and expediting claims processes, as well as optimizing payer contract negotiation strategies. By centralizing strategy discussions, capturing documentation, and automating negotiation workflows, Macedon enables providers to approach payers with clarity and cohesion—critical in today’s complex reimbursement environment. A Model for Healthcare Transformation Macedon Technologies has positioned itself not just as a technology vendor, but as a strategic transformation partner for healthcare organizations navigating change. Beyond NSA, Macedon’s solutions demonstrate its ability to deliver governance, auditability, and transformation across heavily regulated environments like healthcare and insurance. By focusing on integration, compliance, and intelligent automation, Macedon has helped clients like Neuromonitoring Associates turn regulatory bottlenecks into competitive strengths for innovation. In a sector defined by tight margins, shifting rules, and high expectations, this partnership model stands out, proving that the path to digital transformation need not sacrifice what already works, but instead, build intelligently upon it. The post Power of Partnerships: How Macedon Technologies Accelerated Healthcare Automation for Neuromonitoring Associates appeared first on HealthTech Magazines.
Source: https://www.healthtechmagazines.com/how-macedon-technologies-accelerated-healthcare-automation-for-neuromonitoring-associates/
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