The first blog in this series introduced the revenue cycle journey. Now let's look more closely at the crucial first step of this journey, collection of patient information—such as demographic data and the reason for the patient’s visit—at the front desk. Simple as it seems, errors made when collecting this information are common reasons for claim denials by insurance payers. Front office staff also need to verify insurance coverage. To support this effort, your practice management system should incorporate a remote transaction server (RTS) that connects with payer systems, allowing you to validate patient benefit eligibility, determine coverage, and estimate patient responsibility via online access. This eliminates the need to call payers individually or log in to separate payer websites. It can also help you collect the patient’s co-pay, up front. Preauthorization is an important part of registration. Insurance payers commonly require preauthorization for medical procedures other than a primary care physician visit. If you don’t obtain it, the physician will not be paid. Here are a few helpful hints to keep in mind: