Case Study: Altru Health System achieves 114% increase in collections with Experian Health's Collections Optimization Manager

To stay afloat financially, get smarter collections data

Altru Health System, a 262-bed not-for-profit health system in Grand Forks, ND with 20 outpatient clinics, faced growing financial strain as rising self-pay volumes and high-deductible plans left more accounts with open balances. The increase in outstanding patient payments threatened cash flow, raised the risk of bad debt, and placed a heavy burden on staff to collect in a timely, efficient way.

Altru implemented Experian Health’s Collections Optimization Manager to score and segment accounts using financial and behavioral data, plus custom variables and Medicare/Medicaid screening, so staff could prioritize high-propensity-to-pay accounts and avoid collecting on Medicaid-eligible patients. Within 10 months the system flagged more than 4,000 accounts (~$2.7M) for assistance, drove a 114% increase in collections, reduced days in accounts receivable and bad debt write-offs, and improved recovery time and staff productivity.

Altru Health System

Stan Salwei

Manager, Patient Financial Services