MHCC Reports on Improvements to Financial Status

MAY 12, 2025 |

Photo – MHCC – Bigfoot99 file photo

Last week, administrators from Memorial Hospital of Carbon County highlighted improvements being made to the facility’s financial status.

On Tuesday, May 6^th, the medical center’s Revenue Director, Felicia Kimble, addressed the Board of Carbon County Commissioners. Kimble opened her presentation by stating that Memorial Hospital maintains a patient registration accuracy rate of 97%, exceeding the industry standard of 95%.

Kimble reported that in March, medical bills of patients took too long to be processed. The Director of Revenue Cycle said the hospital is working with its billing company, Amplify Revenue Cycle Management, to address the billing delays.

Kimble made note of other improvements. She said delays for “Discharged, Not Final Coded” bills decreased to 4.1 days in April.

According to the healthcare revenue management website RevenueCycleReport.com, medical bill coding should take between three and four days.

Kimble said the hospital is owed $2.4 million in Discharged, Not Final Billed payments.

The Director of Revenue Cycle next discussed Memorial Hospital’s clean claim rate, or the percent of medical bills that are submitted without errors the first time. Kimble said hospital administrators are focused on raising the medical facility’s clean claim rate above 80%. In March, the hospital fell short of that benchmark by two percent.

MDClarity.com, another healthcare revenue management website, reports the industry standard for clean claim rates in hospitals typically falls between 85% and 95%.

Kimble said hospital staff are being trained to collect payments from patients at the time of service, either before or immediately after they receive medical care.

Kimble said Memorial Hospital has improved its processing system and has reduced the delay in receiving payments for bills. The Director of Revenue Cycle reported the hospital has reduced the payment processing time from patients and insurance companies by 45 days over the past nine months.

Memorial Hospital’s accounts receivable, or AR, for bills past due by more than three months is twice the target goal. Accounts receivable refers to the outstanding payments owed to the facility for medical services provided to patients. The Director of Revenue Cycle said hospital administrators and Amplify Revenue Cycle Management are searching for a solution.

Commissioner John Espy said according to Kimble’s report, 21.7% of Memorial Hospital’s medical bills contain errors. Commissioner Espy asked how that percentage relates to the medical facility’s revenue troubles.

Kimble explained the bills are eventually paid, but they are often delayed by several months. Memorial Hospital Chief Executive Officer Kerry Ashment noted these late payments have affected the medical center’s financial stability and Kimble is actively working to resolve the issue.

Commissioner Espy pointed to a lack of communication between Memorial Hospital and Amplify Revenue Cycle Management. The commissioner asked what the hospital is doing to prevent patients from being double charged or having their bills wrongfully sent to collections.

Director of Revenue Cycle Kimble said she has used the billing errors as an opportunity to train hospital staff to better understand the payment system.

Kimble said she handles the majority of patient complaints in order to identify where problems lie and develop methods to fix the issues.

The Director of Revenue Cycle reported the cash collected by the hospital has improved from $1.9 million in March to $2 million in April.

CEO Kerry Ashment said the goal is to improve Memorial Hospital’s finances. While turning around the cash-strapped medical center will take time, Ashment said progress is underway.

Ashment said he was hired to reduce Memorial Hospital’s financial burden on the county, a goal he is actively pursuing.