July 17, 2007 (Nashville, TN) ---Tennessee hospitals should find it easier to make
intelligent decisions regarding self-pay and underinsured patients and better manage their
accounts thanks to a new relationship between the THA Solutions Group and Franklin, TN
healthcare services company nTelagent, Inc.
nTelagent’s web-based Self-Pay Management System is the industry’s premier solution for
managing all patient responsibility situations. The system significantly improves the handling of
financial accounts for both healthcare providers and their patients. After evaluating the offering,
THASG selected nTelagent to be its endorsed vendor for self-pay management solutions.
"We believe nTelagent to be an excellent company that has developed a truly unique approach
for one of our industry’s biggest problems," says Jim Byrd, vice president of the THA Solutions
Group. “I can’t remember the last time I saw hospital CEOs get this excited about a solution.
“
Self-pay is the portion of the medical bill for which the patient is responsible for payment. This
includes co-pays and deductibles for insured patients and the full medical bill for uninsured
patients. Historically, the vast majority of self-pay accounts were comprised of uninsured
patients. With the shift to "consumer driven" healthcare plans with higher co-pays and
deductibles for traditional insurance plans and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) with
significantly higher co-pays and deductibles, a greater portion of self-pay accounts are derived
from insured patients. Also, an increasing number of individuals who have the financial capacity
are opting not to purchase health insurance. For example, approximately 11 million people in
the US with annual incomes in excess of $50,000 do not have health insurance. nTelagent gives
healthcare providers the tools and processes necessary to manage all types of self-pay
accounts, both for uninsured patients and the growing level of insured patients.
"We are honored to have been selected by THASG as a Recommended Solutions Partner,"
says Earl Winter, CEO of nTelagent, Inc. “The nTelagent organization is looking forward to
providing healthcare providers with the ability to make better decisions concerning patient
responsibility accounts earlier in the process, which will ultimately lead to decreased bad debt
and improved patient relations.”
There are about 139 acute-care hospitals operating in Tennessee, and most of them are
members of the THA. All members will have access to the nTelagent Self-Pay Management
System. The average implementation period is from 4 to 6 weeks and usage fees are based
upon volume of patient registrations. The member hospitals are informed of the solution through
joint marketing efforts of nTelagent and the THA Solutions Group.
The solution is designed to help ensure that a fair and equitable approach can be employed for
both patient and provider. For self-pay patients, nTelagent’s system helps ensure that their
accounts are handled properly and consistently from the point of service and offers discounting
and charity care, as is appropriate, based upon the individual healthcare provider’s business
rules and accounting policies. For healthcare providers, nTelagent’s system ensures
improvement in up-front cash flow, receivables, and overall profitability by reducing bad debt
and improving the revenue cycle process for patients who must pay a portion of the bill through
co-pays and deductibles.
nTelagent is healthcare services company based in Franklin, TN that is privately funded by a
group of seasoned healthcare investors. An early investor in nTelagent is Marty Rash, former
founder, chairman and CEO of Province Healthcare Company, a publicly-held hospital
management company (formerly NASDAQ:PRV) acquired by LifePoint Hospitals, Inc.
(NASDAQ:LPNT) in 2005. Chris Hannon, former CFO of Province, is also a key investor in the
Company. Other investors include Joel and Frank Gordon, through their investment firm,
Crofton Capital; Jeff Rice, a healthcare entrepreneur and physician; and Laura Campbell, a
private investor who was founding executive director of the Nashville Health Care Council.
nTelagent’s investors are actively involved in the growth and development of the Company. For
more information, visit www.ntelagent.com.
THA, established in 1938 as a not-for-profit membership association, serves as an advocate for
hospitals, health systems and other healthcare organizations and the patients they serve. It also
provides education and information for its members, and informs the public about hospitals and
healthcare issues at the state and national levels. THA is the premiere organization in
Tennessee that promotes and represents the interests of all health careers, hospitals and health
systems. For more information, visit www.tha.com.
While THA fulfills its advocacy and representation responsibilities as a not-for-profit trade
association, it also operates several businesses through THA Solutions Group, the association's
proprietary corporation. THA Solutions Group endorses management and professional
programs which are offered on a fee-for-service basis for the benefit of THA members. These
programs include revenue enhancement, group purchasing, recruiting, management services,
an insurance agency and various other solutions designed to provide management assistance
and information decision models to the hospitals. For more information, visit
www.tha.com/thasg.htm.
For nTelagent - Laura Campbell
CEO, Laura Campbell & Associates
laura@laura-campbell.com
615-579-6599
