Spark, in Partnership with Three Clients, Recognized as a 2024 Adopter of HFMA’s Patient Financial Communications Best Practices

CINCINNATI, Ohio (Oct. 14, 2024) – Spark, the market leader in revenue cycle management for mid-sized to large healthcare organizations, announced today that the company, in partnership with three of its clients, has been recognized as a 2024 Adopter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association’s (HFMA) Patient Financial Communications Best Practices. As Best Practices Adopters, Spark and these organizations demonstrated they follow nearly 100 best practices covering all aspects of patient financial interactions that take place in a variety of care settings:

• Roper St. Francis Healthcare (Charleston, SC)
• Union Health (Terre Haute, IN)
• Valley Health (Winchester, VA)

This is the twelfth time that Spark, in partnership with its clients, has received this recognition. Previous recipients include:

• Adena Health (Chillicothe, OH)
• Ardent Health (Nashville, TN)
• Ballad Health (Johnson City, TN)
• Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati, OH)
• The Christ Hospital Health Network (Cincinnati, OH)
• Covenant Health (Tewksbury, MA)
• Nicklaus Children’s Hospital (Miami, FL)
• ThedaCare (Neenah, WI)
• Trinity Health of New England (Hartford, CT)

“This recognition reinforces Spark and our clients’ joint commitment to ensuring an exceptional patient experience,” said Shannon White, Spark’s Chief Operating Officer. “From intake to payment, we hardwire patient experience best practices to simplify and enhance every interaction in a truly patient-centric journey. We’re honored to partner with these outstanding providers to create a better healthcare experience for their patients and communities.”

These organizations join a select group of hospitals, health systems and physician practices that have received this first-of-its-kind, national recognition. A blue-ribbon task force developed these best practices to help improve communication between healthcare providers and consumers about financial matters. The task force included representatives from major industry groups, including the American Hospital Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the National Patient Advocate Foundation, among others. The best practices are part of HFMA’s HEALTHCARE DOLLARS & SENSE^® initiative.

“As care delivery options increase and patients become more selective about their choice of healthcare providers, patient experience is becoming increasingly important to consider across all touchpoints in the care continuum,” said Susan Milligan, Spark’s Director of Patient Experience. “The patient experience includes keeping patients informed of their financial responsibility, helping connect them to financial aid, determining if they are eligible for discounts and helping them set up payment plans if needed. Making these conversations part of your daily routine, supporting financial advocacy for patients and clearly outlining benefits prevents unwelcome surprises and creates a positive experience for your patients.”

Spark manages $35 billion in annual net patient revenue, partnering with more unique health systems than any other firm to improve revenue cycle performance and patient experience through end-to-end managed services. Spark focuses on delivering a seamless patient financial experience with a significant number of clients increasing ED and OP patient satisfaction scores, ED patient satisfaction and outpatient and registration patient satisfaction in one year.

To learn more about Spark’s dedication to patient experience improvement, click here. To learn more about HFMA’s Patient Financial Communications Best practices, click here.

About Spark
Spark Health Partners is a full-service revenue cycle management company, delivering holistic financial health for hundreds of healthcare organizations across the country. Through a combination of 11,000+ certified revenue cycle operators, data-rich intelligence and AI-infused decisioning, Spark helps healthcare organizations sustain best-practice revenue cycle operations and maximize their current technology, so providers can focus on delivering exceptional care in their communities. For more information, visit SparkHP.com.