Medical Billing Driving the Future of Pharmacy
Clinical pharmacist Jennifer Griffin explains how Harps Food Stores successfully implements medical billing for clinical services, highlighting revenue cycle management, CPT codes, and workflow delegation.
Jennifer Griffin, Pharm.D., M.S., serves as a clinical pharmacist for Harps Food Stores, Inc., where she specializes in medical billing, point-of-care testing, treatment workflow, and the marketing of clinical services. As a clinical pharmacist with Harps Pharmacy, a division of Harps Food, a regional chain based out of Springdale, Ark. — with 39 pharmacies across Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma — that has successfully implemented medical billing practices, Griffin’s transition to medical billing was a natural progression. Her journey began at her first job in a medical clinic, where she was responsible for verifying patient eligibility and benefits.
“I do urge every pharmacist to learn and truly understand this medical billing process, instead of passing it off to a company that says it can do it all for you. I just want pharmacists to be cautious in this area. This is an opportunity for us to have complete control of our billing, where there are no DIR [direct and indirect remuneration] fees, no spread pricing. Let’s take control of the billing process.” – Jennifer Griffin, Pharm.D., M.S.
According to Griffin, the foundation of successful medical billing is understanding the revenue cycle management process. Each step in the revenue cycle management process is a critical step, because if you skip or delay a step, it will disrupt the entire process. Another important aspect is to delegate nonclinical tasks to pharmacy technicians.
