Home | Directions | Find a Job | News | Choose a Department

Albany Med Today

Back to PR

Financial System Will Streamline Billing


Called Soarian Financials, the system standardizes and simplifies the billing process starting when a patient first seeks treatment. It integrates with the medical records database to allow a seamless flow of both billing and medical information from scheduling and registration, to billing and collection.

“The new system is a major opportunity to support patient-centered care and reduce costs through more efficient business practices,” said Carol McDonald, vice president of patient financial services and co-leader of the project. “It helps us to present information more clearly to patients regarding their bills.”

McDonald and a team consisting of representatives from across the Medical Center have been working for more than a year with experts from Siemens, the project consultant, to ensure a smooth transition from the old system to the new one.

Staff members have been training to be ready for the new software. “The system is not difficult to learn to use and it will help us to serve patients better by processing their information faster and more accurately,” said Mary Kerwood, patient access manager.

“We also will be more efficient because the financial data will flow through the system in real time rather than in batches that have to be uploaded daily.”

But more than a patient billing tool, the new system touches virtually all aspects of the Medical Center’s operations.

“This is a completely new approach to health care financial management that goes beyond traditional patient accounting systems, allowing us to better track performance and meet our financial goals long into the future,” said McDonald.