Creating Breathing Room in the Revenue Cycle and Fueling Human Services Impact

Overview

Center for Human Development (CHD) is a prominent human services organization serving communities across Western Massachusetts and Western Connecticut with a broad portfolio of programs that include primary care, behavioral health, addiction recovery, intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) services and many more social service areas. Like many large community-based organizations operating in a highly regulated environment, CHD understood that a strong and stable revenue cycle was essential to sustaining access to care and supporting its long-term mission of caring for people in need. With ambitious financial goals and complex operational challenges ahead, CHD sought an experienced revenue cycle ally capable of addressing issues aggressively and delivering measurable improvement.

Overcoming Revenue Roadblocks

CHD brought Netsmart clear objectives: increase net collections, improve claim submission workflows and strengthen revenue performance across service lines. Achieving those goals required navigating complexity throughout the 50+ year-old organization. Not unlike many human services organizations, CHD faced rate configuration challenges, workflow inefficiencies and claim flow issues that created friction throughout the revenue cycle. As revenue cycle leaders know, these obstacles limit visibility, slow collections and place strain on internal teams.

CHD recognized that without addressing these foundational issues, it would be difficult to support ongoing growth and continue delivering essential services in the communities it serves.

One Trusted Partner for Revenue Cycle and EHR Excellence

To stabilize and strengthen CHD’s revenue cycle, Netsmart conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the organization’s setup and engaged its revenue cycle services team alongside revenue cycle technology to deliver a balanced approach that combined human expertise and automation.

CHD leveraged an extensive suite of revenue cycle management services, including eligibility services, front-end scrubbing of errors and rejections, claims submission, back-end denials support, accounts receivable management and payment posting. This hands-on expertise was paired with the RevConnect™ clearinghouse, which enabled CHD to shape their claim submission workflows to more effectively align with state-specific requirements and evolving payment models.

Together, this combination of revenue cycle expertise and purpose-built technology created a comprehensive solution tailored to CHD’s operational realities.

CHD also benefited from having expert, best-in-class revenue cycle support aligned with their trusted electronic health record. In addition to RCM services and RevConnect™ clearinghouse, CHD uses the myEvolv CareRecord, an electronic health record purpose-built for human services. CHD also leverages Application Management Services – a service dedicated to optimizing use of Netsmart CareRecords.

Access to revenue cycle expertise through its EHR vendor gave CHD confidence that root issues related to unbilled claims, denials and configuration challenges could be addressed comprehensively.

As a result of the RCM services engagement, CHD achieved a 96% net collection rate*.

Stabilizing Collections and Rebuilding Payer Trust

As a result of the RCM services engagement, CHD achieved a 96% net collection rate*.

Improved workflows and more timely billing led to positive changes in cash flow and greater consistency in collections. Enhanced visibility into receivables and denial trends enabled CHD to identify documentation-related issues earlier and resolve claims more efficiently, including more efficient turnaround when physician input was required.

Netsmart RCM experts also played a key role in rebuilding trust and credibility with payers by providing consistent follow-through and dedicated focus on payer relations. “The Netsmart RCM services team is helping us rebuild credibility with payers,” said Amy Laroche, Director of Revenue Cycle Management at CHD. “When they say they’re going to submit or work something, they do it. It’s been lovely to have the work done and handled.”

The Netsmart RCM services team is helping us rebuild credibility with payers. When they say they’re going to submit or work something, they do it. It’s been lovely to have the work done and handled.”

Amy Laroche, Director of Revenue Cycle Management at CHD

Transforming a Vulnerable Program Into an Operational Success

One of the most impactful outcomes was the turnaround of CHD’s Early Intervention program’s billing and collections. Previously considered a vulnerable service line, the program experienced rapid improvement once claims filing was thoroughly understood and addressed. Within a few months, the program moved from ongoing billing challenges to smooth operations. As billing issues subsided, the program saw significant improvements in state-mandated reporting for Early Intervention, as well as positive trends in revenue collections and a reduction in revenue-related concerns.

With operational pressure reduced, CHD gained valuable breathing room within its revenue cycle. Improved workflows and correction processes helped prevent the same mistakes from happening, allowing internal teams to focus on regulatory changes and emerging trends rather than ongoing rework. “Our relationship with the Netsmart RCM services team allows us to focus on the constant regulatory changes that impact our business,” noted Madhu Dutta, Vice President of Information Technology at Center for Human Development. “When the Netsmart team puts proactive and dedicated focus on the regular aspects of revenue cycle like sending a bill and managing denials, our team can focus on the developing trends that impact us doing business.”

Our relationship with the Netsmart RCM services team allows us to focus on the constant regulatory changes that impact our business.”

Madhu Dutta, VP of Information Technology at CHD

The Winning Combination of Human Expertise and Innovative RCM Technology

On the technology side, RevConnect™ clearinghouse business rules transformed the clearinghouse from a transactional tool into a strategic enabler for CHD’s revenue cycle and compliance operations. The ability to define payer-specific logic at the claim detail level allowed CHD to handle complex scenarios such as differing CPT code requirements across payers within a new state payment model.

As Laroche commented, “The Netsmart team is highly efficient at gathering requirements quickly and translating those examples into the specific business rules needed to deliver a successful outcome.”

Eligibility workflows within RevConnect™ clearinghouse also streamlined insurance verification by removing the need for multiple payer logins.

By combining dedicated human expertise with adaptable revenue cycle technology, CHD strengthened its financial foundation and positioned itself to navigate an increasingly complex regulatory environment with confidence.

When you need to make decisions quickly and accurately because cash is being impacted, RevConnect™ clearinghouse is wonderful.”

Amy Laroche, Director of Revenue Cycle Management at CHD

Above All: Care Finds a Way

For CHD, the partnership delivered more than operational improvement. It created clarity, stability and the ability to focus resources where they matter most: supporting the communities they serve.

*Comparing cash posted to the collections target from December 2024 through November 2025.