HCS clients are definitely taking advantage of the recent merger and acquisition trend. An HCS client since 1989 recently acquired a 250-bed acute care facility, expanding their already diverse healthcare enterprise. The existing 450-bed hospital operates HCS INTERACTANT for accounts receivable, payroll/human resources management, general ledger, and medical records. After the acquisition, the organization faced a familiar decision on whether or not to replace the current system at the new facility or to leave the current system in place.

Many multi-site providers face these same decisions. Short term, "easy route" would be to leave existing systems in place and continue to manage the status quo. However, long-term advantages and tremendous cost savings can be achieved through the consolidation of applications. However, not all information systems have the ability to operate multiple sites.

The organization researched new and existing software applications. After an extensive year-long analysis, operational advantages such as automated billing, regulatory requirements, retroactive posting and billing were too important and not available with other products. No other system in their analysis equaled INTERACTANT's functionality and stability. Expansion of the health system and extending the use of INTERACTANT allowed the organization to take advantage of the multi-site reporting capability of the product.

The organization continued its partnership with Health Care Software and installed INTERACTANT in the newly acquired facility. After conversion of the new facility, the organization has achieved operational advancements and cost savings that come with centralized business office operations.