CMDS Management provides full administrative services to behavioral health providers in the State of Maryland. Recognizing the increasingly complex environment in which these providers must operate, CMDS Management was created to offer extensive services aimed at reducing the management burden programs experience.
Regulatory and credentialing requirements become increasingly stringent each year. Medical claims and chart auditing are expected to see dramatic increases in depth--this is one reason the State of Maryland adopted its strategy of behavioral health Medicaid claims being processed and vetted by an Administrative Services Organization.
CMDS has found that these challenges can best be met through the creation and implementation of extensive IT solutions (provided by our sister company, Topgallant Software). Our software works with your medical claims clearinghouse. Our services start with claims billing, but that is almost the least of what we do. What we offer is almost a "turn key" solution, whereby CMDS handles your administrative and back office functions, allowing you to focus on the "program," which is to say the provision of quality health care services.
Claims billing; "deep" chart auditing before billing; extensive performance and productivity reports; interactive EMR forms, which our software audits electronically, continuously; provider "dashboards," which show each provider, each day, exactly what they must focus on that day; complete human resources services; bookkeeping (optional); payroll (optional); and much, much more. The only "administrative" matters CMDS does not handle relate to the facility itself--such as, security, housekeeping, and facility management.
Contact us for a demonstration of how we do business. Just imagine being able to respond to the next Medicaid/Medicare, OPTUM or Behavioral Health Administration audit with little more of your time than referring the matter to us to address. Our service model makes such audits a simple routine, and without surprises.
Letter from the President
My background is in finance, particularly involving cutting edge transactions of enormous complexity. I left that world 25 years ago, to retire. But, I decided to work with a long term friend, a minister in East Baltimore. He had a vision of creating a new behavioral health program and needed some help—financial, legal, media, etc.
The new program grew to be the largest, perhaps in the world, but surely in the United States. I was only involved in the start-up, however.
Eventually, due to the ever-increasing complexities of running such an enterprise, he needed my help again. Which it was my pleasure and privilege to provide. Assistance with straightening out billing, finance, human resources, etc — I was expecting to address these matters and go back to retirement.
But, I quickly saw that such programs needed a 21st century approach to their administration, and not merely my episodic assistance.
These behavioral health programs are just plain HARD to run. Billing (at the time, involving seven managed care organizations) was a nightmare of ever-changing rules/processes/policies; staff morale in a difficult environment, providing services to a difficult clientele; increasingly demanding regulations and licensing requirements; the exigency of providing more services — none of this seemed to me amenable to the usual 20th century solution of just hiring more staff. We needed TECHNOLOGY.
Implementing EMRs, custom software of our own creation, eliminating many supervisors and relying on software that deep audits charts, our own customized electronic billing, and much, much more — the highly successful implementation of these innovations is why the CARF surveyor described the program as having “by far the most sophisticated management” she had “seen in 40 years or surveying programs.” She went on to say that the program “should be a national model.”
Well, it should be just that. And making that a reality for your program is the mission of CMDS Management, along with its sister company, Topgallant Software. Together, through centralized administration and the economies of scale available therewith, these companies can give you what you need to make your behavioral health program better—than it is now, and better than it would otherwise be tomorrow. And far more profitable, providing free cash flow for remodeling, innovation, providing additional services, etc.
I know such promises may sound a little audacious. But, give me a call and we will demonstrate our technology for you — at your program or our new offices in Fulton, MD. You can decide for yourself if our 21st century solution makes sense — for you. After all, the behavioral health program business environment is only going to get more technically challenging, and not less so.
Sincerely yours,
Kevin Pfeffer, president