Your Revenue Cycle Management Data Template

Epic Resolute
Your Revenue Cycle Management Data Template

Your Revenue Cycle Management Data Template

This template provides a comprehensive guide to collecting the necessary data for optimizing your Revenue Cycle Management process. It outlines essential data attributes, key activities to track, and practical guidance for extracting this information from your source systems. Use this resource to ensure you have all the data points required for effective process analysis and improvement.
  • Recommended attributes to collect
  • Key activities to track
  • Extraction guidance
New to event logs? Learn how to create a process mining event log.

Revenue Cycle Management Attributes

These are the recommended data fields to include in your event log for comprehensive Revenue Cycle Management process analysis and optimization.
3 Required 6 Recommended 11 Optional
Name Description
Activity Name
ActivityName
The name of the specific event or task performed within the revenue cycle management process.
Description

This attribute describes a single step in the revenue cycle, such as 'Charges Captured', 'Claim Submitted to Payer', or 'Payment Received'. Each activity represents a distinct milestone in the process of billing and collecting payment for a service.

Analyzing activities is the foundation of process mining. It allows for the visualization of the process map, identification of common pathways, discovery of bottlenecks between steps, and measurement of conformance to standard operating procedures.

Why it matters

Defines the steps in the process map, making it possible to visualize, analyze, and optimize the flow of work in the revenue cycle.

Where to get

This is typically derived from event logs, audit trails, or status change records within Epic Resolute's billing and claims modules.

Examples
Charges CapturedClaim Submitted to PayerPayment ReceivedAccount Closed
Billing Event
BillingEvent
The unique identifier for a single service or product delivery that generates a charge, serving as the primary case identifier.
Description

The Billing Event is the core identifier that connects all activities within the revenue cycle for a specific billable item. It begins when a service is rendered and concludes when the account is fully settled or closed.

In process mining analysis, this attribute is essential for reconstructing the end-to-end journey of each charge. It allows for the tracking of activities like charge capture, claim submission, payment posting, and denial management for individual billing events, providing a clear view of the process flow and its variations.

Why it matters

This is the fundamental Case ID, crucial for linking all related process steps together to analyze the complete lifecycle of revenue generation and collection for each service.

Where to get

This is often a unique identifier for a hospital account (HAR) or a specific charge session in Epic Resolute. Consult Epic Resolute documentation for specific tables like HAR or Charge Session records.

Examples
BE10098765BE20012345BE30054321
Event Timestamp
EventTimestamp
The precise date and time when a specific activity or event occurred.
Description

The Event Timestamp records the moment an activity took place. This temporal data is critical for understanding the timing and sequencing of events in the revenue cycle.

In analysis, timestamps are used to calculate durations between activities, such as charge capture lag or payment posting time. They enable the discovery of bottlenecks, measurement of cycle times, and analysis of process performance over different time periods. Accurate timestamps are essential for nearly all time-based KPIs and dashboards.

Why it matters

This attribute is essential for calculating all time-based metrics, including cycle times and durations, which are fundamental to identifying delays and inefficiencies.

Where to get

Found in transaction or event log tables within Epic Resolute, associated with each recorded activity. Fields are often named with suffixes like Dt, DTTM, or Time.

Examples
2023-04-15T09:30:00Z2023-04-16T11:05:21Z2023-05-01T14:00:00Z
Adjustment Reason
AdjustmentReason
The reason for a manual or automated adjustment made to a patient's account balance.
Description

This attribute explains why an account balance was changed outside of a standard payment or charge. Reasons can include contractual allowances with payers, small balance write-offs, or corrections for posting errors.

This is essential for the 'Account Adjustment Volume By Type' dashboard. By analyzing adjustment reasons, organizations can identify sources of revenue leakage, understand the impact of payer contracts, and spot potential inefficiencies or errors in the billing process.

Why it matters

Provides insight into revenue leakage and billing accuracy by explaining why account balances are being modified, helping to reduce unnecessary write-offs.

Where to get

Located in the transaction details for adjustment entries within Epic Resolute's patient accounting module.

Examples
Contractual AllowanceSmall Balance Write-OffDuplicate Charge Correction
Billing Department
BillingDepartment
The department or functional team responsible for the billing event or activity.
Description

This attribute indicates the organizational unit, such as 'Inpatient Billing', 'Outpatient Billing', or 'Denial Management Team', that is associated with the billing event or performed a specific activity.

This dimension is crucial for the 'Billing Department Performance Metrics' dashboard, enabling side-by-side comparisons of key metrics like denial rates or charge capture times. It helps management identify high-performing departments, standardize best practices, and allocate resources effectively.

Why it matters

Enables performance benchmarking across different departments, helping to identify best practices and areas needing improvement or additional resources.

Where to get

This information might be linked to the user record, the patient account, or the service location within Epic Resolute.

Examples
Cardiology BillingRadiology RCMCentral Billing Office
Denial Reason Code
DenialReasonCode
A standardized code indicating the reason a payer denied a submitted claim.
Description

When a payer rejects a claim, they provide a reason code that explains the denial, such as 'Non-Covered Service', 'Duplicate Claim', or 'Requires Additional Information'. These codes are often standardized as Claim Adjustment Reason Codes (CARCs).

This attribute is the cornerstone of the 'Claim Denial Rates And Reasons' dashboard. Analyzing the frequency of different denial codes helps identify the root causes of denials, such as credentialing issues, coding errors, or missing pre-authorizations, enabling targeted improvement initiatives.

Why it matters

Directly explains why claims are being rejected, providing actionable insights needed to reduce denial rates, prevent revenue loss, and accelerate payments.

Where to get

This data is found in the claim response transactions (like an ANSI 835 file) received from payers and stored within Epic Resolute's claims management module.

Examples
CO-16: Claim/service lacks informationOA-18: Duplicate claim/servicePR-96: Non-covered charge(s)
Outstanding Balance
OutstandingBalance
The remaining amount of money due from the payer or patient for the billing event.
Description

This attribute represents the current accounts receivable balance for a specific billing event at the time of the activity. It reflects the financial status of the case throughout its lifecycle.

The outstanding balance is critical for financial reporting and for the 'Outstanding Balance Aging Report'. Analyzing this value over time and by different dimensions like payer or department helps prioritize collection efforts, manage cash flow, and assess financial risk.

Why it matters

Directly measures the financial impact of process delays and is essential for prioritizing collections, managing cash flow, and understanding accounts receivable.

Where to get

This is a core field on the patient account or hospital account (HAR) record in Epic Resolute. It's a running balance that is updated by financial transactions.

Examples
1500.00250.750.00
Responsible User
ResponsibleUser
The identifier of the user or employee who performed the activity.
Description

This attribute captures the user ID, name, or employee number of the person responsible for completing a specific task in the revenue cycle. This could be the clinician who entered charges, the biller who submitted a claim, or the collector who followed up on a denial.

Analyzing by user helps identify top performers, pinpoint training needs, and understand workload distribution. It is key for performance management and for investigating process deviations associated with specific individuals or roles.

Why it matters

Allows for performance analysis by individual or role, helping to identify training opportunities, workload imbalances, and resource-related bottlenecks.

Where to get

Typically found in audit trail or transaction logs within Epic Resolute, often linked to a user master data table (e.g., EMP record).

Examples
j.doebsmith123User7890
Service Type
ServiceType
The category or type of medical service that was rendered.
Description

This attribute classifies the billable service, for example, as 'Radiology', 'Surgery', 'Consultation', or 'Emergency Room Visit'. It provides clinical context to the financial data.

Analyzing the revenue cycle by service type can uncover process variations specific to certain clinical areas. For instance, surgical procedures may have more complex charge capture and authorization requirements than a standard office visit, leading to different process behaviors and challenges.

Why it matters

Provides clinical context to financial data, enabling analysis of how different types of medical services impact the revenue cycle process and its efficiency.

Where to get

Derived from the charge description master (CDM), service line, or department associated with the charge transaction in Epic.

Examples
Inpatient SurgeryOutpatient RadiologyEmergency Services
Adjusted Amount
AdjustedAmount
The monetary value of an adjustment transaction.
Description

This field records the specific dollar amount of an account adjustment. It can be a positive or negative value, representing a credit or debit to the account balance.

This amount is the primary metric for the 'Account Adjustment Volume By Type' dashboard. Summing this value by adjustment reason provides a clear picture of the financial impact of different types of adjustments, such as how much revenue is written off due to contractual obligations versus how much is lost to correctable errors.

Why it matters

Quantifies the financial impact of account adjustments, making it possible to measure revenue leakage and the cost of billing inaccuracies.

Where to get

Located in the financial transaction detail tables in Epic Resolute, associated with adjustment-type transactions.

Examples
-1250.45-50.0025.10
Claim ID
ClaimId
The unique identifier assigned to an insurance claim submitted to a payer.
Description

This attribute is the specific ID for the claim form (e.g., a CMS-1500 or UB-04) sent to a payer. A single billing event might involve multiple claims if services are rebilled or appealed.

Tracking by Claim ID is useful for detailed analysis of the claim submission and denial management sub-processes. It helps distinguish activities related to the initial claim from those related to a subsequent, resubmitted claim for the same service.

Why it matters

Provides a granular identifier for tracking the lifecycle of each specific claim submission, which is crucial for analyzing resubmissions and appeals.

Where to get

Generated by Epic Resolute's claims management module when a claim is created. It is stored in the claims data tables.

Examples
CLM-2023-98765CLAIM-0012345623189A4567
Event End Time
EventEndTime
The timestamp indicating when an activity was completed, useful for calculating activity duration.
Description

This attribute records the completion time of an activity. While many activities are instantaneous events where StartTime equals EndTime, some tasks have a measurable duration, such as a denial follow-up call.

When available, EndTime allows for the direct calculation of activity processing time ('EndTime' - 'StartTime'). This is more accurate than inferring duration from the start time of the next activity, as it accounts for idle time between steps. It is a key component for calculating the 'ProcessingTime' attribute.

Why it matters

Enables the precise calculation of how long each activity takes to complete, which is crucial for identifying inefficient tasks and measuring resource productivity.

Where to get

This may be available in some Epic Resolute modules that track task start and end, such as work queue or activity management logs. Often, it is not explicitly tracked.

Examples
2023-04-15T09:45:00Z2023-04-16T11:15:30Z2023-05-01T14:02:00Z
Is Automated
IsAutomated
A boolean flag indicating if the activity was performed by a system or an automated process.
Description

This flag distinguishes between tasks executed automatically by the system, such as automated claim generation or eligibility checks, and those performed manually by a user.

Analyzing this attribute helps in understanding the level of automation in the process. It can be used to compare the efficiency and error rates of automated versus manual activities, identify opportunities for further automation, and monitor the performance of existing bots or system rules.

Why it matters

Distinguishes between system-driven and human-driven activities, which is key for evaluating the impact of automation and identifying new automation opportunities.

Where to get

This is often derived by checking if the 'ResponsibleUser' for an activity is a system or service account, or by flagging specific activity names known to be automated.

Examples
truefalse
Last Data Update
LastDataUpdate
The timestamp indicating when the data for this event was last refreshed or extracted from the source system.
Description

This attribute shows the freshness of the data. It indicates the last time the record was pulled from Epic Resolute into the process mining dataset.

This is important for understanding the timeliness of the analysis and for data validation purposes. It helps users know if they are looking at the most current information available and is critical for managing data refresh cycles.

Why it matters

Ensures users understand the timeliness of the data they are analyzing, which is critical for making accurate, up-to-date business decisions.

Where to get

This timestamp is added by the ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) process during data ingestion.

Examples
2023-06-10T02:00:00Z2023-06-11T02:00:00Z
Patient ID
PatientId
The unique identifier for the patient receiving the service.
Description

This attribute is the Medical Record Number (MRN) or other unique identifier for the patient. It links the financial billing event to a specific individual.

While not typically used as a primary analysis dimension to protect patient privacy, it is essential for data validation and can be used to aggregate all billing events for a single patient to understand their overall financial journey. It is also crucial for any potential integration with clinical process data.

Why it matters

Links financial data to a specific patient, enabling data validation and potential for broader analysis of a patient's entire journey, though it must be handled with care due to privacy concerns.

Where to get

A fundamental identifier found throughout Epic, linked to the patient's registration and account records.

Examples
MRN-1234567MRN-8765432MRN-5551234
Payer Name
PayerName
The name of the insurance company, government entity, or other party responsible for payment.
Description

This attribute identifies the primary payer associated with the billing event, such as 'Blue Cross Blue Shield', 'Medicare', or 'Aetna'. In cases of self-pay, it may indicate the patient.

Segmenting the process by payer is a powerful analysis technique. It can reveal that certain payers have higher denial rates, longer payment cycles, or more complex requirements. This insight allows for the tailoring of billing strategies to specific payers to improve efficiency and payment speed.

Why it matters

Allows for performance analysis by payer, revealing which payers have high denial rates or slow payment cycles, enabling targeted follow-up strategies.

Where to get

This information is part of the patient's coverage details, linked to the hospital account (HAR) in Epic Resolute.

Examples
Medicare Part BUnitedHealthcareAetna PPO
Payment Due Date
PaymentDueDate
The date by which payment for the billed service is expected.
Description

This attribute specifies the deadline for payment, as stated on the invoice or determined by payer contracts. It serves as a benchmark for measuring timely payments.

The payment due date is essential for creating the 'Outstanding Balance Aging Report'. By comparing the current date to the due date for open balances, accounts receivable can be categorized into aging buckets (e.g., 0-30 days, 31-60 days past due), which helps prioritize collection efforts on the most overdue accounts.

Why it matters

Serves as the basis for accounts receivable aging analysis, which is critical for prioritizing collections and managing financial risk from unpaid bills.

Where to get

This date is often calculated based on the invoice date and payment terms stored in the payer contract or patient account information within Epic.

Examples
2023-05-302023-06-152023-07-01
Processing Time
ProcessingTime
The calculated duration of time spent actively working on an activity.
Description

Processing time, also known as handling time, measures the duration of an activity from its start to its end. It represents the time a resource was actively engaged with the task.

This metric is calculated as the difference between 'EventEndTime' and 'EventTimestamp'. Analyzing processing time helps identify which specific tasks are most time-consuming, allowing for focused efforts on streamlining and improving efficiency. It is a fundamental measure of resource productivity.

Why it matters

Measures the actual work duration of activities, helping to identify time-consuming tasks and evaluate the efficiency of resources.

Where to get

This is not a field in the source system. It is calculated during data transformation using the formula: EventEndTime - EventTimestamp.

Examples
900605120
Source System
SourceSystem
The information system from which the data originates.
Description

This attribute identifies the source system of the record, which for this context is Epic Resolute. In environments with multiple integrated systems, this field helps differentiate data origins.

While it may seem redundant in a single-system view, it is a best practice for data governance and scalability. It ensures clarity if data from other systems, like a separate collections agency platform, is integrated later.

Why it matters

Provides crucial data lineage and context, ensuring clarity on the origin of the data, which is vital for data governance and troubleshooting.

Where to get

This is typically a static value added during the data extraction and transformation process to label the dataset's origin.

Examples
Epic ResoluteEpicResolute_V2023
Total Revenue Cycle Time
TotalRevenueCycleTime
The total calculated duration from the first service event to the final payment or account closure.
Description

This is a case-level KPI that measures the end-to-end duration of the revenue cycle for a single billing event. It is typically calculated as the time difference between the 'Service Rendered' activity and the final 'Payment Received' or 'Account Closed' activity.

This high-level metric provides a holistic view of the overall efficiency of the RCM process. Tracking this KPI over time helps measure the impact of process improvement initiatives and provides a key indicator of cash conversion speed.

Why it matters

Provides a high-level, end-to-end view of process efficiency, directly measuring how long it takes to convert a service into cash.

Where to get

This is a metric calculated within the process mining tool by filtering for the first and last events of each case and finding the time difference.

Examples
259200038880005184000
Required Recommended Optional

Revenue Cycle Management Activities

These are the key process steps and milestones to capture in your event log for accurate process discovery and performance measurement.
7 Recommended 5 Optional
Activity Description
Account Closed
This is the final activity, signifying that the billing event's outstanding balance has reached zero and there are no more pending activities. This can be due to full payment, adjustments, or a write-off.
Why it matters

This event marks the successful completion of the revenue cycle for a billing event. The end-to-end duration from service to closure is a critical KPI for overall process efficiency.

Where to get

This is typically an inferred event. It is determined by identifying the point in time when the account balance for the billing event becomes zero and remains zero.

Capture

Inferred by calculating a running total of the account balance and identifying the timestamp of the last transaction that made the balance zero.

Event type inferred
Charges Captured
Represents the formal recording of billable charges for the services rendered. In Epic, this is typically an explicit transaction posted to the patient's account, often generated automatically from clinical actions or entered manually.
Why it matters

This is a critical first milestone. Measuring the velocity and accuracy of charge capture helps in accelerating the billing process and ensuring all provided services are billed for.

Where to get

Explicitly recorded in Resolute's transaction logs. Each charge is a discrete entry with a post date, service date, and amount, often found in tables like ARPB_TRANSACTIONS.

Capture

Capture charge posting transactions from the system's financial transaction log.

Event type explicit
Claim Denied by Payer
Represents the receipt of a notification from the payer that the claim has been denied. This is captured when Epic processes an electronic remittance advice (835 file) or when a user manually posts a denial.
Why it matters

This activity initiates a critical rework loop. Analyzing denial reasons and volumes is essential for identifying root causes, improving first-pass payment rates, and reducing collection delays.

Where to get

Explicitly recorded as a transaction or status update on the claim. Denial information, including reason codes, is typically received electronically and posted to the account.

Capture

Filter for specific transaction types or claim status updates that indicate a denial.

Event type explicit
Claim Submitted to Payer
This marks the event where the claim is officially sent to the insurance payer for adjudication. In Epic, this is a tracked event, logged when the electronic claim file is transmitted to the clearinghouse or payer.
Why it matters

This milestone is crucial as it starts the clock on the payer's payment timeline. Analyzing this helps measure the efficiency of the claims transmission process and supports the Invoice to Payer Delivery Time KPI.

Where to get

This is an explicit event recorded in Resolute. The claim record will have a submission status and a timestamp indicating when it was sent.

Capture

Capture the timestamp associated with the claim status changing to 'Submitted' or 'Transmitted'.

Event type explicit
Payment Posted to Account
This is the event where a received payment is applied or allocated to specific charges on the patient's account. This action reduces the outstanding balance of the billing event.
Why it matters

Efficient payment posting is crucial for maintaining accurate account balances and closing out billing events. It allows for correct identification of remaining balances for secondary billing or collections.

Where to get

This is an explicit transaction in Resolute. Payment posting links a payment transaction to one or more charge transactions, which is recorded in the transaction detail tables.

Capture

Capture the transaction record that applies a payment to a charge, identifiable by specific transaction types.

Event type explicit
Payment Received
Represents the receipt of payment from a payer or patient. This event is typically recorded when an electronic remittance advice (ERA) is loaded or a manual check is entered into the system.
Why it matters

This activity is a major milestone indicating that revenue is incoming. The time between claim submission and payment receipt is a key measure of accounts receivable performance.

Where to get

Explicitly recorded as a payment transaction in Resolute. These transactions are logged with a date, source, and amount, often before they are fully posted to individual charges.

Capture

Capture payment transactions from the financial transaction log, often identified by specific transaction types.

Event type explicit
Service Rendered
This activity marks the point when a clinical service is provided to the patient, which initiates the billing event. This is often captured from the Epic EHR (EpicCare) when a clinician signs off on a visit or procedure.
Why it matters

This is the primary start event for the revenue cycle. Analyzing the time from this point to charge capture is critical for identifying delays in billing initiation and potential revenue leakage.

Where to get

This event is typically inferred from service or visit timestamps in the clinical modules that are linked to the billing account. The service date on the charge transaction is the key data point.

Capture

Inferred from the service date associated with the first charge transaction for the billing event.

Event type inferred
Account Adjustment Made
This activity represents a non-payment transaction that alters the account balance, such as a contractual adjustment, a small balance write-off, or a goodwill discount. This is recorded as a specific transaction type.
Why it matters

Analyzing adjustments is key to identifying revenue leakage. High volumes of certain adjustment types can indicate issues with fee schedules, contracting, or internal policies.

Where to get

Explicitly recorded as adjustment transactions in Resolute's financial logs. Each adjustment will have a specific type or reason code associated with it.

Capture

Filter for transaction types that correspond to financial adjustments or write-offs.

Event type explicit
Balance Sent to Collections
This marks the point when an unpaid account balance is transferred to an internal or external collections process. This is often an explicit status change on the account or billing event.
Why it matters

This activity initiates the final stage of recovering unpaid balances. Tracking the success rate and cycle time of the collections process is vital for minimizing bad debt.

Where to get

This is typically an explicit event. Epic has functions to transfer accounts to collections agencies, which creates a log entry or a status change on the account.

Capture

Identify the status change or transaction that indicates an account has been placed with a collection agency.

Event type explicit
Claim Generated
This activity signifies the system's creation of a formal claim or invoice based on the captured charges. It is a preparatory step before the claim is sent to the payer or patient.
Why it matters

Tracking claim generation helps isolate delays between capturing charges and preparing them for submission. It is a key internal step that can impact overall billing timeliness.

Where to get

This is typically logged when a billing or claims generation batch job runs. The system will record a timestamp when the claim file (like an 837 file) is created for a given account.

Capture

Identify log entries or status changes indicating the claim has been compiled and is ready for submission.

Event type explicit
Claim Resubmitted
This event occurs after a denied claim has been corrected and is sent back to the payer. This is a distinct submission event that is linked to the original claim.
Why it matters

This is a key part of the rework loop. Measuring the time to resubmit and the success rate of resubmitted claims is vital for understanding the effectiveness of the denial resolution process.

Where to get

This is an explicit event similar to the initial submission, but often flagged as a resubmission. The claim record will show a new submission timestamp and may include a resubmission code.

Capture

Capture the timestamp for a claim submission that is flagged as a correction or resubmission.

Event type explicit
Denial Follow-Up Initiated
This activity marks the start of the internal process to review and resolve a denied claim. It is often captured when a user takes ownership of the denied claim in a workqueue or changes its status.
Why it matters

Tracking this helps measure the responsiveness of the denials management team. Delays between a denial and the start of follow-up can extend the revenue cycle unnecessarily.

Where to get

This is typically inferred from changes in the claim's status or assignment history within Epic's workqueues. For example, the claim's status might change from 'Denied' to 'In Review'.

Capture

Infer from a claim status change or an audit log entry showing a user has started working the denial.

Event type inferred
Recommended Optional

Extraction Guides

How to get your data from Epic Resolute