Post-insurance payments jump over 70% when patients trust anesthesia billing

Building confidence in every payment

Most patients view their clinical procedure as a single encounter, unaware that their anesthesia clinician may operate independently from the hospital. On top of that, different members of the anesthesia team might bill separately for their services. This often leads to confusion when, weeks later, they receive a bill(s) from a company they don’t recognize: North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA).

“It was sometimes an uphill battle to gain the confidence of the patient,” explains Lynn Van Houten, Vice President of Revenue Cycle Services at NAPA. That's why NAPA partnered with Cedar to power their patient financial engagement strategy. Where patients once hesitated at unfamiliar anesthesia billing, they now find a straightforward payment process they can trust. This improved patient experience strengthens NAPA’s role as an extension of their partners, ensuring exceptional service continues through all their financial interactions.

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How NAPA makes payments work better for everyone

Committed to reducing friction for both their patients and partners, NAPA launched Cedar Pay, a leading patient financial engagement and payment platform. The solution integrates with NAPA’s billing system of record, creating an optimal experience for all parties involved.

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Converting engagement to payment

With Cedar Pay, NAPA replaces traditional billing with a dynamic, omnichannel approach. Now, personalized messages reach patients via text, email and paper bills, connecting them to clear explanations of their anesthesia charges. Real-time dashboards pinpoint patient engagement opportunities, with detailed views for each NAPA partner.

72% of patients engage with their billing notifications and 57% of engaged patients make a payment online

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Flexible payments, precise forecasts

NAPA leverages Cedar’s personalization engine to optimize their payment plans, achieving two goals:

1. Patients now have expanded payment flexibility, easing the financial burden of care.
2. NAPA sharpened their own financial planning with a payment plan forecasting tool that helps them project cash and set budgets.

“We were pretty confident about our payment plans, until Cedar politely suggested we think about them another way. That open dialogue and pushing us in the right direction was key for us.”

Lynn Van Houten

Vice President of Revenue Cycle Services

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Financial relief when it matters most

Smart, timely discounts now support NAPA’s self-pay population. The automated system tailors discount offers to individual circumstances, balancing patient affordability with optimal collections. This approach also builds a foundation for a machine learning-driven process to personalize discounts further.

“Cedar completely streamlined our discounting process, eliminating the need for phone calls while bringing industry best practices. It’s been a game-changer"

Michele Tassone

Senior Director of Revenue Cycle Services

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Financial Results

“The results exceeded our expectations and budget projections. We even decided to cut ties with our previous vendor and transfer their A/R to Cedar. We immediately saw an impact to our financials and patient satisfaction without an uptick in support.”

Lynn Van Houten

Vice President of Revenue Cycle Services

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Partner Impact

“Our patient satisfaction score now exceeds the industry average. This means fewer billing complaints, which improves our relationships with hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. We can confidently tell our partners we have a state-of-the art billing platform.”

Michele Tassone

Senior Director of Revenue Cycle Services

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Implementation

“After a rocky conversion from three systems to one, Cedar was a breath of fresh air. Everything was smooth and they were hands-on with our vendor, providing exactly what was needed for the data feed. That level of partnership is invaluable.”

Lynn Van Houten

Vice President of Revenue Cycle Services