Scale Swing Bed Success: Lessons from a High-Performing Network

Nurse leaders from Cox Monett and Cox Barton Critical Access Hospitals shared their experience in developing a successful swing bed committee within the Cox Health System (Missouri).

This session explored how collaboration, data analytics, and operational efficiencies have led to swing bed volume growth, improved patient care, and enhanced program performance.

Attendees also gained actionable insights into using the Stroudwater Swing Bed Quality Reporting Program to expand and optimize their own swing bed services.

Key learnings include:

  1. Develop a Swing Bed Committee for Growth – Understand the process of establishing a swing bed committee within a hospital or health system to improve capacity and coordination.
  2. Utilize Data to Drive Quality and Outcomes – Learn how to leverage data analytics and performance tracking through the Stroudwater Swing Bed Quality Reporting Program to improve swing bed program quality and patient outcomes.
  3. Enhance Communication and Coordination – Apply lessons learned from real-world case studies to strengthen collaboration across healthcare organizations and drive sustainable swing bed program growth.
Download Presentation

Q&A

How do people stay on top of all the payer newsletters to sort through everything to pull out applicable information for the facility/provider? Who typically is going through the newsletter to gather the information to share with other staff?

Our billing specialists are organized by payer, allowing them to develop deep expertise in their respective areas. Each specialist subscribes to their payer’s newsletters to stay informed about updates and changes. Additionally, our team leads, Supervisor, and Director of Patient Accounts—along with the Prior Authorization Team—collaborate to share key insights and ensure the entire team stays up to date. This collective approach enhances our ability to navigate payer policies efficiently and provide the best possible service. 

What leadership structure do you have in place for your revenue cycle and who or what do you use for training when billers or coders need it? Especially for new service lines or common denials?

Our billing specialists are supported by a structured leadership team, including two team leads, one Supervisor, and one Director. Training for billing specialists is conducted by our Supervisor and team leads to ensure consistency and expertise. Additionally, billing specialists meet weekly with leadership to review denials and identify payer-specific trends. For new coders, who are required to be certified, training is led by our Coding Lead to maintain high standards of accuracy and compliance.

Are the billers assigned based on an alphabetical split or by insurance type, such as Medicare and Medicaid specialists?

Billers are first assigned by insurance type and then further divided by alphabetical split. Since each insurance type has multiple billers, the alpha split helps distribute the workload efficiently.

Since we have union employees, how could we implement a similar incentive to Kindal’s while ensuring compliance with union regulations?

This would depend on the specifics of your union contract. Stroudwater can work with you to review the contract and develop a compliant incentive model.

Does your Coding/HIM department manage CPT coding, modifiers, and ICD-10, or do they focus solely on ICD-10?

Our Coding team handles all aspects of coding, including CPT, modifiers, and ICD-10. They thoroughly review all provider documentation to ensure accuracy and compliance.