Inside a Mental Health Provider’s Revenue Cycle Transformation

Lakeland Mental Health Center (LMHC), a nonprofit serving west central Minnesota since 1949, had a clear goal: keep behavioral healthcare accessible by strengthening the systems that support it. With services spanning therapy, case management, psychiatric medication support, and crisis outreach, LMHC recognized that operational friction was affecting both staff and clients.

Manual processes slowed work, denials stacked up, and billing confusion created stress. As Billing Supervisor Jill Jacobson put it, “We had challenges all the way around.”

From manual to manageable: fixing eligibility at the source

Insurance verification was a persistent bottleneck. Staff hopped between payer portals and lost time while missing key details. With Inovalon’s Eligibility Verification Standard™, the team began running batch checks the day before appointments. This gave staff visibility into whether coverage had changed or ended, reducing the risk of wasted effort and lost revenue. Catching coverage changes earlier now reduces rework and helps prevent denials.

“Running the batches is a big timesaver,” Jacobson said. “You can run them all at the same time and see everything.”

Discovering what clients don’t know

Many people served by LMHC – especially teens and young adults – aren’t sure about their coverage. “They’re still on mom and dad’s insurance and they don’t really know what they have,” said Jacobson. This lack of awareness can make accurate intake and billing difficult, leading to delays and denials.

Using Inovalon’s Insurance Discovery™, the team identifies unknown or secondary coverage with a 50-60% rate of returning probable matches. “Sometimes they have two insurance companies, so I like it because it shows everything and is very helpful,” she said.

First-pass fixes with smarter claim scrubbing

Rejections were also tied to insufficient scrubbing under a previous clearinghouse, where denied claims were hard to see. Moving to Inovalon’s Claims Management Pro™ changed that. “It’s catching a lot more things right away that we can fix,” she said. First-pass yield has improved by about 25%, claims process more quickly, and corrections save about 15 minutes per claim. Jacobson added, “Before, it would have taken me all day. With Claims Management Pro, it takes 20 to 30 minutes.”

Making payments easier for everyone

Before Inovalon, LMHC’s online payment tool was unreliable and down a lot, which forced clients to call in and limited their after-hours options. With Inovalon’s Patient Payment Management™, a growing number of clients pay online and can set up convenient payment plans. Even training is simpler.

“Processing the credit card payments and everything about it is very user friendly and easy to see what you need to do,” Jacobson said.

Statements that don’t cause confusion

Previously, patient statements prompted numerous questions and complaints. They were hard to read and often left clients unsure of what they owed.

By adopting Inovalon’s Patient Statement Management™, LMHC introduced clearer statements paired with its recognizable branding. That clarity helps build trust, so when clients receive a statement, they feel confident it is legitimate and safe to pay online. Email statements and text-to-pay reminders add more convenience. Implementation also went smoothly, thanks to Inovalon’s team.

“We worked closely with them. They were really great at answering questions, getting back to me, and being right on top of everything.”

Experience that built confidence

Jacobson brought firsthand familiarity with Inovalon’s solutions. “I had used Inovalon at my previous employer,” she explained. “So I already knew how good the software was.” That perspective – and a demo that the CFO participated in – helped inform her organization’s decision. “We made the change because we knew what it could do for us.”

Turning write offs into wins

With fewer denials, quicker resolution, and faster payment,  reimbursement has strengthened. Staff reclaim time once lost to manual rework and focus on higher-value tasks. Clients now experience a clearer financial journey that aligns with the quality of care LMHC delivers.

Stronger revenue cycles for stronger care

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