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August 10, 2020

Improve Supplier Relationships - TAG Inc - The Audit Group

Keys to Successful Supplier Relationships

A positive supplier relationship builds trust and loyalty – both important foundations when it comes to negotiating new contracts. Building on trust and loyalty with your suppliers can have financial reward such as: Avoid overcharges. Suppliers may be understaffed or have inefficient systems leading to charges on supplies or services higher than the agreed-upon terms. Recover and avoid duplicate payments. Duplicate payments happen in all health systems, but loyalty with suppliers can help keep them honest and return the duplicated payment before inquiring about it. Avoid charges for services not rendered. Purchased services can be complex to manage leading to […]

July 16, 2020

Top Risks of Using Blanket POs - TAG Inc - The Audit Group

Top Three Risks of Blanket Purchase Orders (POs)

Blanket purchase orders (POs) are often used to help reduce system costs, operate with only necessary inventory, and increase purchasing power. Nonetheless, blanket POs are often a source of lost funds for a healthcare system. Typically, TAG recommends limiting or eliminating the use of blanket POs because of the associated risks. We recognize, however, that some situations necessitate the use of a blanket PO. When those circumstances arise, your system should consider the following risks and implement preventative measures to reduce those risks. 1. Lack of Required Information Blanket POs often lack many of the standard controls found within traditional […]

July 1, 2020

Press Release from TAG Inc - The Audit Group

TAG, Inc. Saved Healthcare Systems $6M+ in Two Month Pay-It-Forward Recovery Program

TAG, Inc., formerly The Audit Group, helped healthcare systems recoup over $6,000,000 during its two-month COVID-19 Pay-it-Forward Recovery Program. The program took place in May and June of 2020, providing Accounts Payable (AP) and contract recovery audits at no cost or obligation to healthcare systems and hospitals. What was the Pay-it-forward program? Due to the hardships COVID-19 has placed on healthcare providers, TAG dedicated all of its resources to providing free recovery audits – foregoing revenue from May 1, 2020, through June 30, 2020, for all participating health systems. “This has been the most rewarding venture we’ve done in […]

June 9, 2020

Returned Goods Process Optimization - TAG Inc - The Audit Group

Optimizing the Returned Goods Process for your Healthcare System

Healthcare systems return an average of 4% of the products they purchase each year. Of that amount, 7% of the amount returned never gets credited back by the vendors totaling a loss of $700,000,000 annually.*no-repeat;left top;;auto in returned goods credits lost each year$700Mvertical Why does the Returned Goods Process Lose Millions? The returned goods process is an incredibly important area, spanning multiple departments of every health system. In theory, it is a relatively simple concept – return unused products and get your money back. However, the repercussions of mismanaging the process are significant. Organizations that mismanage their returned goods processes […]

June 4, 2020

Press Release: TAG, Inc. Saved Healthcare Systems $4M first month of Pay-It-Forward Recovery Program

TAG, Inc., formerly The Audit Group, helped healthcare systems recoup over $4,000,000 during the first month of the COVID-19 Pay-it-Forward Recovery Program. The program runs through the end of June 2020 providing Accounts Payable (AP) and contract recovery audits at no cost or obligation to healthcare systems and hospitals. What is the Pay-it-forward program? Due to the hardships COVID-19 places on healthcare providers, TAG is dedicating all of its resources to providing free recoveries, foregoing revenue from May 1, 2020, through June 30, 2020. \”We are in a fortunate position during these trying times, so I could not think of […]

May 27, 2020

Sourcing as a Strategic Means for Monitoring Rebates

Can a missed rebate really affect your hospital? The answer is yes! One of our clients in the northeast nearly missed out on a rebate of $250,000, the equivalent of purchasing a new ultrasound machine, covering the salaries of 3 – 4 RNs, or buying a new mammography system. This client did not have an effective tracking program costing them millions in missed rebates each year. Fortunately, the rebate was discovered and resolved during an audit of their procure-to-pay data. Ensuring all rebates are actually realized is pivotal in ensuring a healthcare system’s saving targets are met. no-repeat;left top;; auto […]

May 22, 2020

Why Internal Auditing Should Utilize Recovery Audits - TAG Inc - The Audit Group

How Internal Audit Can Utilize Recovery Audits to Assist with Financial Stability

Bulletproofing Hospital Finances amidst COVID-19 Since the COVID-19 outbreak, hospital revenues have dropped an estimated $1.4 billion per day, causing over 200,000 healthcare employees to be furloughed or laid off. Though revenue stability is reportedly increasing, it is unlikely that hospitals will see normalcy anytime in the near future. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, hospitals routinely lost millions each year from unnecessary and unmitigated financial risks. Hospitals rely largely on Internal Audit to help shore up these risks, but one department alone often cannot handle the overwhelming number of system-wide procedural repairs that need to be made. Generally, gaps that […]