Connecting Your EHR

The Revenue Recovery platform requires a secure connection to your Electronic Health Record (EHR) system to analyze denied claims and identify revenue recovery opportunities. This section provides comprehensive guidance for establishing, configuring, and managing these critical connections.

Overview

Connecting your EHR to the Revenue Recovery platform enables automated data collection and analysis of denied claims, helping you identify potential revenue recovery opportunities. The connection process is designed with security and reliability as top priorities, using a secure Relay Service architecture that maintains your data within your network perimeter.

What You'll Accomplish

By following this section, you will:

Establish secure connectivity between your EHR system and the Revenue Recovery platform
Configure default settings to optimize data collection and processing
Create and manage organizations to organize your claims data effectively
Test and maintain connections to ensure ongoing reliability and performance

Connection Architecture

The Revenue Recovery platform uses a secure, outbound-only connection model:

flowchart LR
    EHR[EHR System] --> Relay[Relay Service]
    Relay --> Platform[Revenue Recovery Platform]
    
    style EHR fill:#fff3e0,color:#000000
    style Relay fill:#e1f5fe,color:#000000
    style Platform fill:#f3e5f5,color:#000000

Security & Compliance

All EHR connections are designed with healthcare data security requirements in mind:

Zero inbound connections - All communication is outbound from your environment
Encrypted data transmission - TLS 1.2+ encryption for all data in transit
Credential encryption - Database credentials encrypted at rest using AES-256
Audit logging - Comprehensive logging of all connection activities
Access controls - Role-based permissions for connection management

Prerequisites

Before beginning the EHR connection process, ensure you have:

Technical Requirements

Deployed Relay Service - See Relay Service Deployment
Relay VM Specifications - See System Requirements
Network connectivity - Outbound HTTPS (443) access to *.ailevate.com and required cloud services
EHR database access - Read permissions to your EHR system's database (typically SQL Server port 1433)
Administrator permissions - Full admin access to the Revenue Recovery platform
Local sudo access - Required for Ailevate engineers during Relay Service installation

Supported EHR Systems

NextGen - Enterprise 5.9+ (Full support at launch)
Epic - Planned for future release

Required Information

Before starting, gather the following information:

EHR database server - Hostname/IP address and port (typically 1433 for SQL Server)
Database credentials - Service account with read permissions to NextGen database
Organization details - Facility name, point-of-contact information
Network configuration - Firewall rules for outbound HTTPS (443) access
Relay VM access - Local user account with sudo privileges for installation

Connection Workflow Summary

flowchart LR
    Start([Deploy Relay Service]) --> Phase1[Linking to Internal Systems]
    Phase1 --> Phase2[Configuring Default Settings]
    Phase2 --> Phase3[Creating an Organization]
    Phase3 --> Phase4[Testing and Managing Connections]
    Phase4 --> Complete([Connection Complete])
    
    style Start fill:#e8f5e8,color:#000000
    style Phase1 fill:#e3f2fd,color:#000000
    style Phase2 fill:#f3e5f5,color:#000000
    style Phase3 fill:#fff8e1,color:#000000
    style Phase4 fill:#e8f5e8,color:#000000
    style Complete fill:#e8f5e8,color:#000000

Getting Started

The EHR connection process involves four main phases, each covered in detail in the following guides:

Phase 1: Linking to Internal Systems

Purpose: Establish the core connection between your EHR system and the Revenue Recovery platform.

What you'll do:

Configure database connection parameters
Set up authentication credentials
Test initial connectivity through the Relay Service
Troubleshoot common connection issues

Time required: 30-60 minutes
Role: IT Administrator or System Administrator

Phase 2: Configuring Default Settings

Purpose: Optimize how the platform interacts with your EHR data and set processing preferences.

What you'll do:

Configure data collection schedules
Set up claim filtering criteria
Define notification preferences
Customize dashboard settings

Time required: 15-30 minutes
Role: Revenue Cycle Manager or Administrator

Phase 3: Creating an Organization

Purpose: Structure your claims data into logical organizational units for better management and reporting.

What you'll do:

Define organizational structure
Map EHR data to organizational units
Set up user access permissions
Configure reporting hierarchies

Time required: 20-45 minutes
Role: Administrator or Revenue Cycle Manager

Phase 4: Testing and Managing Connections

Purpose: Validate, monitor, and maintain your EHR connections for optimal performance.

What you'll do:

Perform comprehensive connection testing
Set up monitoring and alerting
Edit connection configurations
Manage connection lifecycle (updates, deletions)

Time required: 15-30 minutes
Role: System Administrator

Success Criteria

You'll know your EHR connection is successful when:

✅ Connection test passes - All connectivity validations complete successfully
✅ Data flows properly - Claims data appears in the Revenue Recovery dashboard
✅ Monitoring is active - Connection health monitoring shows "Connected" status
✅ Users can access data - Team members can view and work with claims data
✅ Performance is optimal - Query response times are under 10 seconds
✅ Relay Service operational - Secure tunnel connection established and functioning

Getting Help

If you encounter issues during the connection process:

Review troubleshooting guides - Each section includes common issues and resolutions
Check system requirements - Verify all prerequisites are met
Test connectivity - Use built-in diagnostic tools to isolate issues
Contact support - Reach out to the Revenue Recovery support team with specific error messages

Next Steps

Ready to connect your EHR? Start with Linking to Internal Systems to establish your initial connection.

Important: The connection process should be completed in order, as each phase builds upon the previous configuration steps.