The Challenge
Years ago, Pipeline’s Chief Compliance Officer Ed Gyimah became increasingly convinced that the provider compensation processes across their different facilities were too archaic, as they were completed manually, primarily utilizing Excel.
About Pipeline Health
- Headquartered in El Segundo, California. Operates a network of four hospitals throughout Southern California.
- Across its facilities, Pipeline Health has more than 760 providers.
- Offers a wide range of clinical services, including Cardiology, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Gastroenterology, Intensive Care, Orthopedics, Pulmonary Care, Radiology and Imaging, Rehabilitation, Stroke Care, SubAcute Care, Surgical Services, Urology, and Women’s Health.
The challenge was greater at one of their facilities, which had been operating under a Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) and required elevated oversight of Stark Law and Anti-Kickback compliance with their provider arrangements. Ed and his team knew they needed a centralized, reliable payment system that could reduce administrative burden, strengthen compliance, and support consistent operations across the enterprise.
The Solution
Ed saw an opportunity to modernize and standardize provider compensation system-wide utilizing Ludi’s system.
After a thorough evaluation, he and his team quickly recognized Ludi’s value. Confident in the platform’s benefits, Ed championed the initiative and secured executive and operational buy-in to implement Ludi’s technology across all Pipeline Health facilities.
But it wasn’t just the platform that stood out. Ed also appreciated the people behind it. Ludi’s implementation and account management teams partnered closely with Pipeline Health, seamlessly migrating contract data and tailoring the technology to the organization’s unique workflows. The hands-on, collaborative support, especially from their dedicated Ludi account manager, reinforced Ed’s confidence that their investment would translate into tangible results.
The Results
1. Reduced Payment Processing Time
Pipeline Health’s accounts payable (AP) team now looks to Ludi as a reliant source for provider payment data, eliminating manual lookups and duplicate checks, which has streamlined payment workflows across the system.
The platform has additional controls to minimize risk. I don’t have to worry about payments on expired contracts or exceeding hours. It’s hardwired in, so both AP and compliance can trust the data.
Ed Gyimah
Chief Compliance Officer
2. Enhanced Compliance Controls and Reporting
Automated safeguards prevent payments on expired agreements or hours exceeding contract limits, reducing risk and ensuring adherence to organizational and regulatory standards. Ludi enables Ed and his team to merge system data with AP reports, quickly verifying contract alignment and compliance with Stark Law and Anti-Kickback safe harbors.
3. Customized Attestation Tracking
Ludi has helped Pipeline Health capture attestations and build an upload process for secondary approvals, creating an auditable trail for every payment.
Ed has been so pleased with Ludi over the last few years that he and his team have already expanded its use beyond administrative agreements, such as medical directorships, to include on-call contracts and other more complex payment types. In addition, they are now in discussions to implement Ludi’s expense reporting module.
“For compliance and finance teams considering automation, my advice is
straightforward,” Ed said. “You have to first focus on centralizing your data and engaging compliance, legal, and AP teams early to ensure alignment. At the end of the day, the right tech system, like Ludi, should give your team confidence in every payment you make.”