PRN Funding’s private duty care invoice funding program offers:

1. More Readily Available Cash: Funds are electronically deposited directly into your bank account within hours of verification that  private duty services have been performed.
2. Flexible Private Duty Invoice Funding Choices: PRN Funding offers all of our private duty nursing clients the freedom to factor when they want, how they want, whom they want and for however long they want.
3. Private Duty Industry Expertise: PRN Funding has spent the better part of a decade in the healthcare services industry, and we have designed our private duty account receivable funding program specifically to meet the unique challenges faced by those who provide nursing and companion services in patients’ homes and bill Medicaid or other state-funded agencies for those services.  

Want to learn more? See our private duty care factoring process to learn how PRN Funding can benefit your business.

Do you own a home healthcare agency? Does waiting to be paid by Medicaid affect your ability to meet payroll and pay taxes on a timely basis? Do you have to wait too long to receive payments from a state agency for your non-medical home care services? Are you thinking of starting up a home care agency but you need to secure ongoing funding before doing so?

If you answered YES to any of the questions above, then PRN Funding’s home care factoring program is the solution to your agency’s funding needs. Through the purchase of your home care accounts receivables–a process known as factoring–your business can grow, without compromising your present obligations to payroll, taxes and vendor invoices.

Want to learn more? Click here to read about the benefits of home care factoring.

PRN Funding, LLC is set to exhibit at the National Association for Home Care & Hospice’s 30^th Annual Convention at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino next month. This is the first time the home care factoring firm will be exhibiting, and it’s excited to speak with private duty home care agency owners about the benefits of accounts receivable financing.

President, Phil Cohen, Marketing Manager, Nikki Flores, and Office Manager, Stephanie Chmielecki, will be in booth #1054 October 2-4 speaking with home care business owners about how they can turn their Medicaid receivables into cash immediately through private duty care invoice factoring.

In addition to learning about invoice funding options, all attendees are invited to stop by booth #1054 and enter PRN Funding’s drawing to win an iPad2. There are two ways to enter PRN Funding’s iPad2 raffle: (1) Bring the postcard that was mailed prior to the conference directly to the booth or (2) Fill out an entry form. On the last day of the conference, PRN Funding will announce the winner.

With years of experience in healthcare industry, PRN Funding has a precise understanding of the unique challenges within the private duty and home care industries. PRN Funding offers financial resources to these companies by purchasing their accounts receivable–a process known as ‘factoring’, which provides the cash needed to sustain and grow a healthcare business.

There was another interesting article from HealthLeaders Media that the nurse staffing factoring specialists at PRN Funding felt would be beneficial for our nurse staffing friends to read. Entitled Nurse Staffing Costs Must Be Weighed Against the Cost of Errors, the article author believes that hospital executives need to pay closer attention to studies that show how nurse staffing affects a hospital’s overall performance and base staffing decisions on those findings.

Kathy Douglas, MHA, RN, president of the Institute for Staffing Excellence and Innovation, CNO of API Healthcare, and a board member of the journal Nursing Economic$ was quoted in the article saying: “Staffing costs sit in one part of the budget, so we think of the results there. Then the cost of errors sits in another part of the budget. If I could say one thing to healthcare executives it is to make staffing a top strategic priority in your organization. If you look at top priorities-LOS, safety, quality-all of these things have direct links to staffing.”

Moreover, Douglas gave an example of looking at things from a bigger perspective. She said that some hospitals that have cut back on staffing may not notice that it is overusing overtime and it might not notice that there’s a relationship between the overtime and the number if infections on a unit.

The nurse staffing factoring specialists at PRN Funding came across a piece of research that we believe is important to share with our Nurse Staffing Industry readers.  Due to the perceived credibility of the source of the study it is imperative that any company that provides supplemental medical staffing be aware of the study and prepared to address the underlying issues.

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine announced new research showing that temporary ER nurses may inadvertently be a threat to the patients they serve. Specifically, the study found that temporary nurses were twice as likely as permanent employed nurses to have medication errors in the hectic and fast-paced emergency room environment.

Although the studyimplicated temporary nurses, the authors stressed that temp ER nurses are not the only ones to blame for these shortcomings. The authors cited various reasons for ER errors, including the fact that many hospitals don’t give temporary nurses the same level of consideration and training as they do for their permanent staff.

Click here to read the official press release: Temporary ER Staff Poses Increased Safety Risk to Patients.

Tracy Z wrote an interesting post on FactoringInvestor.com comparing and contrasting the cost Groupon vs. the cost of invoice factoring.

Rightfully so, Tracy defined the marketing lure of Groupon as “marketing with no upfront fees.” For cash-strapped business owners looking to make more sales, free advertising sounds like a good deal–That is until you break down the numbers:

• 50% discount to customer
• 25% fee to deal provider
• 25% net to business owner

In essence, the business owner only makes 25% AND they have to wait to get their portion, in installments, over time.Tracy outline a simple example, where 1/3 of the business owner’s profits was paid in 5 days, 1/3 in 30 days and the balance within 60 days:

$100,000

-$50,000 discount

-$25,000 fees

=$25,000 received by business owner (33% or $8,333 immediate advance, with the remaining $16,667 paid out over 60 days.)

Then Tracy used the same scenario as though the business owner were factoring:

$100,000

-$5000 factoring fee (average 5%)

=$95,000 received by business owner (80% advance or $ 80,000 upfront, with the balance less the fees received once debtor pays in full).

Pretty interesting comparison, huh?

Click here to read the article Tracy referenced in her post: Why Groupon is Poised for Collapse.

NOTE: This temporary nurse staffing factoring case study can also be found on PRN Funding’s web site.

An Opportunity for Acquisition…
Barry was the office manager of a temporary nurse staffing company for many years when he was approached with a great business opportunity. The owners of the business were ready to retire and offered to sell their medical staffing company to him. The owners wanted to see their business continued, so they hoped that Barry would agree to buy the business and take over the ownership duties. If not, they would have to look to sell to an outsider running the risk of losing what made the agency unique. They felt that Barry was the best fit for managing the business. He would ensure the on-going success of their temporary nurse staffing company. The owners were even willing to work out a purchase plan with Barry so that he could make payments over time rather than all at once, but he would still need to make a significant down payment in order to secure ownership of the nurse staffing business.

Collateral Needed for Investment…
This opportunity was extremely exciting for Barry and he felt that it would be a great career move. He knew the ins-and-outs of the nurse staffing industry and was confident that he would continue to operate profitably. In a few years, with aggressive sales to area hospitals and nursing homes, he would be able to increase profits for the nurse staffing business. Barry only had one concern. He had no idea where he was going to get the money he needed for the down payment. Temporary staffing organizations simply don’t have the type of hard assets banks require as collateral. Also, the sellers were willing to take a note financing most of the business, but in return they would not allow any senior debt on the balance sheet. If he absolutely had to, Barry could guarantee the loan personally, but that was his absolute last option. There had to be another alternative for Barry to secure the working capital that he needed.

Cash Available in the Outstanding Receivables…
Looking over the financials, Barry realized that there was a significant amount of accounts receivable outstanding. The owners had not been aggressive in collecting or managing their accounts receivable. The services had already been provided, the employees had been paid, but the invoices were still outstanding. Barry remembered seeing an advertisement in one of his staffing journals for PRN Funding, LLC, a temporary nurse staffing accounts receivable factoring company that turned receivables into cash immediately. Promptly, he called PRN Funding and spoke to an account specialist for his business cash flow solution.

A Successful Nursing Staffing Company…
Just as the owners of the nurse staffing company were preparing to sell him the business, Barry was able to establish a relationship with PRN Funding. PRN Funding bought the outstanding invoices, even the invoices that had been issued months ago, and provided the temporary staffing business with an immediate cash advance. Barry used the funds from the cash advance to make the down payment on the business. PRN Funding was also able to actively and professionally collect on the outstanding accounts receivable, freeing up more time for Barry to concentrate on operating his business and ensuring the continued success of his nurse staffing company.

Would you like to learn more about how PRN Funding can help your healthcare business? Apply for healthcare factoring now!

There are a lot of rumors that factoring is not an ideal payroll funding solution for healthcare staffing business owners and entrepreneurs.

However, many of those rumors are a result of misinformation and poor staffing factoring research methods.

This article will help debunk some of the more common factoring myths so that staffing business owners can make an educated decision when it comes time to finding the appropriate funding solution for their cash flow problems.

Healthcare Staffing Factoring Myth #1: I’m nervous to factor my healthcare staffing invoices because my customers are not familiar with it.
Reality: Factoring has been around for over 4,000 years. In fact, many big name companies have benefited from it, including: 3M Corporation, Best Buy, American Express Company, Motorola Inc., CVS Corporation, and Foot Locker. In addition, factoring is very prominent in the world of staffing because medical facilities routinely take weeks or months to pay their staffing vendors. In most cases, in order for a staffing business owner to utilize a factoring company, the accounts payable clerk who handles the payables just needs to change the remittance address.

Healthcare Staffing Factoring Myth #2: Invoice Funding is an expensive financing option.
Reality: It’s important to consider the fact that a factoring fee is not the same thing as an annualized interest rate. For example, if a factoring firm charges a staffing agency owner 3% per month, it cannot simply be translated into 36% APR. Rather, a factoring firm’s fees stop the day an invoice is paid. Staffing firms do not typically wait 12 months to receive payment on an invoice, so the fee is not nearly as large as one would perceive it to be.

Healthcare Staffing Factoring Myth #3: Factoring requires a long-term commitment.
Reality: Unlike a bank loan, most factoring companies who work with staffing agencies do not require a fixed-term financing commitment. You choose when, who, how much and how long to factor your invoices.

Healthcare Staffing Factoring Myth #4: With factoring, I will lose control over my accounts.
Reality: Selling staffing invoices makes it easy for business owners to manage their invoices. Most factoring firms offer their clients access to financial reports weekly or daily. In fact, there are many factors who grant access to a secure online reporting system where staffing entrepreneurs can review purchased accounts and collections in real time via a secure Internet connection.

Healthcare Staffing Factoring Myth #5: The hospitals and nursing homes will think my agency has cash flow problems.
Reality: There are many businesses who use factoring and many medical facilities are already familiar with healthcare staffing factoring. Once alerted of the change in remittance address, healthcare facilities simply view the factor as the agency’s new accounts receivable department.

Healthcare Staffing Factoring Myth #6: The hospitals and nursing homes where I staff will be bothered by frequent collection calls.
Reality: A factoring firm will initially contact an agency’s customer to verify that the invoices are valid. If there is a problem and the staffing factor cannot successfully collect on the invoices, the factor will contact the agency owner to discuss the issue.

Healthcare Staffing Factoring Myth #7: The staffing business model is too complicated for a factoring firm to understand.
Reality: There are many accounts receivable factoring firms that are familiar with this intricacies involved with the staffing industry. As a result of their industry expertise, these factoring firms have specialized funding programs specifically geared towards staffing agencies.

Certainly, reviewing these seven common myths will help staffing agency owners who are trying to piece together the facts about invoice factoring. Hopefully, this article has proven that there are two-sides to every story. You can learn more about managing factoring fears, all it takes is a little research to get started!

**NOTE: This article is a re-printed version of what was also published onFactoringInvestor.com.

In an effort to combat the affects of the crumbling economy, service-oriented businesses have been getting creative with new ways to generate money.

Unfortunately for consumers, that creativity often translates into price hikes, additional fees, reduced services or cut backs on productivity. But does it have to be that way?

Take a look at the airline industry. When fuel prices soared last summer, airline giants started charging extra for what were once common courtesy services in addition to the original ticket price. They started with charging for snacks and drinks and then quickly moved onto charging checked bag fees, assigned seat fees, fuel surcharges, curbside check-in fees, etc.

Once the industry giants established that this additional fee policy was going to be part of the standard flight-booking procedures, it didn’t take long for all of the airlines to jump on the “Hidden Fee Bandwagon.” From a customer’s perspective, it seemed as though the airline industry as a whole started seeing dollar signs instead of thinking about its customers needs. Then along came Southwest Airlines with its clear thinking and its “No Fee Policy.”

In some ways, the accounts receivable factoring industry can appear to be a lot like the airlines industry. Both operate world-wide, both industries should be service-oriented, and both industries are notorious for tacking on extra fees in addition to the basic fee. Much like Southwest Airlines, the factoring industry has a handful of healthcare factoring companies who do not charge extra fees in addition to the base fee. This article will discuss three areas where factoring firms might insert hidden fees.

First and foremost, a business owner needs to understand the basics of how a factor charges for its factoring services. It’s important to note that healthcare factoring firms do not loan money; rather, they purchase a company’s invoices at a discounted rate. This discount rate can be a one-time flat fee, or it can vary depending on how long the factor owns the invoice.

In general, discount rates can be affected by a number of things, including the contractual commitment, the average monthly purchase volumes, the average size of the invoices sold, the number of account debtors (customers) that will be factored and the credit quality of those debtors. Variations in each of these will lead to potentially substantial changes in the fee structure. In many cases, factoring firms will have extra fees in addition to their factoring discount fee. More often than not, these “hidden fees” are disguised as set-up fees, administrative fees and penalty fees.

Set-up Fees
There are some factoring companies that start charging fees as soon as a potential client applies for healthcare factoring services. Set-up fees range from a minimal application fee of $25 to a hefty origination fee of $500. In some cases, factors will add in individual fees for due diligence procedures (i.e. running credit and background checks) and legal documentation fees (i.e. assembling legal documents and filing liens). When all is said and done, a new factoring prospect could be $1,000 out of pocket before knowing if he/she has been approved for funding.

When business owners are comparing and contrasting factoring companies, it’s important to inquire whether the factor charges specific set-up fees. Sometimes, the factor will say yes, and sometimes it will say no. It’s up to the business owner to decide whether or not the factoring services outweigh the start-up costs before moving forward.

Administrative Fees
In addition to application, origination and due diligence fees, some factoring firms charge their clients for the time it takes to compile and ship legal documents, billing for postage, long-distance phone calls, photocopying documents and/or time spent on the computer while assisting their clients. There are also fees associated with funding procedures. Most factors will institute set prices for a same-day wire or an overnight transfer of funds.

When a business owner is contemplating the notion of factoring his/her receivables, it’s important to factor any administrative costs into the equation. Without doing so, a business owner could wind up paying a lot more than he/she had initially anticipated.

Penalty Fees
The last way a factoring firm could potentially squeeze in some additional “hidden fees” is when it assigns fees for various “penalties.” Under this umbrella of penalty fees, a factoring firm could designate fees for misdirected payments, early termination of a contract, aged invoices, expedited funding (within 24 hours or less), not hitting a monthly minimum factoring requirement or going over the maximum allowable factoring amount. In addition, a healthcare factoring firm could also penalize its client by holding onto the funds within the reserve account (cash that is owed back to the client once payments have been received).

When choosing an accounts receivable factoring company, business owners should take the time to read all of the terms and conditions before signing on the dotted line. Entrepreneurs should not be afraid to dig deep into the factoring contract and ask a question when something is unclear. Otherwise, those hidden fees hidden fees will reveal themselves at a point where it’s too late to re-negotiate the terms.

So in conclusion, it does appear that the factoring industry is similar to the airlines industry in that players in both are notorious for charging “extra fees.” The plus side to this realization, however, is that both industries also have some players who stand firm in their “No Extra Fee Policy.” The bottom line-much like when shopping for the best airline deal, it’s extremely important to look at the all-inclusive price, including possibly extra fees, before agreeing to do business with an accounts receivable factoring company.

**NOTE: This article is a re-printed version of what was originally written for and published on eZineArticles.com as well as FactoringInvestor.com.

Awhile back, the owner of PRN Funding, LLC, Philip Cohen, was interviewed and featured on Factoring Investor’s web site. Check out a portion of the interview below:

Factoring account receivables is helping health care companies through these tough economic conditions opening the door to earning opportunities for cash flow consultants. FactoringInvestor (FI) caught up with Phil Cohen, Founder and President of PRN Funding, LLC, to fill us in on the specialized niche of healthcare funding.

FI: What transactions will your company consider funding?

PRN: PRN Funding, LLC has a very specific niche in healthcare funding. We provide factoring to vendors who sell goods or provide services to medical facilities. Moreover, our client base consists of medical staffing agencies, private duty home care agencies, medical transcription services, medical billing and medical coding companies and medical supply companies.

FI: How did you get your start in the factoring business?

PRN: Prior to founding PRN Funding, LLC, I spent the better part of a decade acquiring medical transcription firms as a national roll-up strategy. During this time, I noticed a trend. Many of the medical transcription services were well-run firms; however, they were selling their companies because of cash flow problems. Seeing this cash flow problem, I was able to identify an opportunity to help them – accounts receivable factoring. Over time, I’ve been able to expand into other healthcare vendor niches, including medical staffing, medical coding, medical billing and medical supplies.

FI: What unique benefits does your company provide?

Industry Expertise: PRN Funding, LLC understands the unique characteristics of the healthcare vendor industry. We are very familiar with traditional payment terms, industry jargon and day-to-day procedures associated with the healthcare vendor industry.

Extreme Flexibility: PRN Funding offers the utmost in flexibility to vendors who sell goods or provide services to healthcare facilities. Our clients choose when, who, how much and how long to factor their invoices.

No Hidden Fees: PRN Funding does not charge the following:

• Application Fee
• Origination Fee
• Due diligence Fee
• Legal and documentation Fee
• Administrative Fee
• Early Termination Fee

FI: What do you consider the best methods for finding deals?

PRN: Aside from our web site, PRN Funding relies very heavily on our brokers and cash flow consultants to refer us deals.

FI: How do you handle commissions to brokers or consultants?

PRN: We pay our brokers 10% of the fees we make for the life of the deal.

FI: What advice would you give to new professionals just starting out in the industry?

PRN: Now is a great time to get into the cash flow industry. Traditionally, small business owners relied heavily on credit cards to fund their business operations when they were not eligible for bank financing. The current economic situation has recently prompted many credit card companies to drastically reduce credit lines and raise interest rates for their customers who use small business credit cards. As a result, these business owners are in desperate need of a new alternative financing method to fund their business, and cash flow consultants have all of the tools to match those business owners with the appropriate funder.

FI: What is the most common business mistake you see people make?

PRN: The most common business mistake I see brokers make is that they present a lead to us without pre-qualifying it beforehand. It’s important for a broker to accurately assess a prospect’s need for funding and then match it with a funder who understands the prospect’s business model.

FI: Given the current economy, have you made any changes in the way you transact business?

PRN: In light of the changing economic climate, PRN Funding made the decision to branch out into a brand new healthcare funding niche. We formally launched PRN Funding’s home care factoring program in February. We recognized how long it takes for state-funded programs to pay private duty agencies, and we wanted to address the dilemma by offering these companies a factoring solution.

In addition, although there are more business owners applying for factoring as a result of the economic crisis, the quality of some of those applicants has gone down. Therefore, PRN Funding has had to tighten up on our due diligence process. Things that we may have been lenient on in the past, we are no longer able to do so…

Want to learn more? Click here to read the entire Factoring Investor Interview with Phil Cohen.