Busting Healthcare Factoring Myths

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.

Recourse vs Non-Recourse Accounts Receivable Factoring for Nurse Staffing Companies

What is nurse staffing recourse factoring?

For the most part, recourse factoring is the most common and the most affordable nurse staffing financial help available to nurse staffing business owners. In this type of factoring arrangements, the nurse staffing accounts receivable factoring company will require an agency owner to buy an invoice back if the client does not pay within a specified amount of time. Moreover, the nurse staffing agency owner accepts full credit risk for any and all accounts receivables that it sells to the factoring company.

What is nurse staffing non-recourse factoring?
The other accounts receivable factoring option that owners have is non-recourse factoring. In a nutshell, non-recourse nurse staffing financing agreements hold the factor entirely responsible for an unpaid invoices if the following is true:

If the hospital, nursing home or vendor management system (VMS) goes bankrupt during the time an agency owner’s invoice was factored.

If the hospital, nursing home or VMS goes out of business during the time an agency owner’s invoice was factored.

It’s important to keep in mind that non-recourse accounts receivable factoring does not cover the following situations:

  • Very late payments when there is no insolvency
  • Disputes/challenges with nurse staffing services
  • General collections issues

Naturally, both options have pros and cons that an owner should consider before choosing which type of agreement to make. Typically, they will receive lower factoring fees and/or higher advance rates if they choose to enter into a recourse factoring relationship. On the other hand, a non-recourse accounts receivable factoring arrangement buys nurse staffing business owners’ protection if a hospital nursing home or VMS goes bankrupt. Ultimately, agency owners need to review their accounts receivable factoring contract in detail with a lawyer to determine which type of arrangement, recourse or non-recourse, is the best fit for their agency.

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

The How To Guide – Allied Health Staffing Factoring

The notion of selling allied health staffing receivables to a factoring firm may sound like a difficult concept to understand, but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, there are many companies (i.e. respiratory therapist staffing agencies, radiology tech staffing firms, and physical therapist staffing agencies) that can greatly benefit from all that allied health staffing factoring has to offer. Namely, growing their companies without having to worry about how long it will take for their customers to pay them.

In order to help clear up any healthcare factoring misconceptions, this article will explain the allied health staffing factoring process step-by-step…

  1. The customer (i.e. hospital, medical clinic, nursing home, etc.) approaches an allied health staffing company to fill an open shift.
  2. If it’s a new customer, the factoring firm performs a credit check on the medical facility and if approved, determines a line of credit for that customer.
  3. The staffing firm provides the medical facility with a temporary employee to fill the shift.
  4. The agency issues an invoice to the medical facility for the shift, making sure to include the factoring firm’s remittance information directly on the invoice.
  5. At any time after the invoice has been issued, the allied health company submits a schedule of accounts receivable for purchase to the factoring firm. In addition to the invoice, this schedule also includes any supporting documentation (i.e. signed time-sheets).
  6. The invoice funding company will contact the staffing agency’s customers from time to time to verify that they are actively using temporary employees from the agency. Upon verification of the invoices, the factor will electronically advance funds within hours.
  7. Per the remittance information included on the factored invoice, the medical facility sends payments directly to the factoring firm’s lock box.
  8. Upon receipt of the payment, the factor remits the difference (reserve) between the collected amount and the advance to the agency, less the discount fee.

Selling invoices to a factor improves the agency’s cash flow, allowing business owners to meet payroll, taxes and other monetary obligations in a timely manner. Thanks to this article, allied health staffing business owners are able to easily familiarize themselves with the factoring process. The next step in improving their cash flow is to start researching which allied health staffing factoring firm will best meet their company’s cash flow needs.

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

Common Medical Coding Factoring Terms

When a medical coding service is considering selling their receivables to a factoring firm, it’s important to familiarize themselves with some common medical coding factoring terminology. This is a quick reference guide outlining some of the more commonly-used factoring terms to help medical coding business owners navigate seamlessly throughout the entire factoring process.

ACH (Automatic Clearing House) – One method factoring companies use to electronically transfer funds into an Account Creditor’s account. When an ACH is initiated, the funds are made available electronically in the Account Creditor’s account on the next business day.

Account Creditor – You, the client and provider of medical coding services.

Accounts Receivable – The money that is owed to an Account Creditor for the services it has provided to customers on credit. The amount indicated on an issued invoice.

Advance Rate – Money provided immediately to the Account Creditor-expressed as a percentage of the total invoice amount. Frequently, factoring firms advance between 70-90% of the invoices it buys.

Account Debtor – The purchaser of medical coding services who is responsible for paying the invoice, (a.k.a. your customer.)

Cash Flow – The measurement of cash coming into a company via accounts receivables and cash going out of a company via accounts payable and payroll.

Collateral – An asset that is promised or given to a funder to guarantee the discharge of an obligation by the Account Debtor.

Discount Fee – A fee assessed by a factor that purchases accounts receivable. Traditionally, the discount fee is determined by the size of the invoice, the length of time it takes to collect the funds and the creditworthiness of the customer.

Face Amount or Face Value – The total amount of an invoice.

Medical Coding Factor – A company that provides operating capital to businesses through the purchase of their invoices.

Medical Coding Factoring – An alternative financing arrangement, in which a factor purchases the accounts receivables of a company, advances a specific percentage of the invoice immediately and then collects on those invoices.

Medical Coding Invoice – A legal debt instrument which indicates the amount due from a customer to pay for delivered medical coding services.

Non-Recourse – The period of time in which the accounts purchased by the factor remain the factor’s accounts and do not revert to the Account Creditor if unpaid due to an insolvency event. The factor accepts full credit risk for any and all accounts that it purchases during this period.

Notification – The process whereby the factoring company communicates to an Account Debtor that an invoice has been purchased from the Account Creditor and that the Account Debtor is to pay the factoring company directly.

Recourse – The period of time in which accounts purchased by the factor are able to revert to the account creditor if unpaid due to an insolvency event. The client accepts full credit risk for any and all accounts that it sells to the factor during this period.

Reserve – Amount of money that is not immediately provided to the company factoring its accounts receivable when the account is purchased by the factor, expressed as a percentage of the total invoice amount. (Advance Rate + Reserve = 100% of Total Invoice)

Reserve Release – The Reserve, minus the discount fee, is transferred by the factor to the client after payment is received.

UCC (Universal Commercial Code) – The laws dealing with commercial business.

UCC-1 – The financing statement (Form UCC1) filed to perfect a security interest in named collateral.

Keeping this medical coding invoice funding terminology guide close by during conversations with factoring firms will help medical coding business owners better be able to speak and understand the “factoring language.” Using this article as a reference also allows medical coding business owners to save time by focusing on asking the right kinds of questions to locate the best medical coding factoring firm for their 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.

Freedom from Factoring Fees

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.

Phil Cohen Interview Courtesy of Factoring Investor

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?Phil-Cohen-Photo

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.

AR Factoring – An Alternative Funding Option For Small Businesses

Because of their lack of financial sophistication and size, today’s small businesses continue to face the hardships brought on by current economic challenges. Many firms struggle to maintain their bank credit facilities, and securing a new line of credit or increasing a company’s current limit is nearly impossible. So if the lending wells have dried up, what’s a small business owner to do? Capitalize on the benefits of accounts receivables factoring.

Once a small business owner has been approved by an accounts receivable factoring firm, the basic invoice factoring process is as follows:

  1. A small business owner’s customer requests goods or services from the company.
  2. If it’s a new customer, the business owner should request a credit check and approval by the invoice factoring firm. Once approved, the company completes the service or delivers the goods.
  3. The business owner issues an invoice, reminding the customer that their receivable has been sold to and will be collected by the factoring firm.
  4. The business owner submits a schedule of accounts for purchase to the factor, including the supporting documentation (purchase orders, invoices, time-sheets, etc.).
  5. Upon verification of invoices for pre-approved customers, the A/R factor will advance funds within hours.
  6. The factoring firm provides all accounts receivable and collections services as required.
  7. In most cases, the customer makes payment(s) directly to the factoring company’s lock box.
  8. Upon receipt of the payment, the invoice factor remits the difference (reserve) between the collected amount and the advance, less the discount fee.

It’s easy to get things started. In most cases, the owner needs only to complete a brief application and present a current accounts receivables aging report to begin the process.

As if a quick approval process wasn’t good enough (banks can take months to approve a loan), there are numerous additional reasons why factoring invoices is an attractive alternative financing option for small and medium-sized businesses-the first being that entrepreneurs with less-than-perfect credit can qualify for financing based on their customers’ creditworthiness. This is simply not the case when looking for a bank loan. Traditional lenders review the applicant’s financial strength in combination with the company’s operating history before they are willing to extend credit.

Furthermore, healthcare invoice funding also gives business owners the ability to offer credit terms to their customers. Especially in today’s economy, customers appreciate the value of having a 30-day grace period to make a payment. Because a business owner receives up to ninety percent of the invoice upfront each time he/she factors, their cash flow remains unaffected by the net-30 terms.

Additionally, accounts receivable factoring helps owners build their company’s credit. Once an entrepreneur begins healthcare factoring and has adequate cash flow, he/she is able to pay vendors on time, establishing a good credit history with them. This makes it so much easier for business owners to get credit from other vendors and increases their chances of borrowing from bank in the future.

All in all, invoice funding instantaneously relieves business owners from many of the stresses involved with managing working capital. The ongoing factoring process is straightforward and easily adaptable. Accounts receivable factoring gives small business owners the ability to control their company’s cash flow as the business grows, while simultaneously improving their creditability.

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

Invoice Funding Question – Should Medical Equimpent Companies Factor Their Invoices?

This article was recently published on PRN Funding’s web site, however, we thought the medical equipment business owners who read The Factoring Blog would find it useful. After reading it, please let us know your thoughts!

Securing a line of credit in today’s economy is still a difficult task for most start-up companies and small businesses. Specifically, medical equipment companies that sell to physicians’ offices, medical clinics and other healthcare facilities are struggling to qualify for traditional financing. However, there is a reliable financing option available to medical equipment companies-accounts receivable funding. Not sure if your company would benefit from medical equipment factoring? Ask yourself the following questions to find out…

  1. Do you have a profitable medical equipment business that is sometimes short on cash? If you answered yes, then selling your medical equipment invoices to a factoring firm is definitely an alternative financing option you should consider. In short, medical equipment funding companies specialize in filling cash flow gaps. Specifically, invoice funding companies provide a steady stream of cash flow coming into your business. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about having enough cash on hand to meet day-to-day payment obligations.
  2. Do you provide medical equipment to creditworthy customers, but they require you to wait 30, 60 or even 90 days for payment? If you answered yes, then using a medical equipment funding company would definitely benefit your business. Oftentimes, healthcare providers (physicians’ offices, medical clinics, hospitals and/or nursing homes, etc.) have to wait months to be reimbursed by third-party insurance companies. In an effort to help manage their own cash flow a little better, healthcare providers oftentimes stretch out their payables to their vendors (i.e. medical equipment companies). When you factor your medical equipment receivables, the funder advances cash within 24-48 hours after you issue an invoice, so you no longer have to wait weeks or months for your customers to pay you.
  3. Are you spending too much time tracking and collecting your medical equipment accounts receivable? If you answered yes, then you should consider utilizing an invoice funding company because the account managers at a medical equipment factoring firm will monitor your invoices and collectables for you. Allowing a funding company to manage your invoices frees up your time to focus on what’s important-The day-to-day management and growth of your medical equipment business.
  4. Have you recently missed a growth opportunity because your cash was tied up? If you ever had to turn down a new customer because you didn’t have enough cash on hand to pre-order medical equipment and/or products for a new customer, then once again, you should consider using a medical equipment invoice funding company. As long as your business is generating new and valid invoices, the factoring firm will continue to advance you cash on those invoices. With a constant stream of cash always coming into the business, you will no longer have to pass up on new business opportunities.
  5. Are your receivables available to be collateralized? When looking for any kind of financing, it’s important that your receivables are not already pledged as collateral for another line of credit. If another funding source has already placed a lien on your medical equipment company’s receivables, then it’s as if they already own the rights to your invoices. In other words, if another funder already owns your company’s invoices, then a new factoring firm cannot buy them.

In conclusion, if you are a medical equipment business owner who is considering alternative forms of financing, and you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you should strongly consider invoice factoring as a way to improve your company’s cash flow.

Why Temporary Nurse Staffing Agencies Make Great Candidates For Invoice Funding

PRN Funding’s president, Phil Cohen, recently published an online article entitled: Why Temporary Nurse Staffing Companies Make Great Candidates For Factoring, which FactoringInvestor.com re-published. The nurse staffing factoring blogging crew wanted to share the well-written article with our nurse staffing agency owners…

There are two instances when a temporary nurse staffing agency could encounter a bit of a cash flow crisis.  The first is when the agency is just starting out, and the second is when it hits a period of rapid growth.  To a bank looking at a loan application, neither situation is attractive.  On the contrary, to some factors both of these situations might sound very appealing, and this article explains why.

When a nurse staffing business is just starting out, it lacks two vital attributes for a bank to consider it as a good loan candidate.  First of all, a startup staffing company does not have any tangible assets with which to secure a loan.  In fact, the company’s primary asset is its nurse staffing accounts receivables, which unfortunately is not concrete enough for a bank because those can disappear quickly and without notice.  Banks look for assets that are more tangible such as real estate, machinery or equipment—something physical that they can place a lien on wherever it goes so that in the event of default, the bank can still lay claim to and liquidate that collateral.

On the other hand, there are some nurse staffing factoring firms that are willing and able to work with startup nurse staffing companies.  Rather than loaning money, factors provide cash based on the quality and liquidity of a temporary nurse staffing agency’s assets, specifically their accounts receivable.  In the event that a nurse staffing agency was to go out of business, a factor can continue to collect on invoices that were issued previous to their closing up shop.

The second area that could prevent a new nurse staffing agency from obtaining a business loan is that banks provide loans on the basis of a company’s historical financial performance rather than its potential for success.  Temporary nurse staffing companies who are just starting out have no financial history, which is viewed by a bank as just as risky as having a bad one.  Moreover, banks traditionally will not consider loaning money or extending credit to companies who have been in business for fewer than three years because of the high failure rate for new businesses.

Once again, some nurse staffing factoring companies have a different approach to funding new businesses and are not so easily swayed by the fact that they are just opening their doors.  For starters, factors consider the quality of a nurse staffing company’s accounts (the credit-worthiness of their customers and the validity of their invoices) which allow them to provide funding even when the company is new.  Nurse staffing factoring firms see a different picture when investigating the credit-worthiness of their clients’ customers.  As long as the client is staffing nurses in good paying medical facilities, and the factor is comfortable that they will get paid for the invoices that they buy, the actual agency’s credit becomes a minute detail in the grand scheme of things.

As I said previously, another time when nurse staffing agencies find themselves in need of cash is during a rapid growth period.  For example, a temporary staffing company may have landed a contract with the area’s biggest hospital, and they need to hire and staff an additional 20 nurses immediately.  The agency might have enough money to recruit nurses to fill the demand, but it might not have enough readily available cash to pay their nurses once they have completed their shifts.  This situation is quite common in the nurse staffing world because business owners are expected to invoice and make payroll on a weekly basis while the medical facilities they staff regularly can take up to three months to pay for those shifts.

Now let’s analyze this situation from a banker’s perspective.  Banks consider a company’s ability to repay a loan based on its historic earnings cash flow.  Unfortunately for our growing temporary staffing company, its previous income and cash flow is much smaller in comparison to its increasing need for financing. Sometimes a nurse staffing company’s previous year’s income is enough to secure a bank loan, that is to say, if the staffing agency wanted to stay at its same operating size.  More often than not, a staffing company goes to a bank looking for a larger loan than what last year’s earnings could justify because they intend to use the loan to double or triple last year’s revenues.  Unfortunately, a bank wouldn’t feel comfortable loaning money to a company based solely on its potential to grow.  Once again, banks look at the agency’s profitable operating history to justify lending.  So the bank lending process eventually turns into a never-ending cycle—the nurse staffing company needs money to grow, but the bank needs to see a history of growth to give out money.

Enter a nurse staffing factor.  Though a factor will look into a growing nurse staffing business’s operating history, it’s not a deal killer if the company doesn’t have a track record of high earnings because a factor is generally more concerned with the future of the business.  A good rule of thumb to remember: banks look to a company’s past to justify approving a loan, while factors look at a company’s future growth potential to justify advancing cash on their invoices.  Going back to our example, the fact that the nurse staffing agency just signed a contract with one of the biggest and fastest paying hospitals in the area means nothing to a bank, but it is great news for a nurse staffing factoring firm.

I hope that the invoice factoring information that I’ve shared with you in this article have helped you realize how hard it is for a new or growing nurse staffing company to be approved for a bank loan.  Fortunately, there is another good alternative business financing option—nurse staffing invoice factoring. Selling their invoices to a nurse staffing factoring firm is a much more lucrative option for agencies who are just opening their doors or who are going through a period of rapid growth.

Review of 2011 AAPC Medical Coding Conference

PRN Funding’s medical coding factoring specialists did not exhibit at the 2011 AAPC, so we didn’t have a chance to review the show. However, there was an interesting review by Bonnie Shrek on the Coder’s Voice Blog. Here’s what Bonnie had to say:

The 2011 AAPC National Conference in Long Beach, California proved to be a great success. The 1700+ conference attendees experienced educational sessions, networking opportunities, and the presentation of vendor products, walking away with a plethora of information to assist in working more efficiently and effectively in their professions. The weather proved to be typical spring California weather. In between and after classes, attendees were able to enjoy the sun and see a glimpse of the Long Beach Grand Prix press day, circling the conference center in fast and sporty race cars.

Beginning on Sunday, April 3, classes such as Legal Trends and Issues, Getting to Know Your Local Chapter and the Conference Welcome – Code Watch by National Advisory Board President Terry Leone, were available to get to know information on legal matters in the workplace and who was involved in the AAPC local chapters. Later that evening, Contexo Media sponsored a Happy Hour at The Auld Dubliner across the street from the conference center for all conference attendees. This was a chance for attendees to mingle with other coders to get to know one another by networking and a chance to get to know Contexo Media employees in a relaxed environment.

On Monday, the keynote presentation by Fred Schafer was inspirational and humorous, allowing the audience to get out of their seats and get their blood going by moving with him. The breakout sessions for that day included such sessions as Straight-Up Radiology Coding, EMR Documentation Challenges and Cardiac Catheterization Coding.

On Tuesday, the day started with a general session from Deborah Grider – President and CEO of the AAPC – on how ICD-10 Will Change Everything. During this session, Ms. Grider spoke of the immense changes to specialties such as orthopedics and obstetrics, some of the changes in specific chapters of ICD-10-CM, and how all of the changes will dramatically affect physician practices and hospitals alike. Sessions included High Risk Pregnancy, Meaningful Use Certification, and the Anatomy Expo, presented by specialty physicians, which proved to be fun and informative, leaning about the anatomy, diseases, and disease processes and some of the related procedures of each specialty. The member appreciation lunch announced the 100,000 member of the AAPC as the Coder of the Year, along with the Networker of the Year.

On Wednesday, the last day of the conference, in addition to the general session presented by David Connolly, JD, the AAPC’s National Advisory Board president Terry Leone passed his responsibility on to Cynthia Stewart – the new AAPC National Advisory Board President – who shared her vision of the future. Sessions included Advanced Surgical Auditing and Maternity Care – Conception to Post Partum, wrapping up what was a hugely successful conference in Long Beach, California.

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