Helping Providers Keep their Doors Open

Helping you keep your facility open to care

At TRAF, it’s our mission to help healthcare providers keep their doors open and ensure patient access to medically appropriate care. Since 2000, we have navigated complex payor challenges to handle the toughest denials so your team can focus on what matters most: patient cared. The best part? We work at no risk or upfront cost to you—our success is only measured when we ensure you get the revenue you deserve.

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What TRAF does for your Facility

  • Intro Consultation: Start with a free, one (1) hour consultation where we’ll demonstrate how to solve your most pressing payor challenges. With 25 years of expertise in administrative laws and healthcare reimbursement, we’ll show you aspects of the claims process you may not even know exist, and how our proven methods can work for you Make Appointment Now .
  • Clinical Denial Unit: ERN’s team has unparalleled experience in claims representation, challenging improper denials and underpayments. With less than 1% of denied claims ever appealed, despite studies showing that up to 80% of appeals can be successful when patients and providers fight back, we help you reclaim revenue by escalating unresolved claims to regulatory authorities and ensuring timely reimbursement. 
  • Claims Representation: ERN’s team has unparalleled experience in claims representation, challenging improper denials and underpayments. With over 80% of denials being recoverable, we help you reclaim revenue by escalating unresolved claims to regulatory authorities and ensuring timely reimbursement.
  • Annual Compliance Training: As a TRAF member, you receive a key benefit of a complimentary two (2) hour training session each year, tailored to your facility’s specific payor challenges, guiding your team through the complexities of payor issues and equipping them with the tools and knowledge needed to navigate the claims process and improve revenue recovery. We also provide a one (1) hour educational kickoff webinar upon contract execution: We meet with the client’s Case Management (CM) & Patient Financial Services (PFS) staff to ensure we work in concert to combat concurrent improper denials and provide P2P forms and fax cover sheets (with state and federal laws) members can use to notify the plan about in-house patients (with the statutory timeframes to respond), and challenge concurrent denials.
  • Access to TRAF Help Desk: The TRAF Help Desk allows any TRAF member to submit a ticket to our team regarding questions on specific administrative laws affecting the front, mid, and back-end revenue cycle, RevAssurance IT issues, etc. 
  • Additionally, members benefit from a discounted rate on all ERN training programs, ensuring ongoing support and skill development for your team to stay ahead of industry challenges.
TRAF SUCCESS RATES

Proven Solutions through Every Denial Trend

Since 2000, we have navigated complex payor denials and resolved a wide range of issues—from clinical and technical zero pay denials, underpayments, corrective action plans, SPD coverage inclusions, public policy and legislative fights, and other types of denial issues. Our expertise enables us to quickly identify denial trends, address them proactively, and prevent further complications, ensuring your revenue cycle remains uninterrupted. By applying our deep knowledge of payor-specific rules and regulatory requirements, we help you recover the reimbursements you deserve while keeping your team ahead of the curve.

Medical necessity denials are a common roadblock for healthcare providers, where payors reject claims by labeling services as unnecessary, even though they are essential for patient care. This practice is not only frustrating but also legally questionable, as many state laws mandate that payors have qualified medical professionals review claims, ensuring decisions are made based on medical care rather than administrative or financial pressures.
Retrospective review denials occur when payors revoke treatment authorizations after services have been provided, often citing reasons such as medical necessity, pre-existing conditions, or untimely claims. However, many states have strict laws that prohibit payors from rescinding authorizations after treatment has been rendered, ensuring providers are protected when they follow the proper procedures and act in good faith.

Emergency services denials occur when payors refuse to cover necessary treatments for patients experiencing urgent medical conditions, classifying them as non-emergent despite the critical nature of the situation. These denials violate state and federal laws that ensure emergency care must be provided immediately, without the need for prior authorization, and regardless of final diagnosis, to prevent any harm to the patient’s health or well-being. 

Post stabilization care refers to the essential medical treatment provided after a patient has been stabilized from an emergency condition. When a health plan fails to approve or deny post stabilization care within a required state or federal timeframe, the treatment is considered automatically authorized, and the provider is entitled to reimbursement, ensuring that patients receive continuous care without the risk of nonpayment.
Payors often deny claims based on missed filing deadlines after patient discharge, but many states have laws that protect providers from such denials when “good cause” is demonstrated, unless the payor can prove significant prejudice caused by the late filing.
Payors may deny or pend claims, claiming they never received the claim form, but many states have strict laws that presume receipt if a claim is deposited in the US postal service or delivered without rejection, and may require payors to notify providers within a set timeframe if a claim is contested or denied. These laws hold payors accountable for their claims processing and tracking, ensuring that claims are managed promptly, and any failure to comply can serve as grounds for filing a complaint with the appropriate regulatory agency.

Payors may request a refund for payments made on claims after conducting a retrospective review and discovering that the patient was not covered. However, laws prevent this practice, as once a treatment is authorized and provided in good faith, payors cannot rescind or modify their authorization, even if they later find discrepancies in eligibility or coverage. 

Trusted by Clients Nationwide

“I have worked with ERN on numerous projects over the years... and have found them to be the most excellent trainer of various levels of personnel from CFO to Billing and Admitting staff. I've sat in on a number of training sessions and I have to say - probably the best I've ever attended.”

— Debbie Esparza

VP of Payer Strategy & Relationships at CommonSpirt Health

“Ed Norwood and his ERN team and suite of services are the ultimate no-brainer for every Healthcare Revenue Cycle leader... His clinical and non-clinical appeal win rate and time frame will bring home your dollars quicker and less costly than your in-house appeals team or your preferred law firm... Your teams will quickly learn how to most effectively prevent denials, and when needed they will fight to win. Ed’s perfect formulation of strategy + knowledge transforms and empowers your organization’s front lines of Patient Access, Case Management, Billing, Collections, and of course Appeals. ”

— Yaman Kahf

VP Revenue Cycle

“ERN/TRAF is an amazing company! After partnering with them for a few months, I have never seen so many insurance companies willing to work with me directly to resolve their issues when they wouldn't even answer my calls in the past. Way to go! ”

— Jerilin Cummings

Former VHS Director of Business Office

“ I highly recommend Ed. He will change the landscape of your practice and provide you the tools to level the playing field with payors. I believe the time spent with my leaders is a game changer and so do my CMDs. He is articulate, enthusiastic and engaging. His knowledge is a must have in your toolkit to success!”

— DeVonne Grizzle

Chief Clinical Officer at Quorum Health

“The training was very informative and it seems many of the collectors are excited about using these tools. I got positive feedback from at least 3 collectors yesterday. ”

— M. Colon

Manager at UCLA

“ERN's special skills changed my nephew's life. He has a rare disease and was not getting care because of insurance denial. He had no movement in any of his limbs. With rehab, we have hope of a full recovery. ”

— Julie Ward

Aunt

“Your presentation certainly gave us much more ammunition to use against stalling or "lazy" insurance processors... We did get one $15,000 W/C payment that had been pending for almost a year paid within two weeks of using your recommended tactics in collection.”

— M. Shayegan

Shayegan Medical Administration, Inc.

“We learned more in one day than we had in months of trial and error. The practical knowledge and strategies ERN shared were immediately useful, and we saw improvement in our claim resolutions almost instantly.”

— AAHAM MN Gopher Chapter Member

Training Session Attendee

"Ed Norwood and his ERN team and suite of services are the ultimate no-brainer for every Healthcare Revenue Cycle leader. In my 15+ years of personally training under Ed, sending my Business Office staff and leaders to be trained by Ed, consulting with Ed, and accessing his dispute resolution services – I know first-hand that Ed’s approach DELIVERS above all others. And yes, I know that there are 9 dozen other vendors who make grander claims –it has become our healthcare industry’s ultimate cliché. Ed is the real thing folks. His approach runs circles around all of them. His game-changer training is the ounce of prevention every healthcare organization needs. His clinical and non-clinical appeal win rate and time frame will bring home your dollars QUICKER and LESS COSTLY than your in-house appeals team or your preferred law firm. Better yet-- is that when you engage with Ed Norwood / ERN, your teams will quickly learn how to most effectively prevent denials, and when needed they will fight to win. That is because Ed’s perfect formulation of strategy + knowledge transforms and empowers your organization’s FRONT LINES of Patient Access, Case Management, Billing, Collections, and of course Appeals. Ed is the real thing."

— Yaman Kahf

VP Revenue Cycle Pipeline Health

"I have worked with Ed on numerous projects over the years and he is one of my favorite people. I have found him to be a most excellent trainer of various levels of personnel from CFO to Billing and Admitting staff. I've sat in on a number of training sessions and I have to say - probably the best I've ever attended."

— Debbie Esparza

VP of Payer Strategy & Relationships at CommonSpirt Health

"Ed's special skills changed my nephew's life. He has a rare disease and was not getting care because of insurance denial. He had no movement in any of his limbs. With rehab, we have hope of a full recovery. Thanks, Ed."

— Julie Ward

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"I had the pleasure of hearing Ed last summer in LA. I knew at that point my organization needed him! As result, he spoke to my Case Management Directors in April at our National Symposium. I believe the time spent with my leaders is a game changer and so do my CMDs.

I highly recommend Ed. He will change the landscape of your practice and provide you the tools to level the playing field with payors. He is articulate, enthusiastic and engaging. His knowledge is a MUST HAVE in your toolkit to success!"

— DeVonne Grizzle

Chief Clinical Officer at Quorum Health

"Ed is an amazing person and trainer we reached our yearly goals since acquired his services. He has inspired my staff with knowledge and self-growth. There are many organizations that provide assistance, but Ed provides 110% of his experiences and skills. I recommend his team for performance improvement and healthcare revenue cycle challenges."

— Anna Galvez Hernandez

Director of Patient Accounting AHMC HealthCare

Elevate Your Potential